Many school counselors wear many, many hats throughout the course of even one hour. If you are like me – you have links and resources for internal documents on special education, 504s, external links to counseling resources, workshop handouts, after-school event presentations, whole grade presentations, and that might be just one day!
I call my sheet “Home for Everything” because it is literally a home for everything I use and look up. Many links have been removed for obvious reasons (internal documents, confidential information, etc.), however, you can still use this!
Use this spreadsheet to organize YOUR links so they are displayed in one place. Put it in the order that makes sense to you. I had to split College/Career from Academic counseling duties because it was taking up more than one screen. I want everything in one spot that takes less time and less thinking. I don’t want to spend time finding things when I can spend them planning exciting opportunities for my students! So, the first tab is for our Academic Counseling duties. The second tab is for College/Career duties (I expect this to grow bigger this year). The remaining tabs are the monthly activities. Each of these activities had links. Again….they were removed because they were internal.
First, enter the links that you use all of the time under broad headers.
Second, each day or week write down your big items that need to be done. Link those to resources already in your drive. This is a HUGE time saver!
Third, share it with your team when finished.
***The calendar is NOT finished*** The calendar is nowhere near what we do every day. But it gives me a general idea of the big things coming up that need to be planned months in advance, like a district-wide financial aid night or registering students for the PSAT with accommodations.
Guidance for counselors, students, parents, and anyone looking at possibly going to college. As a first-generation college student myself, I would have benefitted from more information like this on college admissions!
This week I interviewed a parent, a school counselor, and read Jeffrey Selingo’s “Who Gets In and Why: A Year Inside College Admissions.” Here is the summary of what I learned for those that are counselors in training (like myself), a parent (like myself), a teacher, or interested in students’ futures. As the first person in my family to go to college, I include information that I wish I had known.
Section 1: Is college just another luxury good? This is an interesting question for us to ponder. We should consider the tension between two things: emotions and practicality.
This concept also resonated in a seminar that I attended. The realization of how much college costs. When most kids are only used to paying for gas and maybe car insurance, it is difficult to really fathom what $80,000 per year actually looks like.
Section 2: How different universities evaluate students.
Emory University uses 4 categories: high school curriculum, recommendations, extra-curricular, and intellectual curiosity. They score students from 1 to 5 scale in these categories.
The University of Washington uses 3 categories: academics, personal and overall (mirrors one of the other two). They score students on a 1 to 9 scale in these categories.
Harvard University uses 4 categories: academics, extracurricular, personal qualities, and athletic ability.
Remember: colleges are creating a student body. If they need a tuba player, then they will admit a tuba player.
Legacy status: From 2005-2015 Harvard accepted 34% of its legacy applications. Compare this to 6% of the general population.
Section 3: Application Contents
On average, admissions spend 8 minutes on each application.
Selective Colleges: take the most rigorous courses you can take; better a B in hard class
Senior year rigor must be emphasized. If colleges see you are taking all easy classes because you cannot handle senior-level work, then that will reflect on their reviewing the application.
Overall, colleges weigh the SAT/ACT score lower than the GPA. This makes sense as the colleges want to base the future achievement of a student based on the prior 4 years, not 4 hours. I have read that it does not matter which test you take. I have read in Selingo’s book that you should take both the ACT and SAT to see which score is better. Although, a parent recently told me the ACT is still accepted more widely in the Midwest and the SAT is accepted on the coasts. Of course, the universities that are swinging between no test and test will affect that as well.
Essay Tips: Do not write about mental health UNLESS it explains grades or the struggle that made you stronger. It is more important HOW you write and not WHAT you write about. Nobody can compile 17 years into 650 words. Essays are there to help admission get the depth and consistency of your story.
-these lift the student that is on the edge of being or not being admitted
Recommendation Letter Tips: Ask teachers during junior year (maybe the end of junior year?)
-include detailed information that other parts of the application don’t cover
-include specific examples and stories of how you worked hard for a grade, how you faced adversity, how you engaged in learning
-ask teachers that are outside your major area; for example, if you are majoring in biology, ask an English teacher for a recommendation letter
-detail your potential
-the best letters elaborate on the course content while illustrating a unique student narrative
-mention specific activities that align with the application
-the worst letters go on about procedures, have content that can be found elsewhere on the application, including extracurriculars, elaborate on the course taking (obviously you took the course because it is on the transcript)
Over the years, I’ve linked and saved quite a few (okay a LOT) of STEM resource webpages. These are pages directed towards one resource or sometimes a whole list of resources. I have not had time to do STEM as much as I have in the past. Plus I don’t think I should keep these all to myself! Some STEM websites are whole free curricula and some STEM resources are one site. Either way – I want people to realize there is a LOT of free resources out there.
Engineering Games and Projects – This website does say TitleMax I know. But they have a lot of websites towards the bottom I had never seen before. The top part is more career exploration.
NASA – 1,750 activities are listed in the NASA database. I would search for an “educator’s guide” if possible which yielded the most information such as this Rocket Unit that I based my STEM Camp on.
Mystery Doug – Encourage curiosity using brief science questions and answers from Mystery Doug
Activities Finder – K-12 activities; 345 activities; Paper and virtual activity; If you need an activity, Concord Consortium has you covered
Arts Integration – Here is a jackpot of all things STEAM! I am so excited to try out the cake lesson this year! Oodles of quality STEAM activities for K-12 that I’ve done in the past in other workshops and new activities like the cake lesson.
My son has entered 9th grade — eek! As a former stay-at-home mother, I have always tried to be financially aware of our current finances and future ones as well. And college is a HUGE one! This post is for anyone with a child ages 6 months to 18 years old and cannot pay full price for college. And if you can pay full price, this is for you, too!
I am hoping that this post is one of a series of posts navigating the college and financial route. Below I have highlighted the items that I have learned from so far this year. Some will be locally based here on the outskirts of St. Louis, Missouri, but hopefully, your city or town has something equivalent. All resources have links for more information. In parenthesis, I suggest the grade in which your child is in that you should seek out this information.
(Birth) A 529 plan invests money into an account for your child’s college expenses. The biggest benefit is that the money grows tax free. In addition, you will not be taxed when the money is withdrawn. At least here in Missouri, our plans are mostly invested in Vanguard funds which from personal experience have grown 13% over the past 5 years. Considering that most money market and savings accounts pay only .005% presently, I personally found this to be a good investment. You can use up to $10,000 on private elementary or secondary schools as well.
Image Source: https://www.thrively.com/
Strengths Profile
(4th – 8th grade) Thrively is a service for teachers and counselors to assess student strengths. It includes social-emotional lessons for a fee, however, the strengths assessment is FREE. Once you are signed up, go to the “Dashboard” and decide on how to invite your class. You can import from Google Classroom using “Actions” and “Add Students”. Or you can use the link in the upper left. This is how I imported my students. There is an Action to Add students manually, too. I see there is a red “Student Log in Info” link in the upper left and it looks like students can join that way as well. Be sure to print their certificate after they assess their strengths! This option is also under “Actions” on the dashboard.
Image Source: https://www.truity.com/
(1st-3rd Grade)
Career Exploration Begin career exploration with the Truity Photo Career Quiz. Students can take this quiz with no words and begin to think about jobs and careers. There are a ton of photos, so you may need to read them the directions and show them how it works.
(4th-8th Grade) Truity has a Holland Code Quiz that students can use for free without logging in. Then, students can use their code to search careers in O*Net.
Image Source: https://www.onetonline.org/
(6th-10th grade) Career Exploration
O*Net – Search by specific career or “I Don’t Know” Section This website has many common occupations, a summary of that occupation, how much education you need, and how much money you may possibly make.
(7th-10th Grade) For Missouri — Missouri Connections (Use “Guest Login” in lower right corner) – Under “Assessments” you can find interest surveys and students can explore what jobs match their interests. The inventory is 72 questions, so be prepared for a chunk of time. They also have videos for each job cluster (although the videos are little dry).
Missouri School Counselors can create a school login and password so that students can create accounts. This account will save their interest profile. Explore “Reality Check” to see if your career choice will support your “individual style.” (Under Assessments tab). To access your completed assessments: Go to “My Portfolio,” “Sort and Assessment Results.” Click on “Report” to see suggested careers based on your assessment results.
(9th or 10th Grade) This non-profit organization should be one of the first ones to contact if you live near St. Louis, Missouri. We filled out the form and someone contacted us within a few weeks. My son was able to talk to someone in a field he was already interested in. She was able to answer some questions about area colleges. She also confirmed specific college programs in the area that her company uses for hiring.
This amazing program is also important for the next step, course selection. School Counselors have hundreds of students on their caseload, so getting one on one discussions with someone in the field is invaluable. It costs nothing but time and they can help you decide which courses are worthwhile.
Image Source: Unsplash.com
Parent Teacher Conferences
(9th Grade) Parents – course selection can be a daunting task for high schools with a ton of options. Options are great! Navigating them… not so much. The best advice I received came from parent-teacher conferences. Normally, parents may skip them or see certain teachers where a student is struggling. That’s totally okay! But if there is a parent teacher conference you get a one on one chat. Be sure to have specific questions about courses. I asked about science options and what classes were available for someone pursuing math and science. This would work of course with any field: music, writing, social sciences, etc.
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Visit Colleges
(9th-11th Grade) Visit colleges! I was a first-generation college student. My only idea of what college was like came from watching movies which left me woefully unprepared. Plan vacations around college visits. Visit the campuses of nearby colleges in 9th or 10th grade in order to get a feel for how college is structured.
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Take the PSAT
(10th Grade) Plan and take the PSAT in 10th Grade. This test can help you get a National Merit Scholarship. This is also practice for the ACT and SAT. See your counselor about taking this test in 10th grade!
Source: unsplash.com
Begin College Research
(End of 10th Grade) Begin College Research. My career counseling classes led me to a lot of career exploration websites like I have listed: ONet and such. I think this step is important because it will help you focus on which college you want to look at. For example, you want to major in aerospace engineering. Well, that limits the college choices right off the bat! Looking to go into journalism? Again, that limits some school choices as well. Once you have an idea of the career area, start looking at college tuition, majors offered, size of the campus, academics of the student body, average time to graduate, and what percent of need will be gift aid versus self paid. Ask the same questions at every college. This will allow you to compare answers. Take notes! You will remember the last college you visited the best.
Begin prepping for the ACT and SAT test. I usually purchased books and practice tests when I was a student. I know our school has a prep class as well they offer for a small amount.
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(Beginning of 11th Grade)
Sign up for the ACT or SAT! I understand many schools are now removing this requirement. You should check with the colleges that you intend to apply.
Missouri Only – Additionally, here in Missouri there is money awarded depending on your ACT/SAT score. Bright Flight Scholarships are available based on those scores. You don’t have to apply. You will receive a letter in about 8 weeks after the test for eligibility.
Image Source: Wikipedia.org
(Beginning of 12th Grade)
Register for the Common Application. Revise and Edit Essays. Have an advisor to review application and essays. Submit in the Fall 12th grade.
Federal student aid comes in lots of forms. As a parent, if you went to college and remember the FAFSA you filled out 20 years ago like me – this one is different. It is very easy and the online version makes it quick to receive information.
October 1st is when the FAFSA opens. I have been told it is first come first serve on some things, so you would apply as soon as possible. You can register October 1st and complete/submit it later if needed. I used this service personally with my graduate work. Although I did not receive much in aid (probably since I already have my undergrad and a Master’s degree in Education?), I am glad I applied.
A CSS Profile has been mentioned on several websites. However, this is the ONE website I have NOT had personal experience with. I tried to create an account, but when I follow the directions it says “Bad Gateway 404”. Hopefully, you will have better luck. From the website description, you will have access to other scholarships and many schools require you to fill this out.
I had posted previously on my favorite podcasts – My Favorite Podcasts. However, after listening to them for over a year, there are some episodes not appropriate for school age students. The podcasts below ARE for school-age students. One, they are short! About 10-30 minutes. Two, they have an entertaining hook! Three, the podcasts relate to the age of the kids. Here are the fun podcasts we have been listening to at school and at home.
Who Smarted? – A short, funny, and informational podcast channel! My kids young and old like these on road trips. Sign up as a teacher or parent to get the newsletter with activities to go along with the podcast. They always have something new and fun to discuss like where did tacos come from? Or why do mosquitos itch so much?
Imagined Life: Family Edition – These are shorter podcasts from the original Imagined Life podcast. The 30-minute podcasts are from 2nd person point of view. You are the person and you find out about a famous person’s life before they became famous. I love them because it is a unique way of storytelling and the kids love the mystery.
But Why?: A Podcast for Curious Kids – Kids send in questions to the podcast and the hosts provide answers! I think of this as like Mystery Doug but over audio instead of video. Episodes run 15-25 minutes long.
Source: https://www.smashboom.org/
Smash Boom Best – If you like conflict, drama or things that go boom – then this is the podcast for you. A lot of critical thinking goes on in this podcast as the hosts battle cats versus docs. Tacos versus pizza, and more. Debate and argumentation is essential in most professions to a certain extent. This might be one that you all enjoy.
In career counseling, I learned that Laura Gottfredson created the theory of circumscription and compromise. I have created a slide presentation on how to incorporate it into a counseling session with an emphasis on gifted students. As an advocate for gifted and twice-exceptional students, I believe more and more information must be created to communicate to professionals about this population.
Many of us have take some First Aid class growing up whether it be in a club or part of a class. I remember that we did this in Girl Scouts and then I took it again when I was pregnant. I wanted a refresher and even discovered things had changed! As a kid, I was taught if someone isn’t breathing to use mouth-to-mouth resuscitation as well as chest compressions. Now, the instructor told me mouth to mouth isn’t necessary especially if it is a stranger. (But I just checked the Red Cross website which does have MMR listed in their steps… so maybe it depends on your instructor.)
Now, I believe that physical first aid is extremely important. But as many of us our reading about – our mental health is just as important. All of us in any type of leadership position should be required to take Psychological First Aid as well. These positions include: administrators, pastors, teachers, nurses, parents, caregivers, managers, etc. I could argue everyone should take Psychological First Aid really… since it is just as important as knowing CPR. For now, I will start small and implore that all schools and business leaders learn this. If schools are pushing to be trauma informed, how can we ignore something so basic? If we are training for intruder drills, where is the training for the aftermath?
Myths that I was taught before that now are proven not true:
People do not go through all the stages of grief. And many people do not go through them in order. It looks nice and neat and real life just doesn’t work that way. As someone who has experienced personal grief trauma, I would agree with this.
People do not need to talk at length with their trauma. Making them talk about what happened makes them live through it again and again and may actually do more harm. This is what we learned after 9/11. Most people do not need professional help and will recover on their own.
My professor has talked a little bit about Post Traumatic Growth. PTG occurs when a person goes through a trauma or crisis and grows as a result.
Now, some people DO struggle after a crisis and that is where Psychological First Aid can come in.
First, what is psychological first aid (PFA)? Similar to physical first aid, you are promoting safety, addressing immediate needs or acute distress, teaching coping skills and finally finding resources to continue support.
Second – there are number of ways PFA is taught. I am taking Crisis Intervention, so many examples deal with disaster cases. But, you can use these tips when someone in distress calls you on the phone as well! I am including all the steps, but obviously your friend calling you would need not need step 1. In an emergency, or perhaps a students from another classroom is in crisis in the hallway… then you would follow the steps:
LOOK
Contact and Engagement:
1. Check out the area – are you safe?
2. Introduce yourself.
Name
Title
Organization name
3. Ask person’s name. Use their name in speaking to them!! This helps people know you are listening and feel calm.
4. Address adults using last names. (This was suggested in my training video)
Examples: “I noticed you seem upset. How can I help?” and then listen. If you don’t receive a response, you can say “I’m a good listener.”
LISTEN
Safety and Comfort
Actively listen: use eye contact, lean in and give your full attention
Respect Privacy: try to talk in private or provide medical care behind a curtain
Extreme Calm: Most people will be fine. However, there are some people extremely calm and may show no emotion. This person may have lost touch with reality – just because someone is extremely calm does not mean they are not in need.
If someone is in crisis here are a couple of techniques:
Breathing: Breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth. Count to 5 breathing in and count to 5 breathing out. Here is a video to illustrate
Grounding: Sit with arms and legs uncrossed. Take slow breaths. Name 5 non-stressful things you see. Take slow breaths. Name 5 non-stressful things you hear. Take slow breaths. Name 5 non-stressful things you can touch or feel. Take slow breaths.
LINK
After listening, we now know what they need. Here, we link a person in crisis up with services that are ongoing.
Come up with an action plan and ask for any clarification. Some of these may be options: Go see the school counselor, or visit a key adult in the school building. For adults, this may include finding food, water, shelter, working with insurance and linking with churches and other community resources.
Tips from Crisis Counselors:
As a family, try to stay on the same schedule. This includes meal times, sleeping, etc.
Be understanding that everyone reacts differently.
Establish old routines.
Sleeping can be difficult and here are some tips:
Discuss the reasons for sleep disturbances
Establish a set wake time and go to bed time.
Increase exercise (but not right before bed)
Have a relaxation routine before bed
Anger is very common as well. Here are some coping strategies I learned:
Exercise
Write in a journal
Prayer, meditation or another positive activity
Headspace app or Calm.com
Look at the consequences, both positive and negative, of being angry
If you would like to receive an online formal training program, here are two I found useful (and free!):
24 Game – This is a great warm up that can be used virtual or in person. Using any of the 4 math operations, including parentheses, creating an equation that will equal 24.
Teaches: Divergent thinking, mathematical flexibility, there is more than one answer (most of the time), Flexibility
Challenge Math – These books introduce WAYS of thinking and not just how to solve one type of problem. The problems go from easy to hard.
Teaches: mathematical and logical thinking
Visual Thinking Strategies – Of course my favorite
