You can purchase my brand-new book by clicking on the hyperlink, below. https://www.amazon.com/School-Difference-Makers-Guidebook-College-Counselor/dp/B0FVW8ZBX4/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.RxNicDfICV-jiB9XICRZng90Qm0T8tp3QG3ll_9uRhA.H1NS5VDFYGQl08cjsm26qv06fEwwNCeG46Jv5hW2Qu0&qid=1761421585&sr=8-1
High School Counselor (Pioneer High School, Ann Arbor)-Michigan School Counselor Association Legislative Co-Chair (From the March 2026 MSCA Newsletter) Click to access ac41a532-2b5d-452a-8682-5b7785274cdc.pdf On February 3rd, approximately twenty-five school counselors; counselor-educators; and MSCA-affiliated members gathered virtually to talk to Michigan state representatives; state senators; and lawmaker staffers to advocate for the school counselor profession, on an annual day in the Great Lakes State known as ‘School Counselors at the Capitol Day’. Using this opportunity to build a bridge to powerful…
If you are a high school counselor, or a college advisor working in a school, one of the most important relationships you can build is the one with your local (or closest-serving) community college. In a few moments, I will share some tried-and-tested ways for school counselors to create (and build-upon) that particular partnership. The first set of ideas and tips will be for bringing your community college representative on-site to your school; the second set of ideas and tips…
This is a sample email that I like to send out to my Seniors at about the half-way point in the school year. Please feel welcome to either borrow ideas from it or make it your own (as in whatever may be most relevant to your students and their needs). Greetings, Class of 2026 Seniors: I hope you have had a solid start to the new semester and also a great mid-winter break! Senior year can be an exciting and…
What do major holidays; spring break; summer vacation; weekends; and snow days all have in common? They are all times that school is not in session—or, in other words, down-time for both students and educators. But what if you want to do more than play video games or doom-scroll on your phone? Well, I may have an idea or two for you, if you choose to keep reading.  This list will be broken into two categories: Holistic SITs (Strategies,…
I have recently started to see a trend of greater numbers of students coming to me to share their hopes and desires of developing more (or better) friendships. Not only do I really applaud and admire students vulnerably sharing this important heart-wish, or drive, to make more deeper and meaningful connections with their peers, but it is also one of my most favorite areas to try to help my students. Making friends can be scary—especially, for brand-new students; students who…
On Thursday, September 19th, 2024, I talked with WJR Radio Host, Kevin Dietz, on ‘All Talk with Kevin Dietz’ about social media in schools; you can listen to my interview hyperlinked below: https://all-talk-with-kevin-dietz.simplecast.com/episodes/social-media-influence-in-schools-_TP9ZQWv?t=0m0s
Here we are with another book that I just had to review, because, as an educator (and school counselor, more specifically), there just don’t seem to be a lot of great books out there for students interested in pursuing a Trades career after high school. However, once I read 2020’s Millennials’ Guide to the Construction Trades: What No One Ever Told You About a Career In Construction, I knew I had finally found what I was looking for: a book…
After running 1,000 miles in the calendar year of 2020, I felt like I had a pretty good template to build upon for 2021, but, of course, that did not mean that there was nothing else to learn about running (or about myself) in a year where I wanted to build upon that 1,000 mile-mark from 2020. Several things stood with me–in 2021–that I hope to highlight, here, including the following seven points: 1. Keep Moving and Standing: After running…
When I got my (first and current) school counseling job, one of the first things I decided to do was keep a designated space in my office for students to gather-up needed (free) school supplies or to grab a quick snack. Sure, this ends up costing several hundred dollars a year (probably similar to what a lot of teachers spend to stock their classrooms), but the pay-off is more than worth it in my mind. If you are a savvy…