Week 14: Post of Choice

I am the only counselor in my building.  It's probably that way at most elementary schools in our area.  That can be a very lonely feeling at times because no one else in the building really understands what a counselor does on a daily basis.  I meet with other counselors in my district for PLC meetings several times a year and I reallly look forward to that time.  One of the benefits to this practicum has been my regular meetings with the middle school counselor.  Even though she works at a different level, she has a better understanding of what I do and deal with each day at school.  We have had several discussions about how to better define our roles at each of our schools.  It has also been nice to share activities we use with small groups and during individual counseling. 

Week 14: Reflection of Counseling

 I finally have all of my direct and indirect hours complete at my second site which was at the middle school level.  The indirect hours weren't so hard to complete but the direct hours took quite a bit of scheduling.  I know everyone was in the same situation.  I got to work with several of my former students at the middle school level.  The middle school counselor and I decided that it might be easier to work with the students I had at my elementary school.  Many of them I had worked with since kindergarten.  It was funny (or sad) to see how many of them were dealing with some of the same issues!!  I liked working at the middle school level better than I thought I would. 

  It was  easy to get the hours in at my school since that it what I do every day!!  I had my hours in at my own school very early on in the practicum and I just did some picking and choosing of what I wanted to record. 

Easy Breezy

I had a little bit of trouble thinking of something for this post, so I hope I am not way off base with what we were supposed to write about.

I taught first grade for several years.  One year, when I would explain a new concept to the children, I would say, "It's easy breezy."  and I had this little group of children in the class that would respond by saying, "beautiful Cover Girl."  They came up with this response themselves because that commericial for Cover Girl was popular at the time.  We talked about how "easy breezy" meant that what we were learning was going to be effortless and painless.

Well, anyway, I have used the phrase "easy breezy" many times when working with students in counseling.  Often, I work with students in counseling sessions and I tell them that it is going to take a lot of hard work on their part to change and there are many things that do require hard work but there are also those "easy breezy" things that students can easily change.  I think using this phrase helps lighten the mood and it lets them know that certain things don't have to be such a big deal and can be easily fixed.  I think using the phrase "easy brezzy" develops a positive outlook and helps them know they can accomplish some things very easily.

Post of choice

KPREP test results were released for schools to view around October 15th.  Since then, I have spent a substantial amount of time attending district meetings, school level meetings, and individual meetings with teachers discussing and analyzing data.  It has been my responsibility to review data with school staff and review the new accountability system with teachers.  At the elementary level, accountability scores come from achievement, gap, and growth scores.  It is a complicated system and I have had to review the process several times myself before discussing it with teachers.  We are having another data analysis meeting at one of my schools this coming week where we will dig a little deeper into the data and hopefully come up with ideas and strategies for school improvement.

Conducting data analysis with teachers is one of the major roles for school counselors in my school system.  I am focused on students at my schools in a different way during this time.  I am hopeful that my school can refine instruction in several different areas to help students' achievement improve.  I feel like I have grown in this area since becoming a school counselor.  I am thankful for Dr. Owen's classes at M.S.U. on measurement principles and techniques. 

Continued Learning as a Professional

To begin with, I think it is very beneficial to work with other counselors in your own school district.  In my district, we have a counselors professional learning community and we meet several times per year.  At these meetings, we share ideas and discuss common concerns and how we are dealing with things at our own school.

I try to attend the Kentucky School Counselors Association's annual conference each year.  They typically have good key note speakers that address current issues in counseling.  It is also a good way to network with other school counselors and share ideas.

I also attend the Eastern Kentcky Counselors Association meetings.  They hold a meeting each fall and spring.  They also have different speakers at each meeting that address current counseling issues and practices.

I am required to have 21 leadership hours and 40 professional development hours each school year and I generally choose workshops that will continue my education in school counseling.

Cyberbullying

I do classroom guidance lessons on bullying and cyberbullying has now become a part of the unit I teach on bullying.  I teach students that cyberbullying is using the internet and technology to hurt others.  As I do with all types of bullying, I try and teach students to take quick and strong action when being bullied or when seeing other students being bullied.

I think part of preventing cyberbullying or any type of bullying is to create a caring school environment.  Schools need to promote positive values. I think it is important to work with parents on the importance of monitoring what their children are doing online.