So Many Feelings!

It seems so appropriate that we are talking about feelings this month due to the number of big feelings our students have had lately. As we end the 3rd quarter, there seem to be more emotions connected to friendships emerging. I am happy to help, and also encourage families to ask their students how things are going at school outside of the academic piece.

Each teacher was asked to select 2-3 skills related to feelings they thought would best benefit their classrooms. Thus, each lesson is a bit different. However, all students will be getting some information about managing their emotions and empathy. Ask your student what they learned!

 

Careers!

I am so excited for February. First, January always feels SOOOO long! It feels good to change that calendar to February. I also love our February lessons. It’s all about careers!

In kindergarten and first grade, we read really fun books about different careers. Students are then able to identify a possible career for themselves accompanied by a picture of them doing that job.

Second grade students use a wonderful website called “Paws in Jobland.” It is a fun, interactive website geared towards younger elementary students and it great to explore.

Third graders use a career interest survey to identify their “color”. Colors are based upon strands of careers, or types of careers. They can then investigate a few of the careers listed under their “color” and use a career database to find information about those careers.

Fourth and fifth graders also use online resources. They go to a career interest website where they answer 30 questions and then are given careers that are a best match. They can then learn more about these careers including, but not limited to, how much someone with that career makes, the education needed, and what the job responsibilities are for that career. Teachers and students alike love these lessons, and so do I!

Online Kindness

January’s focus for classroom lessons has been online kindness and safety. I’ve discussed this with different grade levels using different terms and fun videos. We’ve talked about what is good and bad about technology, how to make sure you are clear online, rules such as “don’t type anything you wouldn’t say to someone’s face”, the consequences of taking a picture of someone without their permission, and what cyberbullying is as well as what to do if you are a bystander to cyberbullying. Ask your student what they learned!

Do you like podcasts?

I have to say I’m behind the times on this one. I didn’t really start listening to podcasts until last year when I was taking a class in Wayne, Nebraska and was often making drives late at night with poor radio signals. I started downloading some podcasts and found so many of them very enlightening! I still enjoy listening to them now even without the drives.

One podcast I really enjoy is “Hidden Brain” from NPR. I’ve linked below interesting podcasts on the importance of teaching “soft skills” such as empathy and kindness, and barriers to meeting goals you’ve set for yourself (timely as we usher in our new year).

Hidden Brain: The Persistent Power of State and Education

Hidden Brain: Creatures of Habit

2020!!!

It’s 2020! How exciting it is to always start a fresh, new year! We are hard at work today, and look forward to welcoming students tomorrow!

The counseling program starts in full swing tomorrow too! We are welcoming new students, and I always look forward to meeting new students, giving them a tour, telling them about my job as a school counselor, and going over important information like how recess and lunch work. I will also start with the January lessons this week. In January, all grade levels except for 2nd grade will be working on how to be kind online and digital etiquette. Of course, these lessons look very different for the different age levels, but the overall theme of being kind is important for all. 2nd graders will be finishing the last bullying lesson, and then will do their digital etiquette lesson in February.

The other big thing starting tomorrow is Connection Clubs. I spent 2nd quarter meeting with students individually to ask about who they would feel like talking to if they were “having a bad day.” Students were shown pictures of the adults in our building and could select as many as they felt were appropriate, but also didn’t have to select anyone. I then compiled all the data (and boy was there a lot of it!) Every student who did not identify any adults in our building were placed in a Connection Club with me. I am excited to spend time with these students during their recess and/or lunch. We will talk about how we are all connected and do fun activities. I also hope to have additional adults from the building join us to further those student/adult relationships.

Research shows again and again the importance of students feeling connected to their school including the adults in their building. I am hoping to provide those benefits starting tomorrow!

A Long Break, Now What?

Next week we get to celebrate Thanksgiving, and as a result, students will have four school days off. Including the weekend, it will be a six day break. If you are wondering what to do with that time, you are in luck. I have a few ideas!

As your student to read to you. Our public library system is amazing! You can spend a lot of time just browsing, reading, talking, and doing whatever craft is set up for the week. Check the library’s website for more events too!

Another website that is AWESOME for finding ideas is Macaroni Kid. They always have a list of events with information including the cost. Many of their activities are free too!

Electromagnetic Field?

Did you know?

 

Did you know the heart generates electrical amplitude and the electromagnetic field of the heart extends 10 feet out from the body? A person’s heartbeat can actually be measured in another person’s brainwave and a connection is created.

This is very powerful when thinking of working with students. When an emotionally regulated and calm adult is next to, or gently touches the should of a dysregulated and disruptive student, an energy exchange happens. Thus, it is imperative that the adult’s emotional state be positive. This can create “heart coherence,” driven by a state of love, gratitude, and happiness, the waveform is ordered and stable.

 

 

However, when someone is angry and resentful, the waveform is disordered, jagged, and unpredictable. This feeds negativity and fear into an interaction between an adult and student.

 

Adults’ emotions cannot be suppressed; they have to be processed and acknowledged, otherwise they will show up in resentment and anger. It is critical for adults to monitor their thoughts, reactions, and feelings while around stude

November Bullying Lesson

Each month, I get to go into classrooms for a lesson. I love this part of my job for many reasons, but one is that I get to interact with each student monthly.

Throughout first semester, we use the Second Step bullying curriculum for our lessons. So far, all grade levels have had a lesson on what bullying is and what to do if you see bullying. We consider bullying to be more than just someone being mean or arguing with someone else. For it to be considered bullying, it needs to happen more than once and be one-sided. Thus, two students would not “bully each other” because the implication is that both are being unkind. Rather that would be an argument/problem/conflict that needs to be resolved. Bullying is when one student continues to be unkind to another.

We discuss that you need to report bullying to an adult whether it happens to you or you are a bystander and see it happen to someone else. We have identified who those adults are that we could report to as well as practiced how to report bullying if we see it. Kindergarten through 2nd grade will be practicing how to refuse bullying during this month. Third through fifth grade, instead, will discuss and practice how to be a helpful, supportive bystander. As always, look for handouts to come home this month.

Book Fair!

I love books and I love shopping, so a book fair is right up my alley. I always am so excited to see those Scholastic boxes show up because they signal, “Book Fair Time!” If you can find time to stop in this week before or after school, you will find a wonderful selection of books available. They are usually fairly inexpensive too. Go see Mrs. Anderson at the BOOK FAIR!

Conferences

Tonight we start with our first night of parent-teacher conferences for the 2019-2020 school year! It is always such a great opportunity to see what your student is learning, ask questions, and learn about how you can continue to support your student in school. We always look forward to meeting with families, and encourage students to come along so they can be part of the conversation. If you need to reschedule your conference, please just let your student’s teacher know and you can work together to find a time to reschedule.