tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76778421212049134582024-03-05T16:19:49.439-06:00The Professional School Counselor: Elementary StyleThis blog is all about my journey as a professional school counselor. My triumphs, struggles, ideas, stories, and collaborations. I am currently a K-4 counselor at an elementary school in Wisconsin.Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295631182750939931noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7677842121204913458.post-33717584716742427992014-01-07T16:22:00.001-06:002014-01-07T16:22:18.015-06:00Hello 2014!Hello Bloggers,<br />
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Well, it is officially 2014! As with any new year, it is important to look back on the past year and ahead to the future. It is also important to set some goals for the coming year. As I look back on this blog, I have definitely slacked on the blogging side of things. With a new job, new apartment, and bills to pay, I have been a little side tracked. In this new year, I am going to try to blog on a regular basis about my life as a school counselor. It might be things like new lessons that went well (or didn't go well), issues that are going on at school, great meals that I have used after a long day of work. A little bit of everything.<br />
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I hope everyone has had a great few days break after our holiday break! I am sitting at my dining room table getting work done trying to stay warm in these frigid temps outside (seriously, temps below zero!! Ridiculous!!). It is back to school tomorrow (again) and I hope we can finish out the week strong and start fresh for our first full week back next week!<br />
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Until next time,<br />
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JenniferJenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295631182750939931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7677842121204913458.post-27016240101328315062013-08-07T13:29:00.003-05:002013-08-07T13:29:26.859-05:00Hello Again Blog World!Hello Blog World!<br />
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Wow! I am sorry that it has been FOREVER since I have posted anything on here. I was working 50 hours a week for the end of the semester and summer has been crazy with trying to find a new counseling job and working at summer camp. As you may have read, I was working 10 hours a week as a Title 1 counselor at an elementary school in the area. I worked all summer to find a job. Had a few interviews, made it to a second interview (I didn't get that job and was called a kiddo. Don't even get me started!), then I finally found a job!!<br />
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I am officially the K-4 Elementary School Counselor (they call it guidance but we will work on it!) at Park Lawn Elementary School in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin.<br />
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I am very excited to get started in this new role. The school seems like a great fit for me. The staff that I have meet so far seem amazing and I hear they are all great! The principal is great too! I know she can see how school counselors can be of value in the school.<br />
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My position is only 60% at first. Which means I work 3 days a week. We are hoping that we will be able to add a day in October and with any luck, move to full time for next fall!<br />
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My schedule will mostly consist of classroom lesson at first. I am in each classroom for 30 minutes EVERY WEEK! I am super pumped because classroom work is my favorite part of this job. I will have some time to do some small groups and individual counseling as needed. The hope is that when we add the 4th day, I will have more open time to do some small groups/career cafes/individual counseling.<br />
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I can see that I have a lot of work in front of me but I am excited to get started, meeting the students/staff, and getting my program rolling!<br />
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I hope you all have a great rest of your summer if you haven't started back yet. If you have already started back, I hope you spend some time doing something for yourself before the kiddos start up!<br />
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JenniferJenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295631182750939931noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7677842121204913458.post-20574123600583738412013-02-11T11:02:00.000-06:002013-02-11T11:02:13.881-06:00A little of this...a little of that...Hi Cyberspace!<br />
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Well, I have a little bit of everything to talk about today. I hope I can keep it as organized as possible and not get too rambly. I am going to try to post on here more often.<br />
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Last Friday was the school talent show. Silly me, I planned something in the evening without looking at my planner. Duh! So I decided to work a little later so I could stay and watch the dress rehearsal that the students put on for the school. OMG!! I was not able to stay for all the acts but I was so impressed with the acts that I did see. One in particular will probably stick with me for a long, long while. We have a down syndrome student who decided that he wanted to perform. He tried to teach me some of his performance the other day in the hallway so I was really looking forward to seeing his act. When he got up on stage, he did the entire song Gangham Style by PSY. Complete with dance moves and mouthing the words to the song. It was awesome! But what surprised me even more than his spectacular performance was the crowd response. I was SO proud of our students. The second this student's name was called, the students erupted in cheers. They were singing and clapping along with the entire song and after he was done, the students went NUTS! I was so proud of how respectful they were, not just to this student, but to all the students choosing to participate. I know it is not easy for some of them so I was really happy when the observing students were exceptionally respectful to their peers. Sometimes these guys really surprise me, in a good way!<br />
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The past few weeks I have been feeling overwhelmed with the amount of students that were signing up to see me. I could spend all of my 10 hours just working on individual issues with students. Luckily, there is a great group of staff here that were more than willing to be the first filter for students needing to see me. Now, I will only see a student if a teacher sends me an email or I have a request from a parent. I am so glad to see so much need amongst the students here because it shows that we really need counselors in all the elementary schools. But I am also a bit relieved to have a few less individual students come to see me so that I can concentrate on the reason I am here which is small groups and students who have been identified as needing my assistance.<br />
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Speaking of small groups, I am starting 3 small groups at this school. The first one is a group on changing families which is meant for students whose parents are going through a divorce. I have found a great book that I am splitting up into pieces. I am also using some activities from <u>"the D (divorce) word" Activity and Idea Book</u> written by Julia Cook. Her activities are simple and I think they will be very effective. We shall see. I am currently getting permission slips returned to me and I am hoping to get the groups up and running by the last week in February.<br />
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I am also running a girls group from the book <u>Bullying in the Girl's World: A school-wide approach to girl bullying </u>by Diane Senn. I have read a lot of great things online about her book and the small group lesson plans within it. We seem to have a bit of an issue with girl bullying in our 4th grade here. I feel like I am constantly dealing with girl problems so I am hoping to combat this by putting all the 4th grade girls in a group. My hope is that it will at least lessen some of these issues.<br />
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I have also started a career cafe here at my school!! It is starting to become a big success! I will write more about it in a specific post because I have a lot to say about it. Needless to say I am really excited that it is taking off and I am hoping that I will be able to stick around here to continue it next year.<br />
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I am trying to keep as much data as possible but I am hoping that I can get some testimonies from staff, parents, and students here. I would love to be able to work at this school (or multiple schools in the district) full time next year. Does anyone have experience with having to advocate for your job that could give me some friendly advice? Please feel free to comment below.<br />
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I hope you are all having a great Monday and look for my post on my Career Cafe soon!<br />
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JenniferJenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295631182750939931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7677842121204913458.post-49474921569195888752013-02-04T09:47:00.005-06:002013-02-04T09:47:42.404-06:00Happy National School Counseling Week!!Hi fellow school counselors,<br />
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Happy National School Counseling Week!!!</span><br />
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Thanks for all the hard work you do for your students and staff each and every day!!<br />
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Much appreciation,<br />
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JenniferJenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295631182750939931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7677842121204913458.post-73688788619784965052013-01-14T12:56:00.001-06:002013-01-14T12:56:49.472-06:00My New Counseling Position!Hi Everyone!<br />
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I am sorry it has been such a lapse in time since my last post. I have a few posts in the works to show off my new office as well as talk about some of the things that I am starting at my new school.<br />
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Speaking of my new school! I got a job working as the only school counselor at a title 1 elementary school in my hometown!! It is only 10 hours a week but I look at it as 10 is better than 0!<br />
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I was super excited to get this job and as you can probably imagine, I put waaaay more than 10 hours in for the first few weeks. My office (really its a classroom) was finally coming along and I was getting my game plan together for the time after break.<br />
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Well I had a meeting with my principal who loved all the ideas that I had. But then I got some unsettling news. After they hired me, the paperwork for my position (which was supposed to be funded under title 1) was rejected :-( I was sad but I couldnt be too upset because my principal was supposed to call me over break and tell me not to come back in. Clearly, she realizes how important counselors are to all students, so after agonizing and many sleepless nights (I am soooo appreciative of her for all of this!!) she re-worked the school budget so that she can pay me for my 10 hours a week through the end of March, possibly the end of April. After that, who knows!<br />
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I really cannot be too upset because I know she agonized over this for part of the holiday break! I am so thankful she believes in having school counselors in all levels of school and I couldnt be more thankful. My hope is that if she cannot pay me in April or May, that I will volunteer my time to come in and conduct groups/career stuff/transition pieces for that time.<br />
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On a positive note, since I am not funded through title 1, that means that the documentation of EVERYTHING I do or say does not have to happen. It was kind of a relief to hear that but I am still documenting everything so that I can go to the school board soon and prove to them with my data and personal testimonials that they need to hire me for full time next year. I would even be willing to go to a couple of different schools but I firmly believe that this district needs to rehire elementary school counselors and I am making it my goal to be the first one!!<br />
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That is all for now. I have a busy Monday ahead of me! I will post pictures of my office as well as my game plan for this year sometime this week!<br />
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JenniferJenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295631182750939931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7677842121204913458.post-76679713297207680072012-12-08T15:00:00.000-06:002012-12-08T15:00:05.995-06:00All About Me is finally ... almost ... done!!Hi Everyone!<br />
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I am sorry at the lapse of time it has been since I lasted made a blog post! Between being done with my long-term subbing gig and trying to find a new one, it has been a stressful time!<br />
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But I finally found a new counseling job (More on that in the next post) so that has lowered (or increased I am not sure) my stress level. I also went back to my old job which as at least given me some money.<br />
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I finally finished my all about me book, with the exception of three pages because I cannot for the life of me find the rest of the cutouts that I already made.<br />
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Here are the pictures of all the pages. Obviously I put paper over the personal information I do not need the entire world to know. Although, those middle school pictures are pretty rough to be showing the world wide web!<br />
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Here we go!<br />
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Here is where the graduate school page will be when it is done!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This one was really hard to put up. As of last Thursday (12/6), Sadie is no longer with us. :-( But she lived a good, long life! And she was a great dog for our family!</td></tr>
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Here is where my favorite books page will be when it is done!</div>
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The final page will say something to the effect of, "Now that you know all about me, I want to know all about you!"</div>
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Hope you all enjoyed the final pages! It has been a long time coming!</div>
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In my next post, I will talk about my new counseling job as well as put up some pictures of my new "office" before I have decorated. A later post will have the final product up!</div>
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Question for the day. Does anyone have any good lesson planning books for small groups on social skills and anger management? They should be groups that will get results since my new job is going to be completely data-driven. More on that later!</div>
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Hope you all are having a great weekend. We are supposed to FINALLY get some snow tomorrow! Whoo hoo!</div>
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Jennifer</div>
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<span id="goog_965074682"></span><span id="goog_965074683"></span><br />Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295631182750939931noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7677842121204913458.post-70947249065598100962012-09-17T09:32:00.003-05:002012-09-17T09:32:32.799-05:00Testing, Testing, TestingHi Fellow Educators (And maybe some non-educators),<br />
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I thought these next few pictures were fitting considering the next two weeks that we are about to jump into.<br />
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We are officially in testing week people! Right now, there are two separate tests taking place at my school. MAP testing is required for all 2-5 grade students. 2nd and 4th graders are taking it this week and 3rd and 5th grade are taking it next week.<br />
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There is also a test called the COGAT going on. These are being taken by the 3rd and 5th grade students. I was feeling a bit overwhelmed while trying to schedule all these tests as well as making sure all the IEP and 504 students were taken care of. Now that testing is about to get underway, and things seem to be going smoothly this morning (fingers crossed) it should make for a easy flowing week.<br />
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I also start classroom guidance this week for the month of September. I will post about that at the end of the week since I will have given a lesson in each grade and be able to post some picture of the work that gets done! I am excited to get into all the classrooms and start learning students names. I really enjoy being in the classroom and I hope that each lesson runs as smoothly as possible.<br />
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Until then,<br />
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Jennifer<br />
<br />Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295631182750939931noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7677842121204913458.post-1229371791199862372012-09-11T10:29:00.003-05:002012-09-11T10:29:55.924-05:00R.E.S.P.E.C.TIt's Called Respect!!<br />
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Our music teacher, who happens to coordinate all the school meetings, came across this awesome video that we used yesterday to teach the first bit of our school way. RESPECT!<br />
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I thought it was super catchy and the students LOVED it. I heard them singing it throughout the hallways as they were getting ready to head home for the day.<br />
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It's called Respect.<br />
R.E.S.P.E.C.T<br />
I give it to you<br />
And you give it to me<br />
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It's called Respect.<br />
R.E.S.P.E.C.T<br />
You've got to treat people<br />
Respectfully<br />
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Hope you are having a wonderful Tuesday!<br />
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JenniferJenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295631182750939931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7677842121204913458.post-20778896017973129842012-09-10T12:39:00.001-05:002012-09-10T12:39:41.066-05:00My New Office...And New School.Hi Everyone,<br />
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Well, I have my first week under my belt and I have to say, I am feeling way more confident! I am going to work with my first individual student this afternoon and my first classroom lessons are a week from today!<br />
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I thought I would share with you the AMAZING office that I am using while I am here. Its HUGE!! It is easily four times as big as the one that my supervisor, other intern, and I used at my elementary internship site.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoUX0mu15h7dzoSSVXLMImGpcdC03omGm_zV2vtY-8L2vdR0TkFLZjLk1q13R1IiRMe-NnzrqeCD-Rl8x563yxrDtJ2RrmfqQskbjqxoYLXg1aznXF7MTcEkYokxz1AbMVxBbn-rKNXuo/s1600/before+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoUX0mu15h7dzoSSVXLMImGpcdC03omGm_zV2vtY-8L2vdR0TkFLZjLk1q13R1IiRMe-NnzrqeCD-Rl8x563yxrDtJ2RrmfqQskbjqxoYLXg1aznXF7MTcEkYokxz1AbMVxBbn-rKNXuo/s320/before+1.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is taken from my desk looking towards the door.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0IAuS3u8-WkFWNhiAfWx_jASO_VkplvdfECOflApQAv7UtJMJCy_A9JTw3cfWGdUXH1CPsnYbJUqWkkdyTukUXJG2lxlxqUnFeiUAxyNfRpADMhJlckuW4rUj1JpM_A5ot_gEGInyr_M/s1600/before+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0IAuS3u8-WkFWNhiAfWx_jASO_VkplvdfECOflApQAv7UtJMJCy_A9JTw3cfWGdUXH1CPsnYbJUqWkkdyTukUXJG2lxlxqUnFeiUAxyNfRpADMhJlckuW4rUj1JpM_A5ot_gEGInyr_M/s320/before+2.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is taken from the door looking in. Look, WINDOWS!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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There is room for a desk, huge table, and reading/calming area. If this was really my office, I might move around the furniture to be slightly more conducive to counseling, but in the meantime, this will have to do. The room definitely needs some color!! Its so white! Wish I could paint a wall or two!<br />
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I decided that I really needed to decorate the door. The hallway I am in is in the basement so it definitely needs some color around here!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlXNfYjoC07Oi952OMDpx6BHwlbrlCt9YPtxrqY6nEOJmho7EXkGyhzdSgNRJUVWiZ7XDiwk85tjFFxP_tBRCvw8uhJhCuOuYkKBcgJvJfy6cxYsMRSk1riGBK9_LWTG_8HHm1kk_wfC0/s1600/door+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlXNfYjoC07Oi952OMDpx6BHwlbrlCt9YPtxrqY6nEOJmho7EXkGyhzdSgNRJUVWiZ7XDiwk85tjFFxP_tBRCvw8uhJhCuOuYkKBcgJvJfy6cxYsMRSk1riGBK9_LWTG_8HHm1kk_wfC0/s320/door+1.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here is my door decoration for the month of September!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJrShRRcsremYyEuDcAs2JC2Ymbhw36DduCm7g75Q8LL_9-5jTUjf7B-rcv28ZEwnnwixZ2PRwsToLWBz1JwDY-9weqQ0cKpXVNQ-TXS44YOSJyHpN3ScvJyhvKd945Gjmixu0WXmMS7s/s1600/door+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJrShRRcsremYyEuDcAs2JC2Ymbhw36DduCm7g75Q8LL_9-5jTUjf7B-rcv28ZEwnnwixZ2PRwsToLWBz1JwDY-9weqQ0cKpXVNQ-TXS44YOSJyHpN3ScvJyhvKd945Gjmixu0WXmMS7s/s320/door+2.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"WhOO cares about ... Your School Counselor, thats WhOO!"</td></tr>
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I did the entire door using my Cricut machine! Which I now have officially fallen in love with. I used it not only for the door but for my "all about miss Wagner" book (Pictures of that to follow soon!) On the leaves are the many different topics that school counselors care about. Topics such as grief, friendships, bullying, careers, and many more! I just adore the way the owls turned out! I think they are so cute and they make it easy to let students know where my office is. Its the office with the owls on the door, duh!<br />
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I also decided that it would probably be pretty important to make a place for the students to drop any 'mail' off for me. I also think it is important to make sure the students can find me when I am not in the office.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigyDMEXDU1a0gR8_luV14sDPqVnZU8Gylo2DYyPYLvKTsgmLB1GmEpBcSnbv4n6bpBnmgFjkqH_7uayP119HLtkqRBnVlbW4IfnPAHvRBGCQjQGqyRBIyfcMzRY_p319PNxWnqPFPcUbg/s1600/door+open+sign.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigyDMEXDU1a0gR8_luV14sDPqVnZU8Gylo2DYyPYLvKTsgmLB1GmEpBcSnbv4n6bpBnmgFjkqH_7uayP119HLtkqRBnVlbW4IfnPAHvRBGCQjQGqyRBIyfcMzRY_p319PNxWnqPFPcUbg/s320/door+open+sign.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I am very much an open door counselor but I also don't want the students busting in on an important meeting.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All they have to do is fill one of these out! I have already had a few students using these. Awesome!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjutmWbHBjP8b2RvEZLOvxESIcy2OwC1eRpI6j3v9YPi-UycI3ieNvcqpQSGRCv6dcscon-_TUJCMI8uwAiaRqiURR8udfMpRq9gfHdDpk1wPFfcIGk5bcJvML2FN3KCA9XRRIPAWgrEyI/s1600/mailbox.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjutmWbHBjP8b2RvEZLOvxESIcy2OwC1eRpI6j3v9YPi-UycI3ieNvcqpQSGRCv6dcscon-_TUJCMI8uwAiaRqiURR8udfMpRq9gfHdDpk1wPFfcIGk5bcJvML2FN3KCA9XRRIPAWgrEyI/s320/mailbox.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My "mailbox".</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVVAZCHtJQvCKuwApVzKYkUZ7nsowkfM-jiqhu4MoH4ENd_DT2ZkS8TYGFAl-IKQFuqkkfHb0ISLpcfWXHjfVn0hu4cCfGoCVhdGYdaH55TBInL8Z9Rtdl0I-_duRiqAR8EQkj7zPqnNU/s1600/where+is.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVVAZCHtJQvCKuwApVzKYkUZ7nsowkfM-jiqhu4MoH4ENd_DT2ZkS8TYGFAl-IKQFuqkkfHb0ISLpcfWXHjfVn0hu4cCfGoCVhdGYdaH55TBInL8Z9Rtdl0I-_duRiqAR8EQkj7zPqnNU/s320/where+is.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Where is Ms. Wagner? All over the place clearly!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I am amazed at the amount of teachers that I have had come up to me and tell me that they think this is a brilliant idea. I cant believe that no one has thought of it before. This way, if a student really needs me, they know where to find me. It says things like, here-come in, in a classroom, out in the hallways, be right back, recess duty, lunch, please do not disturb, and meeting.<br />
<br />
The final decoration looks like this:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii241XvtWc2oKBeoSUfKV3YCm6_acZ111SQiFbom9JSeczF_6H9afDO12JFsz8LH5hZv_HKl3rVaZaZpFGSX4-Ch3OubXUBd4J52aUwobXjKu7ad7taH9dJjAy8751Aa6n3K7U-vHUBO4/s1600/entrance.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii241XvtWc2oKBeoSUfKV3YCm6_acZ111SQiFbom9JSeczF_6H9afDO12JFsz8LH5hZv_HKl3rVaZaZpFGSX4-Ch3OubXUBd4J52aUwobXjKu7ad7taH9dJjAy8751Aa6n3K7U-vHUBO4/s320/entrance.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ms. Wagner's office!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I think it turned out pretty good! Its cheerful and perfect for the kids for the beginning of the year! Next month I will change my door decoration to be a "bucket filling" door. I am pretty excited to use my Cricut again and make another brightly colored door. It's going to be the start of my sneaking in character education before I leave here.<br />
<br />
So far, the students have been awesome and the staff has been so welcoming! Its great to feel needed in a school. I only had to deal with a small number of crying young ones last week. I think that will start to dwindle this week.<br />
<br />
Thank for reading and stay tuned for my all about me book pictures which will be posted soon!<br />
<br />
Jennifer<br />
<br />Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295631182750939931noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7677842121204913458.post-32618331814272243162012-08-31T09:05:00.003-05:002012-08-31T09:05:34.927-05:00A JOB!!Hey everyone,<br />
<br />
So I found a job. Its not the most ideal situation but all you need is a foot in the door right!? I am the long term substitute counselor in an elementary school is Wisconsin. Student population is about 700. There is a second counselor and he just got hired last week. This is both our first counseling positions so we are going to muscle our way through together!<br />
<br />
Being a long term sub is not ideal but its a foot in the door and I get to work with the little ones!!<br />
<br />
I am almost done with my about me book and believe me, the pictures will get posted on here as soon as I am done! As well as pictures of "my" new office.<br />
<br />
Thank for all the support. Hope every ones new school year has started off fabulously!!<br />
<br />
Jennifer<br />
<br />
PS Sorry for the extra exclamation points. I am just really excited as I am sure you can tell.Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295631182750939931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7677842121204913458.post-7773077133589979452012-05-22T20:38:00.001-05:002012-05-22T20:38:27.390-05:00Well...It's Official...Hello everyone,<br />
<br />
My name is Jennifer Wagner, M.A.!! It is official. I have a Master's degree!! I thought I would share this fantastic news with all of you and thank you for being with me on this wild ride!<br />
<br />
Now bring on the job offers! Seriously though, if anyone knows of any openings in their districts, let me know!!<br />
<br />
Thanks again for all your support through this journey!<br />
<br />
JenniferJenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295631182750939931noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7677842121204913458.post-77514659453547325432012-05-03T13:50:00.000-05:002012-05-03T13:50:28.571-05:00Coming to an end...<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hi Everyone!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I hope this post finds everyone in good spirits. Not too much time left before the school year is over and we will be into summer. I cannot believe it is May! How crazy!!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I am finishing up at both of my internship sites. I wasn't prepared for the "goodbye". Which is silly of me! We do forgiveness education at my elementary site. This week is our last week of lessons. The other intern and I received some very lovely gifts from our 1st grade students on Monday. I had a hard time holding back my tears. One of the classrooms made the other intern and myself cards. They were soooooo cute!! My favorite line was, "Thank you for reading us hirton hers a ho". I just about died laughing! How cute is that?! Horton hears a who was one of my favorites that we read this semester.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">A friend suggested that I frame that card and on days that I am feeling down or the school day is a rough one, I can pull that out to remind me why I am doing what I am doing. I thought that was a rather brilliant idea.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The other 1st grade classroom gave us a welcome sign that we can place on our door when we get our first job to remember then by. How cute! I was not prepared for how emotional it would be. I was sad to leave my site last semester but this semester I have had way more contact with the kids in the classroom. I knew it was the last lesson I was going to give but I guess I just wasnt prepared for how sad I would be to leave. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Tomorrow is our last day of lessons for the rest of the classrooms. We have 4 of them. I think I will be more prepared emotionally to handle what tomorrow might bring. I just hope I can make it through the day then if I need to go home and cry, I can. :-)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I have one more week with my individual students at the elementary school level. At least I won't have to say goodbye to them this week as well. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">On a positive note, I applied for three jobs in my dream district this week. Keeping my fingers crossed that I get a call back. I did some leg work a few weeks back in the district so I am hoping getting my name out there paid off. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">How do you guys handle "goodbyes" in the counseling world? Esp. the interns or new professionals.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Thanks guys! I hope you are all having a great end to the semester. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Jennifer</span>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295631182750939931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7677842121204913458.post-59466812413800739622012-04-26T13:35:00.000-05:002012-04-26T13:35:02.140-05:00Caine's ArcadeYou have to see this video! This just made my day! What a genius kid. And the man that helped him, AMAZING! <br />
<br />
Check out the video then if you feel so inclined, they are matching donations for a college fund for the kid!<br />
<br />
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<a href="http://cainesarcade.com/">http://cainesarcade.com/</a><br />
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Hope you all enjoy it!<br />
<br />
JenniferJenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295631182750939931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7677842121204913458.post-77371939203230905492012-04-22T16:59:00.001-05:002012-04-22T16:59:56.999-05:00An Update!Hey all!<br />
<br />
It has been a long time since I have written a post. I was on Pinterest today looking up school counseling things in my "spare time" a.k.a procrastination and I stumbled across my picture. For a second I was really confused until I realize someone had pinned my blog! Needless to say, I was a little flabbergasted. So I wanted to say thank you to all of those people who stop by here and read my blog. I always appreciate the exposure and the feedback.<br />
<br />
On to bigger things. This last week I was in the great state of Iowa shadowing a few counselors in two of the districts that I would LOVE to get a job in. It was a great week! I learned so much from these three counselors! They were so warm and inviting and I am so appreciative of them to allow me to tag along with them for half a day. I think that if I get an interview in either of these districts, I have a pretty good grasp of what to say!<br />
<br />
Speaking of jobs, talk about a stressful time! I hope that I hear about an interview sometime soon. I keep applying, applying, and applying. I hope that I hear something from someone. If any of you reading this knows of any openings in your districts, you should let me know. I am willing to travel wherever the openings take me :-)<br />
<br />
These next 3 weeks are going to be pretty stressful. I have three weeks of class left and I am less than one month away from graduation. I am just going to try to get through the last few weeks of internship and class so that I can hardcore job hunt.<br />
<br />
I am a little nervous about terminating the relationships that I have built with students at my internship site. I am hoping that it will go smoothly. I think that with three weeks left, I should start to talk with the students now to build up to my last day. Does that sound right? This will be the first time that I have had individual students all my own that I have built a strong relationship with.<br />
<br />
Well, thanks for listening to me rant for a bit. I will probably be back on to write about my final few weeks of internship and graduation. I cannot believe it is less than 30 days away! Eeek!<br />
<br />
Jennifer WagnerJenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295631182750939931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7677842121204913458.post-65341218047296382032012-03-02T18:22:00.001-06:002012-03-03T21:25:55.014-06:00Pick from Me BowlsHey all,<br />
<br />
When I was at the WSCA conference last week, I got these great cards. They have a positive message on one side and a trivia question on the other. They are meant for lunchboxes but the lady I was talking to says she uses them with students. I was thinking of having them for students to grab as they walk out of the door of the office.<br />
<br />
I was strolling around Michaels, which is such a dangerous thing to do, when I stumbled upon these cute little fishbowls. They were originally $5 which I thought was a great deal but when I got to the register, they were only $2.50! I should have gone back to get more!! I took small pieces of tissues paper and modge-podged them on the outside. They are colorful and fun! I am thinking of using one to put candy in and the other to put cards with positive messages.<br />
<br />
What do you think? Is this something you would do for your office?<br />
<br />
It was a great project to get done on this snowy Wisconsin Friday and Saturday!<br />
<br />
Jennifer<div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0r0pFXG3bUT51E-w_hc-dGKdpz2GtCplBFUG0aexWJQbUOmrJ7iGm-zOi6TnviQIZRFhNqkXsWoeC3BjRgj1YVW27N0YLcR7aJkHGQ2iUCeSca68T02cxsOCzYGDIT5eF7NG_9tETCFM/s640/blogger-image--1912981757.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0r0pFXG3bUT51E-w_hc-dGKdpz2GtCplBFUG0aexWJQbUOmrJ7iGm-zOi6TnviQIZRFhNqkXsWoeC3BjRgj1YVW27N0YLcR7aJkHGQ2iUCeSca68T02cxsOCzYGDIT5eF7NG_9tETCFM/s640/blogger-image--1912981757.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmjwyTJNBaJGC55LOZmVVaM_k1ymhpSWbiKovFv0aDJJHPvEs6rfbLqj-2QU5-B9vOQbl_Xwe0fdgFQH-xIue46_BOJQXjcg-BHOLcnKPzI7GEkbORa5luVTN4Q2hhARrMkL79DCZOH_4/s640/blogger-image-605385938.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmjwyTJNBaJGC55LOZmVVaM_k1ymhpSWbiKovFv0aDJJHPvEs6rfbLqj-2QU5-B9vOQbl_Xwe0fdgFQH-xIue46_BOJQXjcg-BHOLcnKPzI7GEkbORa5luVTN4Q2hhARrMkL79DCZOH_4/s640/blogger-image-605385938.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglJZ6tD2m_G_6j65-6JOjSmYDi7Kx3D41k4vZQMAjgievAjrIWlkIy2aeDm1CBJxg9OOfzIhpr19ZNkaFjASCInQKbtwGQw9iNrbCT66Br5KBX9mAgapFseh1cyWDhhJlSxWtfrY3bvas/s640/blogger-image--523302279.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglJZ6tD2m_G_6j65-6JOjSmYDi7Kx3D41k4vZQMAjgievAjrIWlkIy2aeDm1CBJxg9OOfzIhpr19ZNkaFjASCInQKbtwGQw9iNrbCT66Br5KBX9mAgapFseh1cyWDhhJlSxWtfrY3bvas/s640/blogger-image--523302279.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWuf3ppkXt45sflupXIcoqmwA4Jk8pzx3CMJMnF3UqBFK9KX8pIzkATpQMUY96WlE6XXLbR3hUXsqJP7k2L9JmDblqltSs5OkKfa0I42wOuClYjDk2UBclwCL2vESY-DA9EOsg7Ae2FZQ/s640/blogger-image--420443567.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWuf3ppkXt45sflupXIcoqmwA4Jk8pzx3CMJMnF3UqBFK9KX8pIzkATpQMUY96WlE6XXLbR3hUXsqJP7k2L9JmDblqltSs5OkKfa0I42wOuClYjDk2UBclwCL2vESY-DA9EOsg7Ae2FZQ/s640/blogger-image--420443567.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN0a_7bpC0TNJFrpkqPvZTnDjKvJaXE_wON1VRMwPa5ZJlCgd889uzYztr7QKRK4Q9QaazzDjve5bjP9PI_8bRGmzyW_dZY0-tetoWtX_M_mAUf9P5WHGwkhpaS-a8S7YCikihwZ_jiiQ/s640/blogger-image--1181464779.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN0a_7bpC0TNJFrpkqPvZTnDjKvJaXE_wON1VRMwPa5ZJlCgd889uzYztr7QKRK4Q9QaazzDjve5bjP9PI_8bRGmzyW_dZY0-tetoWtX_M_mAUf9P5WHGwkhpaS-a8S7YCikihwZ_jiiQ/s640/blogger-image--1181464779.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiktYlnqZvhynwIzanjcRK4lH21uFa3EzhWUATedFnMngTjDpI1af2VBmyH9v_OK15PXKvBcjv097N0sTsUQyV44urF73ifpZOhPSqhDDCDIyggU8tPjdixI5f8mSNXD5iYFw9sUOdSgCI/s640/blogger-image--2005383604.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiktYlnqZvhynwIzanjcRK4lH21uFa3EzhWUATedFnMngTjDpI1af2VBmyH9v_OK15PXKvBcjv097N0sTsUQyV44urF73ifpZOhPSqhDDCDIyggU8tPjdixI5f8mSNXD5iYFw9sUOdSgCI/s640/blogger-image--2005383604.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSeNTcikCFuFVZby3HME_y2U14ZwvyVcqKpos2Q1hC_5VWOcaOqWWYPaXqazBkOPT7kb6mjgLUZxO8fYaq2qdHzMCMzl4WS6n2x8v9eFEO7ThDqkmj9H3rzCr8grzOq2uVJLIfRoPj_y8/s640/blogger-image--726263882.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSeNTcikCFuFVZby3HME_y2U14ZwvyVcqKpos2Q1hC_5VWOcaOqWWYPaXqazBkOPT7kb6mjgLUZxO8fYaq2qdHzMCMzl4WS6n2x8v9eFEO7ThDqkmj9H3rzCr8grzOq2uVJLIfRoPj_y8/s640/blogger-image--726263882.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn80z-Hmd1J1K-Vv38xIjmqYxp1SfDlt_dYPzayxWWJj6Dn5gqsetc43oLkxJ9ytjZ2IsMuVQdSxgtGUVOsIi5cobqcUjhBBTtislLxfmOr-0VqDSD6om-jEzx4Q5lkQ2LeI2z-h7nQdI/s640/blogger-image--832153353.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn80z-Hmd1J1K-Vv38xIjmqYxp1SfDlt_dYPzayxWWJj6Dn5gqsetc43oLkxJ9ytjZ2IsMuVQdSxgtGUVOsIi5cobqcUjhBBTtislLxfmOr-0VqDSD6om-jEzx4Q5lkQ2LeI2z-h7nQdI/s640/blogger-image--832153353.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM50JG6JYMHEryxjt02fxDtDD4a-s5HmpCZJSGGih4DffVESXD7WwZ10wgGZW1AyhOA0ST3794HGh0kK9atBY77uJicn2t_YArQZGQ5wN3kWYu87NOxVt_iJoIWsAZSorqDBiW-j89hXc/s640/blogger-image-866327806.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM50JG6JYMHEryxjt02fxDtDD4a-s5HmpCZJSGGih4DffVESXD7WwZ10wgGZW1AyhOA0ST3794HGh0kK9atBY77uJicn2t_YArQZGQ5wN3kWYu87NOxVt_iJoIWsAZSorqDBiW-j89hXc/s640/blogger-image-866327806.jpg" /></a></div>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295631182750939931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7677842121204913458.post-47239641893362706322012-02-16T11:58:00.000-06:002012-02-16T11:58:22.043-06:00Mindset of Kids Today!Hey Everyone.<br />
<br />
So my younger brother (who is a senior in high school and turns 18, gasp!, this weekend) brought home this HILARIOUS but totally true list of the mindset of the class of 2011. I think that this applies to all the students that we are working with. I thought I would share this with all of you. Hopefully you find some humor to it. I hope that it gives you something fresh to think about as well. <br />
<br />
<ol><li>What Berlin wall?</li>
<li>Humvees, minus the artillery, have always been available to the public.</li>
<li>Rush Limbaugh and the "Dittoheads" have always been lambasting liberals.</li>
<li>They never "rolled down" a car window.</li>
<li>Michael Moore has always been angry and funny.</li>
<li>They may confuse the Keating Five with a rock group.</li>
<li>They have grown up with bottled water.</li>
<li>General Motors has always been working on an electric car.</li>
<li>Nelson Mandela has always been free and a force in South Africa.</li>
<li>Pete Rose has never played baseball.</li>
<li>Rap music has always been mainstream.</li>
<li>Religious leaders have always been telling politicians what to do, or else!</li>
<li>"Off the hook" has never had anything to do with a telephone.</li>
<li>Music has always been "unplugged".</li>
<li>Russia has always had a multi-party political system.</li>
<li>Women have always been police chiefs in major cities.</li>
<li>They were born the year Harvard Law Review Editor Barack Obama announced he might run for office some day.</li>
<li>The NBA season has always gone on and on and on and on.</li>
<li>Classmates could include Michelle Wie, Jordin Sparks, and Bart Simpson.</li>
<li>Half of them may have been members of the Baby-sitters Club.</li>
<li>Eastern Airlines has never "earned their wings" in their lifetime.</li>
<li>No one has ever been able to sit down comfortably to a meal of "liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti".</li>
<li>Wal-Mart has always been a larger retailer than Sears and has always employed more workers than GM.</li>
<li>Being "lame" has to do with being dumb or inarticulate, not disabled.</li>
<li>Wolf Blitzer has always been serving up the news on CNN.</li>
<li>Katie Couric has always had screen cred.</li>
<li>Al Gore has always been running for president or thinking about it.</li>
<li>They never found a prize in a Coca-Cola "MagiCan".</li>
<li>They were too young to understand Judas Priest's subliminal messages.</li>
<li>When all else fails, the Prozac defense has always been a possibility.</li>
<li>Multigrain chips have always provided healthful junk food.</li>
<li>They grew up in Wayne's World.</li>
<li>U2 has always been more than a spy plane.</li>
<li>They were introduced to Jack Nicholson as "The Joker".</li>
<li>Stadiums, rock tours and sporting events have always had corporate names.</li>
<li>American rock groups have always appeared in Moscow.</li>
<li>Commercial product placements have been the norm in films and on TV.</li>
<li>On Parents' Day on campus, their folks could be mixing it up with Lisa Bonet and Lenny Kravitz with daughter Zoe, or Kathie Lee and Frank Gifford with son Cody.</li>
<li>Fox has always been a major network.</li>
<li>They drove their parents crazy with the Beavis and Butt-Head laugh.</li>
<li>The "Blue Man Group" has always been everywhere.</li>
<li>Women's studies majors have always been offered on campus.</li>
<li>Being a latchkey kid has never been a big deal.</li>
<li>Thanks to MySpace and Facebook, autobiography can happen in real time.</li>
<li>They learned about JFK from Oliver Stone and Malcolm X from Spike Lee.</li>
<li>Most phone calls have never been private.</li>
<li>High definition television has always been available.</li>
<li>Microbreweries have always been ubiquitous.</li>
<li>Virtual reality has always been available when the real thing failed.</li>
<li>Smoking has never been allowed in public spaces in France.</li>
<li>China has always been more interested in making money than a reeducation.</li>
<li>Time has always worked with Warner.</li>
<li>Tienanmen Square is a 2008 Olympics venue, not the scene of a massacre.</li>
<li>The purchase of ivory has always been banned.</li>
<li>MTV has never featured music videos.</li>
<li>The space program has never really caught their attention except in disasters.</li>
<li>Jerry Springer has always been lowering the level of discourse on TV.</li>
<li>They get much more information from Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert than from the newspaper.</li>
<li>They're always texting 1 n other.</li>
<li>They will encounter roughly equal numbers of female and male professors in the classroom.</li>
<li>They never saw Johnny Carson live on television.</li>
<li>They have no idea who Rusty Jones was or why he said "goodbye to rusty cars".</li>
<li>Avatars have nothing to do with Hindu deities.</li>
<li>Chavez has nothing to do with iceberg lettuce and everything to do with oil.</li>
<li>Illinois has been trying to ban smoking since the year they were born.</li>
<li>The World Wide Web has been an online tool since they were born. </li>
<li>Chronic fatigue syndrome has always been debilitating and controversial.</li>
<li>Burma has always been Myanmar.</li>
<li>Dilbert has always been ridiculing cubicle culture.</li>
<li>Food packaging has always included nutritional labeling.</li>
</ol>Now I realize while reading through these, there are some that I admit I wasn't not sure what they meant. But there are others that I see on a regular basis from the kids that I am working with this semester. <br />
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After reading these, which ones stand out the most to you? <br />
<br />
Hope you have a fantastic weekend. I will be celebrating it with my family for my brother's 18th birthday, much to my mother's chagrin.<br />
<br />
Thanks for stopping by.<br />
JenniferJenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295631182750939931noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7677842121204913458.post-30107748448825951832012-01-22T13:09:00.000-06:002012-01-22T13:09:33.046-06:00Use of Technology in CounselingHappy New Year!<br />
<br />
I know it has been a while since I have written on post. My break was filled with family, friends, and working lots of hours! I have to say, that paycheck will be a nice one. I took time to clean and organize the back room at my work and oh my was it a challenge. I think I can safely say that I am now a pro. Now it is on to my parents "office" or catch all at our house. I will really be a pro after that.<br />
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I am going to try harder to add more posts this semester. I am hoping to have more ideas to share with you all, especially with the amount of classroom guidance I am going to be doing this semester.<br />
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The new semester is upon us. I started my final semester of classes this last week. I also started my new internships but this next week will be the first full week. I am at one middle school and one K-12 which will serve as my elementary school hours. I am sure I will have plenty of stories and dilemmas to work through with you all throughout the semester. <br />
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I have been contemplating getting myself an iPad. I have a little money set aside. There are plenty of ways that I can use the iPad personally and as far as school is concerned. I am wondering from all you school counselors out there if there are ways that you use an iPad. I think that it could probably work great in the professional setting to keep track of hours, students seen, etc. I am wondering if any of you have used it for classroom guidance or individual or group counseling. Please add your input in the comments section. Hearing from you could push my decision to one side or the other.<br />
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Thanks. I am looking forward to hearing from you all.<br />
<br />
JenniferJenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295631182750939931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7677842121204913458.post-77001565491654177362011-12-15T11:51:00.000-06:002011-12-15T11:51:33.585-06:00End of the Semester is Upon Us!Hey everyone!<br />
<br />
I cannot believe it but my second to last semester is over! Classes are completely done. I am just waiting on grades for those but I am not too worried. As of next Wednesday, I will be done with my high school internship. I have over half of my 600 hours too! That's crazy to think that I am almost done with that! Eeek. Graduation is going to sneak up before I even know it.<br />
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It is kind of bittersweet leaving my internship site from this semester. Everyone here has been so nice and helpful. I am excited to move on to the younger age levels but I really enjoyed my time here. I feel like I learned so much. I realize that I really enjoy doing classroom lessons. I did two while I was here and I really much enjoyed being in front of the students. I also did a bunch of group work while I was here. I think groups are great and wherever I work, I am going to want to do them with the students. I wish I would have had more individual counseling sessions but I really do enjoy sitting one-on-one with the students. I feel like I got a lot of experience when it comes to career and college counseling but I am anxious to work on some more personal/social issues.<br />
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I have a long to-do list that I am going to need to get done over break. It is a little insane to be honest but there are definitely some things that are more important than others. I am planning on spending some time shadowing a few school counselors in one or two of the districts that I want to find a job. This will probably mean missing a few days at one of my internship sites. I am hoping to coordinate so I don't have to miss both. I am also going to have to miss class but I think it will be well worth it! I got the names from my elementary school counselor for which I am so thankful! I also have a bunch of organizing that I NEED to get done so I don't go as insane next semester as I did this semester. I also want to try to read some. I am getting a Cricut for Christmas and I am looking forward to messing around with that over break too!<br />
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I cannot believe that I only have one semester left! These last two years are flying by. I just signed up for graduation the other day. Whoa! I am looking forward to getting back to the grind after a nice relaxing break.<br />
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I hope everyone who reads this has a very Merry Christmas (Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Whatever) and a Happy New Year!!<br />
<br />
JenniferJenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295631182750939931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7677842121204913458.post-47719353381120070642011-11-27T15:13:00.000-06:002011-11-27T15:13:15.133-06:00My Soldier.Two posts in one day... This is getting out of control!<br />
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I haven't posted yet but I have adopted a soldier. I have felt since last spring called to try to figure out a way to help the troops. I think it was after watching that show on TV called Coming Home. I cry every episode but its such a special thing.<br />
<br />
Anyhow, I can't say much about my soldier for confidential reasons. He is serving overseas until September of 2012. My job as a "penpal" is to write a letter or card a week for the entire length of his deployment. I am also allowed to send occasional care packages. I am in the process of sending out my first one tomorrow. I tried to send some necessities in addition to fun things and things characteristic to Wisconsin. I also had my kids that I work with in the morning make letters and color pictures and students at my internships wrote letters. It turned out really great. I think about him often and pray that he comes home to his family and friends safely at the end of his deployment. I have not received a letter from him yet. I might not ever but that's okay. Its more about making sure he has something to make him smile in mail call once a week.<br />
<br />
If you feel like you want to get involved, the non-profit I went through is called <a href="http://adoptaplatoon.org/site/">Adopt-a-Platoon</a>. You can click on the name and it will take you right to the website. It was really easy to sign up. They called me in a week or two and verified my information. Within two weeks I had the name of my soldier, even though they said it could take up to 6 weeks. I decided on just being a penpal because I am still in school and don't have a lot of money. You can choose to adopt completely which means a card/letter a week and at least one care package a month. I think it would be a great thing to do as a school/classroom/counseling department or just as an individual or family. If you have any other questions, let me know. All soldiers deserve to know that we are really thinking about them back here and that we really do thank them for their service of keeping us safe!<br />
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That's all I have got for today. I should get back to this presentation and paper that I have been procrastinating all break.<br />
<br />
JenniferJenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295631182750939931noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7677842121204913458.post-46470076839085243562011-11-27T14:39:00.000-06:002011-11-27T14:39:55.810-06:00Procrastination...its the holidays...Hey all,<br />
<br />
I am writing this post because I am procrastinating the homework that I have been putting off since Thanksgiving break started. For some reason I am just not in the homework mode. I am in the holiday mode however. :-)<br />
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I am finally ready to listen to Christmas music even though its been on the radio for a good two weeks already. Yesterday we cleaned the house and moved some furniture in preparation for our Christmas tree. We are FINALLY getting a real tree. As a family we have had a fake tree for years but I think we finally persuaded my mother that we need a real one this year. I absolutely LOVE the smell of a real tree and I cant wait to go pick one out!<br />
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Thanksgiving has just passed and I am not ready to jump back into the real world of classes and internship and life just yet. I had an extra long break. Got to spend time with family, got all my shopping done for the holidays (yay!) and had some general down time. I have so much to be thankful for this year. My dad's mom is still with us. She is definitely slowing down but I got to spend all of Thanksgiving with her and its definitely a blessing. My cousin's girlfriend had her baby on Black Friday. Both mom and baby are healthy and happy. Its such a special blessing. First great-grandbaby on that side of the family! I get to spend lots of time with my mom, dad, and brother. Who knows what next year will bring with my brother off at college and me in the real world. I want to cherish every moment, even if they tend to drive me nuts after long periods of time together :-)<br />
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I cannot believe that in a few short weeks, I will be done with my second to last semester of grad school. Time has flown by so unbelievably fast! I mean two years, really? I can see that light at the end of the tunnel. I am thankful that the job outlook is promising, although it may not seem like it here in southeastern Wisconsin.<br />
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I hope that you all had a safe and happy holiday week/weekend. The Christmas season is officially upon us. I know that on Thanksgiving we usually say what we are thankful for. I hope that you all continue to be thankful year round for what you have. This holiday season I am going to try and do a few things for those who do not have as much as I do. I suggest you do the same. If we each do one small thing, we can make a big difference!<br />
<br />
I feel like this post is all over the place so I hope it made sense!!<br />
Happy Start of the Holiday Season Everyone!<br />
<br />
JenniferJenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295631182750939931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7677842121204913458.post-30822771690099752582011-11-07T14:50:00.000-06:002011-11-07T14:50:36.374-06:00OopsHey y'all!<br />
<br />
Sometimes I just feel like I should be from the south. Anyways, I realized just now that it has been over a month since I have posted something on here. Ooops! I cannot believe that we are already a week into the month of November. The weather is really starting to feel like it is moving in the direction of winter. I am not looking forward to having to bundle up and make my way out when its cold and there is snow. It can sometimes really be a pain. Ugh!<br />
<br />
An update on internship, since its what this blog is about. Things have been picking up around here...finally!! I have a couple of students that I see on a regular basis. I am part of 3 groups. 2 girls groups (one junior and one senior) and one transfer group. The transfer group will be ending in a few weeks and I am kinda sad about it. I look forward to meeting with these boys once a cycle to chat about life. We (the other intern and I) asked how they felt about the group last week. They said that they really enjoyed it but they wished we had brought more food. Guess I am baking for next time :-) We are talking about bringing in lunch for the final group since the group runs around lunch time. The boys seemed REALLY receptive to the idea, surprise surprise. ;-) The girls groups are going really well. I even got to run one of them by myself last week. It turned out really well and I felt surprisingly comfortable doing it. I really like running small groups because it gives me a chance to talk with these students on a deeper level. I feel like I am really getting to know each of them personally.<br />
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I have a few students that I am working with on a semi-regular/regular basis. Its good to see the same kids often and be able to chart their progress. I hope that I am able to help them in some way before I have to leave here at the end of the semester.<br />
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I am going on Thursday to see the school's production of Fame. I know a few student's that are in it and I am excited to go and show support. Plus I LOVE the story line. Friday is XIXIXI (11/11/11). That means that we are scratching a day of classes to have an assembly and do a bunch of awesome activities. More to come on that and FAME once the end of the week rolls around.<br />
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I am hoping to get some stuff scheduled and do a few classroom guidance lessons before I leave here. I am going to go into a room of seniors and talk about the transition to college. I am really looking forward to this and am hoping that it comes to pass sometime before the holidays. Speaking of holidays...<br />
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My family is leaving this weekend to head down to Iowa. My cousin's girlfriend is having a baby so we are throwing her a baby shower. So while the entire side of the family is in town, we are also celebrating my grandpa's birthday AND Thanksgiving! I am so not ready for Thanksgiving to be here but I suppose it is right around the corner. It should be a good weekend filled with fun, family, and food. And hopefully some football. :-) After this weekend, I am going to try really hard to start eating healthy. I started to realize that my eating habits are getting worse instead of better these days. It needs to change ASAP!! So stay tuned. I might/will have plenty of questions for all of you school counselors out there. And anyone else too!!!<br />
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That's all for now. I will update later in the week.<br />
<br />
JenniferJenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295631182750939931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7677842121204913458.post-2252878004168197322011-10-06T11:06:00.000-05:002011-10-06T11:06:33.630-05:00Today we lost a visionary...I was saddened to hear that last night Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple, passed away.<br />
<br />
I think President Obama said it best when he said, "The world has lost a visionary, and there may be no greater tribute to Steve's success than the fact that much of the world learned of his passing on a device he invented."<br />
<br />
We lost a true visionary last night. His story should inspire many to create works just because they had the idea for them.<br />
<br />
What an inspiring man who will have a powerful impact on the future!<br />
<br />
Peace,<br />
JenniferJenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295631182750939931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7677842121204913458.post-9332104925543728072011-09-27T12:04:00.000-05:002011-09-27T12:04:59.167-05:00CPS- When do you call?Hey all,<br />
<br />
I have a question to pose for you today. But I should preface it with a story. In case you are not from Wisconsin, CPS stands for Child Protective Services. As you all know, we are mandated reporters. Okay, on to the story.<br />
<br />
Today at my internship site, all the counselors meet to discuss whether or not we should call CPS on a student. Without getting into any detail, there were some stories this student told that became concerning for us. While there was no visible evidence and the story we heard was told second hand, we had to try and decide whether or not to call CPS.<br />
<br />
Now its time for you to answer, when do you feel you need to call child protective services, or whatever its called in your state? Does it change for each age level? Does your state do well at following up?<br />
<br />
Please give me feedback. I am curious!<br />
<br />
JenniferJenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295631182750939931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7677842121204913458.post-69721564720086343182011-09-16T09:49:00.000-05:002011-09-16T09:49:30.930-05:00My first one-on-one!Hello all!<br />
<br />
I already have over 50 hours at my high school internship site. I think, well I know, that I am going to have way more hours than I need but I want to finish out the semester here!!Two days ago was the first time that I actually was able to do some individual counseling. I have been observing here and there since I started but this time I actually had a girl in my office! And I was the one counseling her. <br />
<br />
We mostly were just talking about college. She knows she wants to go out of state but she really isn't sure where she wants to go or what she wants to do. I made a point of telling her that I think its a step in the right direction that she knows what state she wants to go to. She seemed slightly overwhelmed with all the choices she was going to have to make so I tried to be mindful of that and make sure that I let her know to take a few breaths, that she had plenty of time to make these decisions. They don't need to be made right this second. She told me that she is the type of person to lose things easily. She was really concerned about making the "right" choice. What if she went to one school but changed her mind on her major and then the school she was at didn't have the new choice? I felt then that I needed to give her a tool to use. I told her she should try to make a list of all the different majors she thinks she might be interested in, then when she is looking at her different school choices, she can mark off whether each school has some, all, or none of those choices. This way she can be sure that she is picking a place where she is not just stuck in one track. She smiled and said that she hadn't thought of doing that and that it was a really good idea.<br />
<br />
After she left my office, I felt really good about how things had gone. I realized though while I was counseling her that I was still in my head a lot during the session. I kept thinking about if I was saying the right thing, if I was talking too much, thinking a lot about what I should say next. I think that this is just because of inexperience. I know that with time, that will hopefully fade out and I can be completely in the moment. I hope that this student didn't realize that this is what I was thinking. That is the last thing that I want. But she seemed satisfied with our conversation. I hope she was.<br />
<br />
I hope that in the coming weeks I will be able to do more counseling with her as well as other students. I need a lot more practice before I would call myself fully competent. That is what internship is all about though right?!<br />
<br />
Happy Friday!<br />
<br />
JenniferJenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295631182750939931noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7677842121204913458.post-21805914309680379072011-09-13T12:08:00.000-05:002011-09-13T12:08:36.818-05:00Operation BEA-U-TIFUL<img alt="" aria-busy="true" aria-describedby="fbPhotosSnowboxCaption" class="spotlight" height="400" src="http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/321358_781122378065_73405848_39337406_1686250_n.jpg" width="238" /><br />
Hey everyone!<br />
I found out about this wonderful website from a friend's page on facebook. She had posted a picture that she had taken in the bathroom of the store she was recently at. I was so inspired that I finally looked up the website because I couldn't believe what I had seen. My first thought, to be honest with you, was, "Uh oh, we have another Aunt Jeanette on our hands!" Now I should probably explain what that thought means before I progress any further.<br />
My grandma June's twin sister's name is Jeanette. When I say they are twins I mean it. When I was little I thought they were both grandma because I couldn't tell them apart. My Aunt Jeanette makes these bookmarks out of old greeting cards and then tapes bible verses to them. She leaves them EVERYWHERE!! When I was in high school, I was in Iowa for a family wedding. We were in the restaurant for the rehearsal dinner, and I went to the bathroom before going to sit down. I found a bookmark, which is how I knew that my Aunt Jeanette was there. Needless to say, in high school I found this rather mortifying. But now as I grow older, while I still find this a little weird, I can see how this can be a really great idea.<br />
<br />
Then I stumbled upon this picture and this website. It seems like kind of a duh moment. How easy is it really to make someones day? How easy is it to boost someones self esteem? And Operation Beautiful does it with one single post-it. How easy is it to carry a small thing of post-its and a pen in your purse, especially for those of us that carry huge purses?! I think that I am going to start this trend in my neck of the woods. I also plan on sharing this with the girls groups that are being started at my internship site. It is such an easy thing to do that can make a difference in the life of a stranger.<br />
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Thought everyone could use something to brighten their day!<br />
<br />
JenniferJenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295631182750939931noreply@blogger.com0