#ESCchat #2: Small Group Counseling 4/25/13

I feel so inspired after chatting with other current and aspiring school counselors! Our topic tonight was small group counseling, and participants had such fantastic ideas. I cannot wait to start planning new lessons and groups for next school year! Here is a summary of the questions and answers. To see the "chat" as it happened, check it out on the Storify transcript. 

==>Q1: Why is it important to provide small group counseling opportunities for students?

• Many students feel isolated in school (huge risk factor!) and making connections with their peers helps so much.
• It is an opportunity to focus on specifics needs and build peer support.
• Showing students they are not "going through something" alone.
• Same importance as a small group academic intervention - not responding to T1 social curriculum - Some Ss need more
• Merely letting students be part of a group setting where what they say matters is powerful.

==>Q2: How do you create a group atmosphere where all members feel safe & comfortable to contribute?

• Let students create and agree upon their own rules--ask, what do you need from each other to feel safe in here?
• Especially with younger kiddos, a discussion on "What is Confidentiality?" is very important. Make it kid-friendly!
• A2 careful selection of group members. Collaboratively developed norms.
• Setting clear expectations, lots of relationship building and time to share personal interests.
• Making sure your group "meshes" well. Having individual relationships with students before the group starts helps!
• Asking the students what they hope to gain by being a group member - give them a voice from the start!
• Having students who are good role models in that particular area be involved in the group as well.

==>Q3: What topics/themes have you used to bring students together into groups?

• Currently I run grade level social skills groups and larger grade level lunch bunches that have more of a classroom mtg feel.
• As a PPW I pull attendance groups. Important for kids to want to come to school.
• Next year I hope to start anger management, stress/anxiety, and self-esteem grps - notice the need more and more.
• I run social skills groups all year, also 6 wk Changing Families, Self-Esteem, Test Anxiety, New Students at start of year!
• Cute names can be used. FISH = Families in Sep Households. I use START- Student Test Anx Reduction Team. Elementaryfying!
• Positive communication, grief relief, study skills, self-esteem
• Bully prevention groups, peer mentors are some other themes.
• Kids with incarcerated parents. Music therapy. Just more ideas!

==>Q4: Have you co-led groups? If so, with whom? What was the benefit of co-facilitating?

• I interned with a music therapist working with children w/ autism--the effect it had on them was amazing!!
• I loved co facilitating! I worked on a grant so we had the staff to do so. Helps w/ group management.
• Benefits include helps to have an experienced partner facilitate and different perspective.
• Just ended two co-led groups. Benefits of one was male/female leader--great modeling of opposite sex healthy conversation.
• A classroom teacher co-facilitates my social skills grps with me - They are able to monitor if skills get carried over to recess.
• I co-facilitated with the speech therapist. Also, one of my special ed teacher colleagues may pop in soon!
• Social wrkr, psych, nurse. It's great to have more than one counseling style since the kiddos have such different personalities
• I co facilitate a lunch bunch with our CSE Secretary. She's crafty!
• I like to invite the next grade level tchrs to visit some grps at the end of year - eases fears and lets the kids ask questions.
• I co-facilitated w/ school social worker and school psychologist on an Elementary School Counseling grant.
• You never know who a child will connect with. I like the idea of involving diff staff members.

==>Q5: Does anyone have any favorite curricula, interventions, or projects to do in group? If so, please share!

• I used to do second step lessons to reinforce the second step skills. 
• Students LOVE Superflex! Superheroes always get their attention. I made capes for them and wrote the Superflex Song on guitar.
• I do a Random Acts of Kindess group that is a BLAST as well as a 'fine dining' lunch group that works on manners!
• My favorite projects have been friendship bracelets and our Project Stop.
• I enjoy Lunch Bunch or Game Break with small groups.
• My 3rd gr girls club read and discuss the book about Chrissa the American girl doll about relational aggression - they love it.
• "Whoonu" is a GREAT get to know you game for grades 3+! I start every group with it! 
• Some schools do Girls on the Run-small group esteem building.
• I have also been trying to incorporate using the smartboard in my group activities - its a work in progress!

==>Q6: How would you handle a student who gets defiant/angry during group and storms out?

• I check w/ student to see if they can return to class and meet the next day-then discuss how to effectively communicate in group.
• Notify admin, want to make sure student is safe, will follow up with student to re-connect.
• Processing with the group to make sure all feel safe.
• Other than make sure he got to where he was going ok, check in w him individually to process what happened.
• Our clinicians (and admin) wear walkies so people can be notified when kids storm off.
• Validate his/her feelings and see him/her individually to process and see where its coming from.
• I might break the group at that point to work w the student individually.

==>Q7: How would you handle a student who bursts into inconsolable tears during group?

• I have noticed that the other kids really step up and console each other when that happens -Share that they are not alone.
• Normalizing crying is a great start! Everyone cries, it's healthy release of emotion!
• Give them time to cry it out as well as space as needed, then let others share how they can possibly relate to their tears.
• Ask probing questions, elicit help from the group, offer support.
• Depends on the scenario. If group can support, great, if truly inconsolable, might be a crisis counseling session.
• I've noticed many kids and adults apologize when they cry, I love to remind them to never be sorry for tears.

==>Q8: What formal/informal tools do you utilize to measure if your group goals were met?

• Exit tickets to have students restate what they accomplished is one way.
• Having the students set goals at the beginning and getting their feelings after. Have to make sure goals are obtainable!
• Pre and post-tests, learner surveys, Hard data-referrals, grades, attendance, classroom behavior...
• Talking to parents and teachers to get their observations.
• Usually informal, student, teacher, parent report. But I have used pre post self report rating scales too.
• Pre and post info is important. Need to establish a baseline to determine growth. Surveys are helpful.

Did you miss this chat? No worries! Feel free to continue the conversation anytime on Twitter using the #escchat hashtag, or leave a comment here.

Guatemalan Worry Dolls

One of my awesome coworkers provided me with a pack of Guatemalan Worry Dolls! According to Guatemalan folklore, when a child has a worry all he or she needs to do is sleep with a worry doll beneath his or her pillow. The worry doll "does the worrying" for the child, so the child can then sleep peacefully. 

I have not yet had a student take a worry doll home, but I did have a student carry a worry doll in her pocket for the whole day. This student was worried because her puppy was having surgery that day. Before I gave her the worry doll, we had a discussion about the worry and we decided that if she worried about her puppy all day, she would not put her best effort into her learning! This student was very concerned about her schoolwork, so she decided to let the doll worry for her. At the end of the day, she returned the doll and said that it made her feel better and get through the day. I highly recommend this easy intervention for K-2 students! 

#ESCchat #1: Our Impact on School Climate 4/18/13

On Thursday night, current and aspiring school counselors joined me in the Twitterverse for our first #ESCchat. The chat topic was "Our Impact on School Climate." I posed the questions and we chatted about responses, shared ideas, and gave each other suggestions. After the chat, I felt so energized and excited to continue working on improving school climate at my school! Here are some highlights from the chat. To read the whole transcript, click here! 

==>Q1: How would YOU define “School Climate”?

•  School climate is the quality of the day to day for students, parents, and staff
•  I think school climate is the feeling that you get in a school building. Feelings of safety and connection to people & school!
• School climate takes the emotional temp of a community, including admin, teachers, students & families
• School climate involves many dimensions, physical (appearance, etc) social (emotional relationships), academic (quality of learning)

==>Q2: Awesome definitions, now what does a POSITIVE school climate LOOK & FEEL like?

• Harmony & Collaboration, teachers, students, staff members, and administrators create a positive school climate
• Positive school climate feels welcoming! It's a place where you want to be!
• Collaboration & respect especially when there are conflicting views on how to handle children's needs.
• Willingness to communicate, work thru conflict, honor & value differences, support those who need a boost, and having fun!
• Happy people, sharing ideas, resources, concerns.
• All students feel comfortable, welcome, safe, wanted, and have caring people they can trust and it includes all stakeholders!
• Principals that involve staff and exercise the principles of shared leadership are able to maintain a positive climate.

==>Q3: What are some issues that negatively impact a school climate?

• People unwilling to listen and compromise.
• Stress, tension & losing focus create neg school climate
• Kids feeling unsafe. Fights, bullying, peer pressure, etc. All things that #schoolcounselors can combat!
• Cliques (students and staff)
• Lack of vision, no direction
• School/Staff are unwelcoming, disruptions to learning by negative behaviors, no connection between families and school staff
• No flexibility, those that are resistant to change and are not open to hearing different perspectives
• I wonder if the key to a neg climate is a loss of focus on the children

==>Q4: In what ways can #SchoolCounselors improve their school’s climate?

• Gather data! Survey teachers, parents, students and evaluate results
• By modeling for students, parents, and other staff the qualities that help foster a positive school climate
• One idea-I put words of encouragement on the bathroom wall; treats and notes in boxes
• Datadriven practices where you can make those nonbelievers believe, snowball effect, SC influence +change
• Help to bring together all stakeholders to evaluate and improve the school climate.
• It has to start with admin - a clear vision - shared leadership empowering all stakeholders
• Some schools create compliment trees in the T lounge-teachers write positive notes to each other. 
• We have doing Olweus for about 4 years. The data shows it has really helped reduced bullying in our "hot spots"
• How about inter-grade activities to help improve school climate...
• Acknowledge/celebrate the behaviors that contribute to a positive environment... incl. staff, parents, and admin & students!
• Mentoring & events like Mix-it-Up at Lunch Day

==>Q5: What formal/infomal tools or “thermometers” can we use to measure our impact?

• We track PBIS slips for students and teachers - tells us who's buying in
• Pre/post tests can be adapted to any age, qualitative: observations, more smiles, behavior changes
• I attend as many grade level meetings as possible
• I use the amount of students that come to see me. It shows me that students feel confident that I can help them
• I love getting parent feedback too!
• Informal-Staff hosting after school clubs, participation in PTA events
• Our school does an anonymous exit survey for 5th graders before they go to MS, and we learn a LOT about our climate!
• Eat lunch with grade levels- opportunity to informally get feedback

Were you unable to join us for our chat? No problem! Continue the conversation anytime using hashtag #escchat, or leave a comment here if you have thoughts or ideas to contribute! 

Announcing #ESCChat!

I am thrilled to announce that I have founded a Twitter chat for Elementary School Counselors! #ESCChat will be a weekly chat for Elementary School Counselors, anyone in related fields, or simply anyone interested in our topics. Chats will happen Thursdays at 8pmEST/5pmPST. Simply follow our hashtag (#escchat) to join us!

If you are unfamiliar with Twitter chats, they are a wonderful way to connect with other professionals passionate about the chosen topic of discussion. Here is a great article that explains how to participate in Twitter chats. Feel free to join, spread the word, and don't forget our hashtag: #escchat

Looking forward to chatting and learning with you!

The Spectrum of Standardized Testing Motivation

On Friday morning, I walked out of my house and heard birds chirping. I couldn't help but feel the excitement of looming (and blooming!) Spring. Other signs have been pointing to the seasonal change-- the sun stays out a bit later, the temperatures begin to grow just a bit warmer, the Phillies are in Spring Training, and our staff are beginning to plan specific testing schedules for the upcoming PSSA. Our teachers and students have been preparing for these state standardized tests since September, but reality is finally setting in that the exams are just one month away!

We all know that PSSA testing is important, and our school carries an "All Hands on Deck" mentality. This is why, as School Counselor, I have been trying to figure out my role in this process and where I can be the most helpful. After meeting with teachers, I have tuned into the reality that there is a spectrum that exists when it comes to standardized testing: A Spectrum of Motivation, which I plan to tackle from both ends. 

For this spectrum to make sense, it is important to recognize the evidence-based link between student mindsets and motivation. Cognitive scientists, psychologists, and educators have researched the large impact that attitudes, anxiety, and stress levels have in student success and achievement in life and school. It is logical that students' attitudes, anxiety, and stress levels play a large role in standardized testing motivation and achievement. 

I created this figure to illustrate the Spectrum of Motivation that appears to exist in our 3rd and 4th grade students. The large section in the middle (between the arrows) is where we would like our students to present-- a low or moderate, productive and healthy level of stress that studies show lead to optimum performance. The ends of the spectrum are of concern, and this is where I will focus my energy in the coming weeks-- to attempt to increase stress and motivation in Group A while decreasing stress and anxiety in Group B to healthy levels, which will hopefully optimize their performance.

Motivation Team (Target Group A)
Teachers have selected a group of students who appear to have an apathetic attitude toward PSSA testing-- they have voiced that the tests will not impact their grades and therefore, they do not take the practice tests seriously, putting minimal effort toward preparing. Research on motivation explains that it can be intrinsic (self-driven) or extrinsic (reward-driven). Research has shown intrinsic motivation to be the most effective in increasing performance. The challenge in our case is that PSSA scores are not tied to anything that would be intrinsically motivating for our students-- they do not have any ties to their report card grades or course eligibility in the upper elementary levels. This means that we will have to focus on extrinsic rewards to boost motivation and performance.

I have found behavioral economics research that explains the most productive way to extrinsically motivate students to perform their best on tests. This Motivation Team will be the student leaders in guiding a school-wide PSSA Motivation Plan, where students will earn tokens (bracelets or ribbons, for example) for the amount of effort they put into their testing. This plan is in the beginning stages, but we will use the behavioral economics research to maximize effectiveness, make sure that students focus on EFFORT (we will operationally define 'effort' for our students) and not what scores they receive, and reward based on daily effort. Our Motivation Team will be key players in planning and implementing this program, and we hope that their important roles will boost their motivation as well. 

S.T.A.R.T.: Student Test Anxiety Reduction Team (Target Group B)
Teachers have identified these students who exhibit symptoms of anxiety before or during testing. With parental permission, I will meet with these students in a small counseling group to share strategies for lowering test anxiety. We will also discuss test taking methods to help this group feel more confident and relaxed going into the testing. Interventions will include test taking strategy review, relaxation exercises, and discussion on the impact of the testing. 

This year will be my pilot testing for these programs, and I plan on collecting data to use for reflection and program enhancement in the future. I look forward to leading these two teams through a journey of healthy, productive standardized test taking!

Above and Beyond! Job Search Tips for Educators

Securing that perfect teaching or school counseling job is difficult. Stressful. Defeating in nature. Sometimes it takes years to land that perfect gig (personally, it was two and a half years of searching for me!). I am hoping that this post will provide you with some tips on how to successfully navigate the job search process. 

I was inspired to write this post by Danielle Schultz and Andrea Burston's School Counselor On Air (#SCOA) episode What I Wish I Knew Wednesday, which was a fantastic discussion on navigating graduate school, internships, and job searching for new school counselors. 

I found the tips from the chat invaluable, and I wanted to chime in my two cents from a slightly different perspective on the job search process. Yes, networking is hugely important, but there are some scenarios and many jobs that you will apply to where you know absolutely nobody in the district (except maybe your neighbor's brother's aunt... who does not know you enough to put in a good word with the principal). Honestly, even if you DO have a solid network connection... the following tips will still be helpful. 

Personal Experience: Last summer, I secured a position as an elementary school counselor in an extremely competitive area (there were approximately 200 applicants) having not stepped foot in any school in that district before. I did not know any teachers well enough, so nobody put in a good word for me. I had to rely on my experience, and somehow translate that in my resume and cover letter in order to get an interview, and then sell myself in the interview to get the job. 

Past Experience: These job search tips are coming from my experience working both as a school counselor and career planning counselor at a local college, where I helped students edit resumes, cover letters, and engaged them in mock interviews. 

So... here we go! 

How To Increase Your Chances of Getting a Job in Education (Without Networking):

1. Graduate School & Internship 
        Find some way to leave your mark. I know this sounds trite, but show up to class and do your work. There were students in my cohort who half-assed everything, did not participate in discussion, and texted their way through graduate school classes. Do they have jobs? Not the majority of them. Be engaged. Impress your professors, seek them out before or after class. Show them how excited you are about the material. This will go a long way if you use them for a reference! 
        Do the same in your internship. Even if you do not see an opportunity for a job at your internship site, go above and beyond. Your internship supervisor will take notice and it will help you if they are one of your references. Consider every minute you are in that building a job interview. Be sweet and genuine to everyone, especially the secretaries.  Be proactive! Ask your supervisor to help you find some way to leave your mark (start a new after school program or group, research new curricula to present to the district, take curricula and expand it). Play to your strengths! Are you artistic? Musical? 
        Personally, I used the Superflex Social Thinking Curriculum in my Internship, and my way of going above and beyond was creating and drawing new characters for the book to adapt it and make it more relatable for my current group. I also brought in my guitar and wrote a "Superflex Song" to bring some music into the curriculum. I spotlighted this in my applications, and I think it paid off in a big way.

2. Maximize Your Search 
        On my personal computer, I bookmarked the Employment Opportunity pages in every local district (there were about 15 on my list) and I checked them every day. Every single day for over 2 years. Persistence is key. Also check for local websites where educators post jobs; for example, in Pennsylvania where I live, there is PAREAP. There is also a national site called USREAP. Keep your resume updated so if there is a job posted, you can be one of the first to apply. 

3. Resume
        Your resume needs to be perfect. Grammatical errors will get yours thrown in the trash. If it's too wordy, it will not likely be looked at. Make sure your resume is well-organized, clear, and concise. As Danielle and Andrea suggested, your university's Career Center should be able to help you with this. For educators in particular, you need to make sure you tailor your resume to each job you post. For example, if you are applying for a 4th grade teaching position, use descriptors focusing on what you did for 4th grade! Highlight materials and programs you used. Be specific. 

Don't write: "Chaperoned school field trip." 
Instead write: "Chaperoned fourth grade field trip to National Constitution Center and engaged students in related discussion throughout the day."

Don't write: "Facilitated Social Skills groups for First Graders."
Instead write: "Facilitated Social Skills groups for First Graders utilizing the Superflex: Social Thinking Curriculum. Planned sessions, led discussions, created new characters and wrote "The Superflex Song" to sing with students." 

See where going Above and Beyond is helpful here?

4. Cover Letter
        Cover letters are difficult, but incredibly important. Often, schools will read your cover letter before they look at your resume. It is acceptable to type out a template for you to use, but do not send the same cover letter out to every job. Personalize it! Your cover letter should tell the school WHY you are interested in THEM specifically. Do they have a phrase that struck a chord with you in their mission statement? Do they use specific curricula that you are comfortable with and excited about? Do your research before you write your cover letter and you will know! Did the website tell you that they recently celebrated a School Acceptance Day and you are passionate about social justice issues? What a perfect way to personalize this cover letter! 
        Don't forget to sell yourself-- include whatever made you go Above and Beyond in your resume. Add a sentence or two about what makes you a unique teacher/school counselor-- talk about that lesson you went the extra mile on and how it impacted students. Cover letters should be more conversational than resumes, let your personality shine through in your narrative! 

5. Interview
        Congratulations! The fact that you got the interview means that you did a fantastic job with all of the above categories. Be proud of yourself! Your interview should tell you that you have the qualifications and skills of what they are looking for. Now it's time to see if your personality is a good fit for their school. Here are some interview tips:
        Your interview starts as soon as you step out of your vehicle. Smile at people in the parking lot. Say hello and introduce yourself to the secretary. Be pleasant. If there is something student-related in the office while you wait (a school's magazine, newspaper, or artwork, for example), you should be showing interest in that instead of playing around on your phone. When the interviewer comes out to greet you, that will make a very positive first impression.
        Smile, make eye contact, and give a firm handshake. A weak handshake has been the demise of many job applicants. Do not take this lightly. You should be wearing a suit and always dress more conservatively than fun. Carry a portfolio.
        Speaking of your portfolio, they will likely never ask to look at it. Use it as a tool when you are giving examples. When they ask about what lessons were your favorite, open your portfolio and show them photos or examples of worksheets you created. The visuals will make you more memorable. 
        Be prepared!!! You should be practicing in front of a mirror and typing out responses to potential questions. Personally, I just used google to find sites like this. I typed out all of my answers and practiced what I would say ahead of time. It made me feel much more confident going into the interview. As you did with your cover letter, research the school! Know the programs that they use and be ready to speak to your experience in those areas. 
        At the end of the interview, shake the interviewer(s)'s hand again and thank them for inviting you. Send a personalized card or email (depending on the time frame of when they say they will narrow down candidates) thanking them when you get home. There are great examples of what these follow-up thank you cards/emails should say. 

Be confident in your experience, education, and DESIRE to make a difference in children's lives. I will always remember that I was not ready for the last question of my interview, when the Principal asked me: "Is there anything else we should know about who you are?" A million things seemed to fly through my brain in that instant, and I just went with what felt most natural. I said, "I feel so lucky to be a school counselor. I love what I do and I think it shows."

Questions? Comments? Please leave them and I will get back to you ASAP. I hope to help you in any way that I can!

Random Acts of Kindness Week!

February 11th-17th is National Random Acts of Kindness Week! 

This week fits perfectly into our monthly theme of Citizenship. Our awesome librarian has been teaching our students about Random Acts of Kindness. They have been posting their RAKs on our school's Wallwisher. We are over 100 RAKs and counting! Our students are so proud and we are so proud of them!

Each day this week, our principal is going to announce a new RAK to focus on for that day. Here is a rough draft of our schedule:

Monday: Smile and introduce yourself to 5 unfamiliar students or staff today!

Tuesday: Invite someone you don't usually play with to play with you at recess!

Wednesday: Pick up a piece of trash that may not be yours!

Thursday: Be Thankful! Thank a teacher, classmate, aide, or anyone else who helps you.

Friday: Practice Random Acts of Kindness over the weekend at home! Help with washing dishes, cleaning your room, or helping with another job around the house.

What are you doing to celebrate Random Acts of Kindness Week??