The power of words, the power of our students.

My Pittie Mix Brooklyn

Today I meet with the Nashville PITTIE team to help brainstorm an upcoming PSA we are shooting about ending discrimination  and the discrimination we face every day. We shared our stories and heartaches. I shared that last week I took my dog to Petsmart where a dog ran up to her and started playing. They were having fun and I started to talk to the doggies dad. After a few mintues he commented on how cute she was and then asked the dreaded question, "what kind of dog is she?" As soon as the words pit bull mix left my mouth he grabbed his dog and ran. Brooklyn looked devastated.  I was heartbroken, her breed had cost her a friend.

When these things happen I want to scream, would you teach your child to discriminate? What would you do if you take your child to the park and soon see that your child has made a new friend? Would you allow them play,  to form a friendship? What if you then found out that child was Jewish or Muslim? Would you grab your child and run?

As the team discussed what we can do to encourage tolerance in our community, a member Jill Foster (an amazing, heroic middle school counselor) whipped out her phone.  She hit play and within a few moments I knew I was going to be in tears.

Here is the video she presented. I encourage you to watch it, discuss it, and share it!!!!

2013 Spread the Word to End the Word Hawkins Middle School Best Buddies

The Hawkins CDC teacher, TA's and students did an awesome job on this video and Jill and I are very proud of them!! Enjoy and spread the word to end the word!!! :-)

Success

What does it take to be successful? I love starting this discussion with my older students at the beginning of the school year or as we start our career discussion.
Here is a great Ted Talks video I use to get my students thinking:

http://ed.ted.com/lessons/richard-st-john-8-traits-of-successful-people

Ted Talks About Bullying

If you have not incorporated Ted Ed into your lesson plans add it to your 2013-2014 bucket list now.
One of my 5th grade teachers shared this Ted Talks with me about bullying. I think it's very powerful.

http://ed.ted.com/on/p04GkF0j#dig

The best part is there are wonderful discussion questions on the site, a quiz to make sure they were listening, and a dig deeper section which allows the students to explore on their own. I think this will be a great socratic seminar for next year.

Good Reads!

Have you seen the new issue of the ASCA Scene?

It's all about books! I love books. They are a staple in my counseling program so it's a good thing I am friends with our librarian. This issue got me thinking about counseling books.

Some of my favorite books have come from counseling/psychology specific catalogs:

Images ©  by B. Matthews and Maginition Press

Images ©  by C. Pillo and Magintion Press

......and I am the first one to pick up the latest Julia Cook at the counseling conference...

Images ©  by K. Weerd and Boys Town Press

..but what do you do when you have a tight budget (or no budget) and need a book?

As I was flipping through the magazine I started to think about some of my favorite books, which came from the suggestion of our school librarian. Although my office is FULL of books, I frequent the library and LOVE having Barnes and Noble date nights with her. She can always pull a book for a topic I am working on, and although it wasn't specifically written for a counselor- it works. Also, I love that a book doesn't have to be so obvious, that students can read "between the lines" about the message.

So, I called my best book friends (our librarian, music teacher, art teacher, and one of my favorite parents from school) and off we went to Barnes and Noble for a book date night. Even better the next day I visited with two former colleagues at Parnassus Books in Nashville. The result, a compilation of my favorite books.

Follow me on GoodReads!

Summer Bucket List

Last year I used a tradition bucket for my bucket list.

This year I decided to write down all the things I wanted to do and turn them into a wordlee.

Bucket List Check In

Today I was reminded of my bucket list I did last summer and my goals for this school year.
Here were the goals I set for myself and here's how we did :

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream For Summer Reading

I really enjoy hosting a series of parent workshops throughout the year. Not only does it give me a chance to meet the parents, but it gives the opportunities to collaborate with other professionals and sneak in my own professional development.

Our most popular workshop by far is the Summer Reading Workshop with our librarian and our music teacher (who is completing her degree in library science). Here is why it's the best:

1) The parents get lots of goodies.

Read about all the free goodies to encourage summer reading at Mrs. Svarda's Blog!

2) There is always coffee.

2) We get to show off our favorite books.

We hang out at Barnes and Noble a lot, so this is fun way to show off our "finds." Here are some of my favorites:

Superhero Day

We have many superheros in our schools, but without a doubt our lunch ladies are some of the most important. My Student Council and BIONIC collaborated with our librarian to create a special "Super Hero Lunch Lady Day."

You can read all about  it on her blog: http://libraryeverything.blogspot.com/2013/05/school-lunch-superhero-day.html