National School Counseling Week 2021

In just a few short days it will be my favorite week of the year, National School Counseling Week!  No, not School Counselor Week, but School Counseling Week.  This is not a week for appreciating your school counselor although, who doesn't love to be appreciated?!  This week is about advocating for the profession. So let's talk about the importance of advocacy and its far reaching impact!  

In my career I've had 9 principals and 14 assistant principals.  Four of those assistant principals have gone on to be principals, one became a curriculum superintendent, and one even became a school superintendent!  I like to think the example I set in creating and implementing my school counseling program influenced the way they have led their districts, their schools, and utilized the school counselors who came after me.  I like to think the no substitute, no master schedule responsibilities, no lunch duty, a counselor specific evaluation, and the freedom to counsel students are in some way related to our experiences together, examples I set, presentations I gave and conversations I had with those administrators over time.  Each of those twenty-three individual administrators I worked with have provided me with unique opportunities to share the purpose and benefit of the profession and to influence their thoughts and ideas about school counseling! Like a pebble dropped on the surface of a pond, the ripples created by the impact of that pebble keep moving outward. So, when each of these administrators moved to their next school and their next school counselor, I like to think I helped create a ripple effect of greater understanding of the profession that will continue to be beneficial for all the school counselors they will work with in the future. Be the pebble!

So even though you may be in a less than ideal situation with an administration that has no idea what school counselors really do, think about how you can begin to create a ripple. What can you do in your situation, no matter how small, to begin to educated and advocate for the profession with your administration?  What can you do to change their perception on who school counselors are and what they do?  How can you use National School Counseling Week to highlight what school counselors are really all about? Do you have a brochure, a website, data reports, or a presentation for faculty and staff?  Have you collected and shared your data or done the ASCA annual administrative conference with your administrators? People don't know what they don't know, and most administrators don't know school counselors. They base their ideas of school counselors on their personal experiences from when they were a student.  And some of our "Guidance Counselors" from the past did not leave such a good impression.  So, unless your administrator had the good fortune to know a true school counselor when they were in school, most are working from an outdated model of "guidance counselors."  National School Counseling Week is the perfect time to challenge that old stereo-type!

So Carpe Diem!  Seize the day, or in this case the week, of this golden opportunity to ignite an awareness where there may have been none. Create a ripple effect that will  keep moving into the future with your principal when they move to their next position. Through our advocacy we are educating our administrators and spreading our impact to other schools and to the benefit of the school counselors who will serve with them after us.

Materials for NSCW 2021

This year the American School Counselor Association has provided more than the usual free signs, daily announcements, proclamations, and certificates.  They are also offering daily webinars with topics relevant to school counselors. Check it all out here.

In the past, I have posted cute things you can make for your staff and students if your time and budget allow. Check out these links below or go to my Resources page for links to NSCW freebies.

Counselor Challenge Home
Counselor Challenge School
NSCW Bookmarks

NSCW 2021   PDF of candy card templates and poems

Celebrate yourself!

So try not to be upset when there is no counselor recognition.  It's okay. Remember, the purpose is to keep the focus on our profession and educate our administration, staff, students, parents and school board members what school counseling is really all about! And if you want to celebrate yourself or a school counselor friend, order take-out, actually take your lunch break, share some words of encouragement with another counselor, and celebrate each other and all the terrific things we do!

Happy National School Counseling Week!

5 reasons I'm Celebrating National School Counseling Week

It's one of my favorite times of year!  It's National School Counseling Week!

The debate has been occurring  around the country for a few weeks now about whether School Counselors should have to celebrate themselves or have the time, energy or money to participate in NSCW.  Let's stop right there.  It's not about appreciation, it's about educating those around us. While we all love to see tangible examples of how we are appreciated on a special day or week, I submit we would ALL rather experience a profession daily where we are allowed and encouraged to do what we were trained to do.  If you are in the perfect school counseling situation with awesome ratios, free from all non-counselor duties, providing 80%+ of your time in direct services to students, with administrators, teachers, and parents who understand your job and support the programs and activities you provide, then maybe you have reached a place where you don't need to support National School Counseling Week, but for the rest of us, the struggle is real.  I  am blessed to have a great situation, but most of my colleagues around the district and country do not.  Here's 5 reasons why I'm participating during NSCW:

1) The majority of people STILL call us  Guidance Counselor!
If students, parents, teachers, administrators and school district personnel are still saying "Guidance Counselor"  you have your work cut out for you!  We are not Guidance Counselors, we are Masters degree holding Counseling professionals.  We are not teachers or coaches with no counseling training from the 1950's and 60's who volunteered to help the kids who need to get into college.  We are a highly trained force of Counselors, who are also educators, who help ALL students with the challenges of living in the 21st century. Whether it be homelessness, social media savvy, bullying, self harm, anxiety, mindfulness, social and academic skills, career readiness, kindness, personal safety, splintered families, abuse, or neglect School Counselors are uniquely trained and qualified to be the first line of mental health help in our schools.
So please, stop calling us "Guidance Counselors"!


2) No one really knows what we do.
Some School Counselors say, " Oh they (teachers/parents/administrators) know what I do, I don't need to tell them."  But do they, really?  They think they know what you do and you may think they know what you do, but until they have lived a day in your shoes, they really have NO IDEA, because we can't tell them!  I LOVE my job, but you know how grueling and tough some days can be.  You know on some days if you didn't believe in prayer or a higher power, you might just give up.  You can't really talk to others about what you do because of the confidential nature of the fears and concerns shared with you.  The intense ethical responsibilities we face require you to shoulder many of the confidences alone, unless you are blessed to have additional School Counselors in your school or have things shared with you that legally require you to make a report.   And because we can't really tell them what we do, NSCW is a great week to educate them about why every student deserves a School Counselor.

3) School Counselors around the country still have extreme ratios.
The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) recommends student to School Counselor ratios or 250:1.  Does this make you laugh out loud?  Does it make you envious?  Unless you are living this ratio, we still have work to do!  I am in a middle school and share our 760 students with an amazing partner.  Even with 380 students each the demands are high and the needs are great.  I can't even imagine what is is like to have 1500+ students or be at 3 or more schools.  There is work to be done, if not for ourselves for our School Counselor colleagues!

4) School Counselors are still performing non-Counselor duties.
As long as School Counselors have to be the registrar, testing coordinator, RtI coordinator, disciplinarian, substitute in classes, do breakfast, lunch, bus, car,  or playground duty there is education to be done.  We must use this week to advocate for the appropriate role of School Counselors.  Will it magically change your situation?  No of course not, change takes time.  A little trickle of water can carve a canyon.  It may not make a difference for you, but you are paving the way for School Counselors to come.  I am thankful for the ones who came before me to create a more School Counselor friendly environment in my school.  Be the pioneer!

5)  You have to model  how you want to be treated (perceived).
Right?  Isn't this what we tell our students?  Time to take our own advice.  If people aren't educated on the proper title, ratios, and job responsibilities how will they ever learn?  I love this quote from PBIS.  "If a child can't read, we teach them to read.  If a child can't swim, we teach them to swim.  If a child can't behave, we punish them."  The same is true for School Counselors.  If  parents or teachers don't know how to handle a behaviorally challenge kid we teach them.  If parents and teachers don't have suicide awareness (or any other awareness) we teach them.  If parents and teachers don't understand the role of the School Counselor we get discouraged.  Ladies and gentlemen, most do not know, we have to teach them.  Use this week to model for them what it means to be a School Counselor and how you would like our profession to be perceived.  It's not self promotion, it is promotion of the profession.

So, how will I celebrate?
To begin the week I will post the ASCA signs around the campus and each day my partner and I are reading the ASCA blurbs on the morning announcements.  Find them here at the ASCA website

Monday:  Donuts, coffee and juice for the faculty along with a School Counselor Trivia Game.  My partner and I will each have a sheet with 10 "facts" about us, half are true, half are false.  The faculty will have to guess which is which. My partner and I are both new to our middle school so this will be a fun way for them to get to know us better. The teacher with the most correct guesses wins a $5 Starbucks gift card.

Tuesday: We are a Title 1 school and struggle with the effects of poverty for many of our students.  I love this poem , "Cause I Ain't Got No Pencil" by Joshua Dickerson, as a reminder to teachers that we all have a story. What a great way to advocate for the needs of students and show how School Counselors can support them.  I ordered card stock at the beginning of the year and got pencils at
Wal Mart after the new year for 97 cents for a box of 20.

Wednesday:  This cute little cheesy candy reminder says School Counselors are the heart of the school.  Hershey's chocolate hearts, 30 to a bag, I had the card stock, used the school copy machine.  Pretty cheap.

Thursday:  Another cheesy candy reminder for teachers Reese's cups 34 in a bag, card stock, school copy machine.  Cheap and done!  Have we (I) told you "Reesently" how much we (I) enjoy being your School Counselor (s)?  We will have a Photo booth set up outside the cafeteria for students to take photos with the ASCA sign "My School Counselor helps me reach for the stars by..."

Friday:  An old stand by I have used before,  In a "crunch," your School Counselor can help.  More chocolate for teachers, card stock and the school copy machine.  At lunch we will have a School Counselor Kahoots! the students can play with candy as prizes.

And that's it!  If you don't have the time or the money I get it.  But don't ignore this important professional week to promote the profession of School Counseling using the freebies on the ASCA website.


Happy National School Counseling Week!

National School Counseling Week: Appreciation or Advocacy?

It makes me very sad to hear some of the comments from School Counselors around our country regarding National School Counseling Week.  There is much being said and written about not being appreciated and asking why are we doing things for others in our school and  "Isn’t it about us?"  Well, yes it is about us, but not in the way some School Counselors may think.

First it is National School Counseling week not National School Counselor Week or National School Counselor Appreciation Week.  Maybe a change of title would clear things up a bit for many of our colleagues around the country who misunderstand its purpose.  What if it were called School Counseling Advocacy Week?  Would that make more sense?

This week is not about having the faculty, administration, or families of the students we work with appreciate us.  It is about educating those same folks who still call us Guidance Counselors and speaking out for those who  are still Testing Coordinators, RtI Facilitators, and 504 Case Managers.  It is for those who are acting as the Registrar, Lunchroom Hostess, Substitute Teacher, and Disciplinarian. It is for those School Counselors with more students than can be reasonably served, those who are split between multiple schools, and for those students who have NO School Counselor.

 You see, I am afraid if we DON'T talk about how students are different because of what School Counselors do, we will see these situations full of non-counselor duties continue for many of our colleagues and our students.

Personally, I have a fabulous school situation with an administrator who gets me and my job and allows me the freedom to do what I was trained to do.  But, that is not the case for every one of you reading this and even for some of my colleagues in my district.  For this reason I will advocate, for you, for me, and for the profession.  What I do for National School Counseling Week at my school doesn’t just impact me and my situation, but everyone with whom I have contact.  All of the stakeholders currently at my school will not always be there. At some point teachers, administrators, and families move or transfer to other schools, maybe in other cities or states.  I want to know that what I said and did during this week of advocacy helped shaped their thoughts, opinions and attitudes about the value of the School Counselors they will encounter in the future.

So if you don’t want to do cute, cheesy little “stuff” for your school staff, I get that, it’s fine. But don’t ignore an opportunity to advocate for our profession, because that is what this week is all about.   Instead take the time to write your legislators about the state of School Counseling in your district or state.  Or do a Coffee with the Counselor to talk to parents about their experience with their “guidance” or school counselor when they were in school. Take the time to talk about how School Counseling is different today. Share your programming highlights in a newsletter with School Board members or the School Superintendent.  Plan a presentation for your faculty, PTA, or School Board to show data validating the benefit you and your School Counselor colleagues bring to students every single day. 

These are just a few of the things each of us can do to advocate for our profession, but it takes all of us.   And not just during National School Counseling Week but every single day.

United. Together.

Celebrate the Profession, Celebrate National School Counseling Week!

 In 2 weeks it will be National School Counseling Week.  Now I know, there are a lot of School Counselors who are going to get their feelings hurt because their administrators or faculty don't do anything special for them. BUT, let's remember, it's not about celebrating us individually as School Counselors, but about educating and advocating for the profession of School Counseling. Here's how I plan to celebrate.



All Week long:  NSCW signs will be posted around the school. I had these laminated last year at Office Depot  to re-use and they are ready to go!  I am also adding the new ASCA sign (see below) to help those folks who still can't remember we've made the name change to School Counselor. We are no longer Guidance Counselors!  I will also be reading the ASCA sample announcements each day on our morning news show. Check out these links to free ASCA posters.

Happy National School Counseling Week
I (heart) School Counseling because
School (Guidance) Counselor
Reach Higher  

Monday: I will wear my  new ASCA School Counselor t-shirt. Get your t-shirt order form here.  These can't be ordered on line.  They have to come through snail mail, so do this quickly!  This will also be the kick off for the Counselor's Challenge. NSCW is the week after the Great Kindness Challenge and I just can't do it all.  So I am incorporating the two again this year. Students will have a sheet for home and one for school.  The idea is to fill up their card by engaging in purposeful acts of kindness throughout the week. When a card is filled students can turn it into the Counselor's Challenge box and fill out another if they want. Students in grades K and 1 will get a larger Challenge sheet so those classes can participate in the Counselor's Challenge as a class.  I will be reminding students to fill out their Counselor Challenge sheets throughout the week and return them on Friday for the prize drawings on Monday.
Counselor's Challenge School
Counselor's Challenge Home (English)  
Counselor's Challenge (Spanish)

*Note:Lots of these files are opening a little funky in Google Docs, but when you download them they should be fine

Tuesday:  Today I will be sending home my School Counseling brochure telling about my program and website.  I will also be sending this great flyer created by my on-line friend, who is now a real-life friend, from ASCA 15, ESCE, and Twitter.  Many  thanks  to fellow School Counselor Jan Desmarais-Morse for permission to share her creation.  I love how she put together this piece, "What's in a Name," to explain the difference in what Guidance Counselors used to be and what School Counselors are today.  Thanks Jan!

Wednesday:  I saw this little funny "Lost Your Marbles" earlier this year on the Elementary School Counselor Exchange posted by one of my conference buddies, Sabrina Snyder.
I don't know where she got it, but I love it and thought it was perfect for this week.  I just added the date for NSCW and once again, I am promoting the idea that your School Counselor is there to help. Marbles and snack bags from the Dollar Tree.  Fifty marbles in a bag, 22 snack baggies in a box and I had the card stock. Super cheap!

Thursday: A silly little treat with Tootsie Pops to remind teachers when a problem "pops" up, they can always turn to their School Counselor for help and support.  I got bags of Tootsie Pops at the Dollar Tree, 11 in a bag for $1 and I had the card stock.  Very inexpensive!

Friday: I will be providing donuts and coffee in the teacher's lounge before school.  The sign will read, "Donut" let challenges with students and parents stress you out. Remember, your School Counselor help!  Friday all the Counselor's Challenge sheets will be collected for Monday morning's drawing.  I will draw 20 names on the morning news show.  I have silicone bracelets, pencils, candy, and some dollar store items to give away.
                                    
Well, there you have it.  Another NSCW, another opportunity to assertively advocate about the value of  having School Counselors in our schools.  If you are one of those School Counselors who is performing too many tasks unrelated to School Counseling, take heart.  Use this week to educate those around you about what School Counselors should be doing.  Share the ASCA Executive Summary with your administrators and put the ASCA posters up around your school.  Then do like Trish Hatch said she did when she was an elementary School Counselor in California.  She chose the grade level that was giving the principal the most grief and started there with a few classroom lessons and groups. When discipline improved, the principal took notice and the classroom teachers in other grade levels started asking her why aren't you doing that with our grade?  Satisfied teachers are your best advertisement. Just find one or two willing colleagues who will let you do what you were trained to do and see what happens. Start small, but start!

So whether you are in the ideal School Counselor position or one where you feel like a clerk or pseudo-administrator, celebrate the profession! Even if you are just barely hanging on by your fingernails, National School Counseling Week is the time to make some noise and educate and advocate for all ways School Counseling can a difference to students in your school!

I hope you find some things here you can use for your School Counseling Week Celebration.  You can also check out some other ideas in my blog post from 2015 A Second Look At National School Counseling Week. Make it a GREAT one!

A Second Look at National School Counseling Week

I have long been of the opinion that School Counselors should be appreciated or celebrated during National School Counseling Week. I felt foolish doing cutesy little things for teachers and trying to bring recognition to myself.  But after reflecting on my recent, disturbing and enlightening, visit with my state legislators (more about that in another post) I have come to the conclusion I was wrong. It’s not about anyone appreciating me or celebrating me, it’s about educating others to appreciate and celebrate a profession about which I am passionate!

I had to take a step back and realize it is not an appreciation day or week, but a time for advocacy. It is important to remember the week is not School Counselor Appreciation Week or School Counselor Appreciation Day, but National School Counseling Week.  It is our opportunity to tell everyone what it is School Counselors do and to show the value of every student having access to a School Counselor. 

Our Lament
Yes, we are an undervalued, under-appreciated, and largely misunderstood group. Our ratios are too

high, our job descriptions are too vague, our time encumbered, our PD irrelevant, and our variety of
duties fall somewhere on the continuum from volunteer to para to hostess to clerk to substitute to 
administrative assistant and sometimes School Counselor.  Too many of our colleagues are being 
used in a way that does not allow the students, parents, and teachers in their schools to utilize
 the highly trained skill set of their School Counselor. Too many legislators, school boards, and 
administrators fail to see the ability we have to impact the social, emotional, academic, a
career readiness skills of our students.  When those in power start looking at budgets and programs, 
how do we measure up?  Are those politicians able to say how students are better because of what 
School Counselors do?  It is an essential question and until everyone can answer it, we are left with
the job of continuing to advocate for our profession.  So rather than have my usual pity party this 
year because I am not being appreciated like the secretaries, nurses, teachers, or bosses, I am going to
get to advocating by educating!  

Advocating Means Educating  
I’m going to educate my parents, teachers, and administrators about the value I add to the life of my
students and the school.  I am going to make them aware of my services with information home, 
connect ed phone messages and brochures about my counseling program. Advocacy starts small.  It’s
local. It’s a grass-roots effort to educate and inspire the people with whom we have the 
greatest contact each day. Because if those closest to us don’t "get it,"there will be no one to join us in
the push for district-wide or state-wide initiatives to increase counselor numbers, or positions, or
protect the services we provide students. 

So, yeah, this next week I am going to celebrate School Counseling!  I’m even going to do a couple of cutesy, cheesy things along the way.  And as a result, if someone wants to appreciate or celebrate me along the way that will be just fine. But, since the reality of this profession which I love so much is that most people don’t "get it,"I’m going to do everything I can to advocate for School Counseling!

Here is a look at what I have planned for National School Counseling Week.

Daily:  Read the ASCAannouncements on the morning news show at my school.

Monday:  Put up ASCA posters (seen at the top of this post) in well-traveled locations around my building.  I had them blown up and laminated at Office Depot (so I can use them again).  Issue the “Counselor Challenge” to students at home and at school. The note going home to families tells them it is National School Counseling Week and asks them to participate in the Counselor Challenge. I found this idea on Pinterest and adapted it.  This idea originally comes from the South Carolina Counselor Café blogspot.

Check out the Counselor Challenge for Home and the Counselor Challenge for School.  These are printing a little funky from my Google Drive, so you may have to do some adapting.  I didn't want to post them in a PDF otherwise you would not be able to edit them to suit your school.

Tuesday: Something cutesy.  Have a problem? In a “Crunch”? Call your school counselor.  A little treat for teachers.  This cheesy idea is all mine. Get the template here.

Wednesday :  Ok,one more cutesy thing, but I couldn’t resist this one. Stress Reliever for teachers.  It’s a little poem with bubble wrap to pop. Got this idea off Pinterest.  Also  putting up another ASCA poster.

Thursday:  Book marks for the students that say what a school counselor can do for you. Another great way to let parents know what all we do!  I’m still working on these but I have a few days.  I got the idea from Pinterest from the http://coltscounseling.blogspot.com from School Counselor Tonya Jesienouski. Here is a link to my version of the NSCW bookmarks.

Friday: “Open Office” for the staff with breakfast  and freebies.  I usually do this at the start of every school year, but this year it never timed out right. I have lots of leftover school supplies and some donated chapter books to put out for teachers to take. I will also put out my Counselor brochure. I will sent out an email to invite teachers on Monday and hang this sign in the lounge. Here is an editable verson of my invitation.

So there you have it, my efforts to advocate for School Counseling.  When you think about it, I’m not just advocating for School Counseling at my school, I’m advocating for School Counseling everywhere by starting with educating those closest to me. We talk to our students about how kindness ripples, I believe it's true of advocacy as well.  Let it ripple!

Happy National School Counseling Week!