Magnetic Words

I recently put some magnetic words on the front of my desk where the kids sit. They're not exactly what I wanted (Shakespeare), but a couple of kids haven taken to using them. I love what is happening with them! Do you keep anything on the front your desk? 

I also have a puzzle:

Self Care

Something I'm struggling with is self care. Through grad school this habit is drilled into your head; avoiding burn out, taking care of yourself, eating healthy, etc. The first few weeks of school were a breeze, a honey moon period if you will. Now that things are slowing down and I'm starting to deal with some heavier things, I noticed my personal life start to feel heavy as well. Dishes piling up, sleeping for hours on end on the weekends, worrying myself sick about situations that happened at school, and generally just being absent from my family. 

I'm not saying that I've made a lot of changes as of yet, but I am at least aware of the problem. Sleep has always been one of my favorite things, so I am not going to make myself feel guilty if my body needs a little extra of it on the weekend. This weekend I also cooked a meal with my family, which not only brought us together but we saved some money on going out as well. I tackled the dishes and even managed to get several loads of laundry done. 

My next goal is to start exercising. Many of the staff at my school work out religiously- it's the only way they can relieve stress they say.

How do you implement self care? 

Making Appointments to See the Counselor

Something my principal wanted to start this year is requiring students to schedule appointments to see the counselor. I don't know how things are usually around the office, but I'm told students like to hang out! So to help combat students hangout around without a purpose, I created a Google Form for my students to fill out if they wish to see me (I'd like to clarify that I probably won't be SUPER strict about this... If I can get any of my students to use it, that's a win for me!).

The best part about creating this form is that my school is 1:1. So every single one of my students has a laptop. I'm hoping to share this form at freshmen orientation before school begins, and from there I will send it to teachers and student's emails. Planning on mentioning it during advisory too.

 

I love Google Forms because each time a response is submitted, Google Forms generates all the answers in a spreadsheet for me!

What do you think? Do any of you require your students to make appointments?

I'm a Big Girl Now

Well, after 12 phone calls for interviews, and 9 actual interviews... I did it! I landed a job. I am unofficially the new 9-12 counselor at a high school I am so far in love with.

The reason I wanted to start this blog (other than a friend telling me I should) is because there seems to be SO MUCH information out there for elementary counselors, and not as much for secondary counselors. I know that each high school is different with requirements and whatever, but how nice would it be to have a place where I can post all the cool links I find, and all the wonderful stuff I learn?

This entry isn't for posting cool things I've found though. This post, I wanted to talk about my interview process. I can tell you from experience that being rejected 8 separate times is absolutely heart breaking. You get everything from "You were a great candidate, but ultimately we went with someone else," to "You were one of our top candidates but it came down to experience". Experience, experience, experience.

For the most part, a lot of my interviews were the same. At least 3 people sit around a table and ask you questions. I've had as many as 6 people interview me. Questions about how you'd handle certain situations, questions about things you know/have experience with, and questions about you. Majority of the time, I was drilled (at least that's what it felt like) and then given a tour of the school. But my last interview... the one I landed. When I walked in, they offered me a cup of coffee. Now, that may seem small to you, but I am an Iowa girl and manners are a big deal. That was my 9th interview, and the only one to offer me something  to drink. And that's just one reason I knew I picked the right school.

My interview with them was more of a conversation than it was being drilled. I talked about me, and they talked about their school. So not only did they not just shoot questions at me, but I felt like I actually had a sense of the school and staff when I left. The principal wasn't even phased when I admitted that my experience in scheduling is limited. "Well that's okay, AEA has classes on that. I might even go to one with you." Can you believe that!?

I know this is going to be a huge learning experience, and I'll be honest that I'm already feeling a little overwhelmed. However, more than anything I am excited and ready to share my experiences and what not with this blog along the way!