Up, Up, and AWAY! Social Skills Superheroes groups!

Last year, I ran a Secret Agent Group for students to help promote kindness around our school. It was a huge hit for our students and I still have students ask to be Secret Agents. This year, I decided to make my Social Skills building group have an exciting theme as well for students!

Introducing....

SOCIAL SKILLS SUPERHEROES!

I downloaded the Social Skills Program  from Crazy Days Counseling on Teachers Pay Teachers and I absolutely love it! 

I created the invitations for group and delivered them while wearing a super hero cape and mask (mainly to grades 1-3). The kids were really excited about being a part of group! 

I am able to use the packet with grades 1-5, with a little tweaking for each grade level. I found the Checklist and Challenge pages in the packet to be very helpful. The students enjoyed going through each one and I was impressed with how honest they were with themselves. I use their responses on the Challenge page to guide the group with activities. 

While the group has JUST started, I am really excited to see how it develops over the quarter. 

What programs have you used for your social skills groups? 

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Origami After-school Group: Teaching Patience and Persistence

Last year, I ran an after-school Origami group and used it to teach Patience and Persistence. I found it to be a HUGE success! Here is the outline for how I ran the group just in case you want to try it out at your school! 

**DISCLAIMER**: I am BY NO MEANS an Origami expert. I found most of these activities online and focused on the process of the group more than the actual Origami skill set.

Session Outline

Group Size: 8-10                      Group duration: 40 minutes                           Grades: 3-5

Session #1: Students will be introduced to the purpose of the group and will help create set rules for the group. Each member of the group will also be given a brown paper lunch bag to keep their origami creations in as they move throughout the group. At the end of the group, they will be able to take home their bag full of their creations. The first session is also a good time to go over the different types of origami paper you may be using (recycled paper squares, large origami paper, small origami paper, floral paper, etc.). Students will also learn how to make “perfect squares” out of recycled paper (folding over on corner to the side so that it makes a square and then cutting). Have students create about 4 or 5 perfect squares for them to use throughout the group. If there is time, students can decorate their paper bag.

Session #2: Students will be introduced to basic origami techniques and will learn about the patience and persistence required to practice origami. The instructor will read the book, “Butterflies for Kiri” by Cathyn Falwell and discuss how it is common to become frustrated when you are doing something that requires patience. The instructor will then teach students the basic origami group vocabulary to students: bone folder (a stiff edge used to make strong creases in paper- usually a Popsicle stick-to be kept in their bag), valley fold (a fold that is concave-like a valley), mountain fold (a fold that is convex- like a mountain). Students will then make their first creation: a paper fortune teller. 

Session #3: Students will review the previous vocabulary terms learned in group and will learn about trial and error and how it helps us learn and grow. Students will then be given two different sheets of paper. One where they can make their own paper airplane without any instructions and another in which they can follow written out instructions. At the end, students will have a paper airplane contest to see which one worked the best. Afterwards, students will reflect on their planes and which one worked differently. Share with students the following image, and ask them discuss what it means to them.

·         Airplane Examples: http://www.origami-make.com/howto-origami-airplane.php

Session #4: Allow students to explore different types of folds and have them work independently to see how they can use persistence and patience. Use frustrations as “teaching moments” and point out situations of persistence. Some simple suggested folds include:

·         Talking Dog: http://www.origami-fun.com/origami-talking-dog.html

·         Lady Bug: http://www.origami-fun.com/origami-ladybug.html

·         Fox: http://en.origami-club.com/animal/animal(small)/fox/fox/index.html

For students who finish early or easily, have Origami books or separate print-out instructions for other various folds for them to explore.

**Usually, there will be some students who express frustration or will want the teacher or other students to complete the folds for them. This is a great time to bring up Kiri and how her persistence paid off and how rewarding it is to succeed on your own accord.**

Optional: After students have practiced some of their own folds independently, tell them that their “take-home task” is to find an origami video online and to create one creation at home independently to share with the group.

Session #5: If students completed the “take-home task”, have them share their creations with the group and share if they found it frustrating or not and how they used persistence and/or patience. Students will then take some time to review some of the things they have created thus far within the group. Students will be able to reflect on how they have improved already and which different folds have given them the most difficulty thus far. The focus of this session will be “support”. Share with students that sometimes in life, we need others to help support us and that we can be that support for others as well. Students will make an origami heart and on the flat-side write an encouraging statement. Allow them to make more than one and to share them with people who encourage them. Have students keep one for themselves in their bag.

·         Heart: http://en.origami-club.com/valentine/heart/heart/index.html

Session #6: If possible, reserve the computer lab to allow students to explore different kinds of folds independently. Have them aim for creations that challenge them but are still “good fits” (not too difficult, not too easy). Have them explore independently and create 3-5 different creations. At the end, have them share what they created with the group. Some good websites for kids to explore include:

·         Origami for Kids: http://www.origami-instructions.com/origami-for-kids.html

·         Origami Fun: http://www.origami-fun.com/origami-for-kids.html

·         Origami Make: http://www.origami-make.com/howto-origami-kids.php

Session #7: Share with students that they are going to be given a more difficult task to complete today. The chance of frustration with this more advanced fold is high and can serve as valuable teaching moments for students.

·

  Harry Potter “Golden Snitch”: http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/origami-golden-snitch

This time should also be used by students to encourage one another and work together some if possible. End the group by reflecting on the process of making the “Golden Snitch”.

Session #8: End of group celebration! Students will be able to review their creations in group and will have a mini celebration. Each student will receive a Certificate of Achievement, a list of the websites to use, and a few sheets of origami paper for them to take home to continue to practicing.

Have you run an Origami group before? How was it? Did you find it successful? What challenges did you face? 

Back to School-Round 2!

A long time has passed since my last post as I was off enjoying my summer back home with friends and family! However, I am already back in the swing of things as my school enters week 3 of the new school year. 

There have been some new updates and some changes with my position at my school this year and I am continuously reminding myself that flexibility is key! Some of the new changes that have gone on include: 

- New administrators at all four of our campuses 

- A High School Counselor was not hired for our HS campus, therefore I am now sharing the role of Personal/Social School Counselor at the High School with the current Middle School Counselor. I am there once every six days and also am first response in the case of a crisis and the Middle School Counselor is there every Tuesday and Thursday. (Are you confused? Yes, me too) 

- New Counselor at our 1-9 Campus 

- 50% newly hired staff at ES campus 

- New Office at the ES campus and shared office at the HS

Even with all of the new changes, I am excited to have some familiarity this year and to begin my second year as a School Counselor. Let's hope I can find balance with the new changes and can make this year a success.  

A day in the life...

Before I became a School Counselor, I wondered what an average day would look like for one. I kept hearing things like, "No day looks the same" and "You never know what the day will hold". To be honest, this is one of the reasons that I became a School Counselor in the first place. The idea that each day is unique and that your job is truly unpredictable excites me. I have found that my days tend to take on two different extremes, therefore I decided to outline the TWO Most Common Types of Days I have as a School Counselor.

*DISCLAIMER: The following is a look at MY own schedule as a first-year counselor. I understand that every School Counselor has a different school dynamic, case load, and schedule.*

Smooth Sailing Days
7:30: Arrive at school, grab a cup of coffee and check-email.
8:00: Head downstairs, greet students and check-in.
8:15: Bell rings (I usually spend this time wishing students a good day and assisting as needed)
8:30-8:50: Individual Counseling (various presenting concerns)
8:50-9:30: Committee Meetings/Admin Meetings/Teacher Meetings
9:30-10:00: Prepare for Small groups/Classroom lessons
10:00-10:40: Classroom Lesson or data entry
10:40-11:05: Have lunch with individual student (this is when I may eat lunch too)
11:05-11:30: Girls Lunch Bunch
11:35-12:30: Individual Counseling (various presenting concerns)
12:30-1:00: Check-in with teachers/admin
1:00-1:50: Small Group
1:50-2:15: Check-in with other Counselors at MS and HS
2:20-3:15: Classroom Lesson
3:15: Bid farewell to students
3:30: Respond to emails
4:00: Leave school!

Crazy Hectic Days 
7:30: Arrive at school, immediately see a child crying in the corner. Check-in with student and try to assist as needed.
7:45: Get to my room, see I have at least 15 unread emails ranging in topics from classroom bullying issues to HR notices to IEPs.
8:00: Go to grab a cup of coffee, get stopped by at least 3 different students saying things like:

• "Ms. Sara, Timmy says I am cheating but I am not cheating! Make him stop!" 
• "Ms. Sara, can I meet with you today? I am having the worst luck ever."
• "Ms. Sara, Jenny is being so bossy. I told her I don't want to play with her anymore but she keeps bugging me!"

and also at least 3 different teachers saying things like: 

• "I meant to email you, I really need you to meet with one of my students, they are driving me CRAZY!" 
• "I notice that my girls in class keep getting into conflicts, I don't know what to do anymore. Do you have any suggestions?" 
• "Did you meet with this student? What kinds of things do you guys talk about?" 

I respond to the best of my ability to all of the above...

8:15: Bell rings, greet students (still no coffee) 

8:18: See a student who is refusing to go to class...respond as needed. 

8:30: Finally get student to class, realize I am supposed to go to a 5th grade class and do a lesson on empathy. 

8:32-9:00: Lesson on Empathy with 5th grade 

9:05: Principal finds me, "I was looking for you, we need to meet about this student..now." 

9:05-9:35: Meet with Principal

9:35-9:55: Individual student who has anger management difficulties 

10:00-10:35: Individual student who discloses she witnessed a domestic violence situation at home, respond as needed. 

10:35-10:45: Grab coffee, finally...See a TA who is in tears over an altercation between her and her teacher. Try to assist as needed. 

10:45: Lunch Bunch with 2nd grade

11:05: Lunch with 4th grade student (eat lunch as well)

11:35: Individual student with social anxiety

11:55: Individual student who is a bullying victim  

12:20: Lesson on Self-Control with First Grade 

1:00-1:50: Small Group

1:50-2:15: Teacher brings in crying student, assist as needed.  

2:15-2:30: Different teacher comes in asking for advice about a student. 

2:30-3:00: Individual student who has self-regulation difficulties 

3:00-3:15: Read-aloud to Kindergarten 

3:15: Realize I have nothing prepared for After-school club 

3:15-3:30: Quickly prepare for club

3:30-4:30: After-school activities 

4:30: Same TA from earlier wants to discuss situation with teacher, support as needed.  

5:00: Check my email one more time before leaving school, realize I have yet to respond to all of the emails from the morning and now have at least 10 more emails added to my list. Including some emails saying: "Please respond before the end of the day" 

5:00-5:30: Respond to emails 

5:30: Go to leave school, see a student sitting by himself waiting for his parents, looking quite down. Join him until parents come. 

5:45: Finally leave school, feeling exhausted, somewhat defeated, yet somewhat excited to have finished the day. 

So these are just two examples of SOME of the many days I have as a School Counselor. I want to know, what kind of days do YOU have? 

Featured on Masters In Counseling Website! DAY-MAKER!

Thank you SO much to Rebecca at MastersInCounseling.org  for hosting my blog on the Best In School Counseling:Our Favorite Websites  post! I am so grateful to be featured on your site along with some of the best bloggers in the field!

Check out the link above to find more blogs and helpful sites for school counselors!

Spirit Week at AIS!

This past week was spirit week at our school and I can confidently say it was one of the funnest weeks we have had this year!

Backwards day! Day #1

Crazy Day! Day #2

The AWESOME AIS staff.

PJ Day (with awesomely comfortable Vietnamese PJs)-Day #4 

Twin Day with Ms. Michelle, Ms. Ahn, and Ms. Mihn! Day #5 

I LOVED spirit week and it was awesome to see our staff get into it so much. We did have quite a few fifth graders who were a bit "too cool" for spirit week though. What does YOUR school do for spirit week?

Where is the MOTIVATION!?!

• "I can't seem to get them to do anything." 
• "I just wish they were excited about learning." 
• "They seem so lifeless..." 
• "It feels like they don't care anymore!" 
• "My students just aren't motivated!" 

As we enter into our final quarter for the year, I have been hearing more and more of the statements above. I had one fourth grade teacher in particular ask me if I would lead a lesson in his class on motivation. I (over-confidently) said, "Yes! Of course!" However, when I began looking for ideas...I couldn't seem to find anything that hooked me. I always strive to have creative, inspiring and worthwhile lessons and so I was beginning to feel discouraged when I wasn't finding much when it came to motivation. 

I took some time to reflect on my OWN motivation and how it impacts my work. I will admit, the start of the fourth quarter has been a little more difficult for me and I even find myself dragging my feet in the mornings. So I found myself wondering, "How am I going to inspire motivation in students if I struggle with inspiring it within myself?" I was even beginning to think that I may need this lesson just as much as the students! 

I looked around my room for inspiration...art supplies, clay, puppets, toys, balloons...BALLOONS! I remembered a lesson I did with my first graders in which we used balloons to talk about emotions and they absolutely loved it! I thought about how I use balloons to teach about Anger and how if we don't release our anger it can make us POP! I decided I was going to use my trusty balloons again to help me teach about MOTIVATION!

HERE IS HOW THE LESSON WENT: 

• I started off by writing the word "Motivation" on the board. I then had students brainstorm about the meaning of motivation and we had a small discussion. 
• Then, I presented two deflated balloons. I said to the class, "I brought some balloons for us to play with today." I then blew up one balloon and tied it. The other balloon, I left deflated and tied it. I then let the kids play with the two balloons for a minute. It was obvious that the inflated balloon was the most popular choice and the students became bored with the deflated balloon within a matter of seconds. 
• I then shared that the inflated balloon was like someone FULL of MOTIVATION (fun, eye-catching, inspiring) and the deflated balloon was like someone who had NO MOTIVATION (lifeless, no energy, a bit boring) . I attached them to the board and had students create a list of what motivates (fills) them around the balloon and what does not motivate (deflates) them around the other.
• Afterwards, I had them fill out their own sheet about what fills-them-up and what brings them down. We discussed how the key to motivation is remembering to fill yourself up and avoid the things that bring you down. 
• We concluded by showing a video by Kid President. 

After the lesson, I found that I felt more motivated as well! Since I work with a 99% ELL population, I found that the concept was a bit abstract for them but I think it was a good way to get them to begin thinking about motivation.

What tips do YOU have to encourage motivation with your students?