Browsed by
Category: Working with Students

Why Educators Should Learn (and Use) Student Names as Quickly as Possible

Why Educators Should Learn (and Use) Student Names as Quickly as Possible

Each year, educators–including teachers; school counselors; administrators—and anyone else working in a school—will interact with and–in varying degrees—be responsible for teaching; serving; and protecting dozens, hundreds, or thousands of students each and every day. What is more, each of these students has an individual name; story; skillset; and mix of differing talents, abilities, resources, dreams and desires, and, potentially, challenges in their daily lives. Speaking as a school counselor, most folks in this role usually have anywhere from two or…

Read More Read More

Five Reasons School Counselors (and Educators) Should Play Music for Students

Five Reasons School Counselors (and Educators) Should Play Music for Students

Music is one of those things that means different things to different people. Our preferred musical choices can take us back in time to certain important moments in our lives or even act as the on-going soundtrack of our lives. Music can help us through tough times; it can inspire us; and it can teach us a lot of different things in life. It should come as no surprise that many of our students and young people also like music…

Read More Read More

Top Tips for What to Do (& See) on College Visits

Top Tips for What to Do (& See) on College Visits

In continuing our conversation about the college selection process (first, was identifying which questions to ask colleges), we now want to take a look at some of the key, important things to experience on in-person college visits. College visits can look differently depending on the timing and objectives of the visit. Some students may want to check-out colleges on official visit-days (where, often, prospective students are coming in from all across the country–and maybe even beyond), or it can be…

Read More Read More

Which Questions to Ask Each Prospective College

Which Questions to Ask Each Prospective College

One of the key–but a bit overlooked–aspects of the college exploration and selection process that perhaps does not get talked about enough for students is which questions to ask institutions of higher education. Whether they are questions for admissions folks; program of study personal; or current students or alumni, students should get comfortable with asking a lot of questions. Asking good, thoughtful questions not only often yields good, thoughtful information, it also lets schools know how a student processes information;…

Read More Read More

Ten Great Ideas for This Upcoming Summer

Ten Great Ideas for This Upcoming Summer

I love summers. I know what you may be thinking: “Yes, you and most other people.” Yet, whether you are a student; teacher; administrator; or school counselor, you likely agree. Everybody loves summer (well, maybe caregivers don’t always feel that way). But, safe to say, summers are definitely loved by many in education. Summers can be the perfect time for growth and rejuvenation. I tell people all the time that summers are the time–if you are involved in any way…

Read More Read More

The Top Seven Reasons High School Students Should Create a Resume

The Top Seven Reasons High School Students Should Create a Resume

Last time, we discussed the top four reasons for professionals to regularly update their resumes. This time, we look at the top reasons why all high school students should create a resume. So, when should high school students do this, you may ask? I believe that either during–or right after–a student’s freshman year may be the best time for a student to create a resume. But don’t stress or worry, though, because it is technically never too late to do…

Read More Read More

Four Tips to Consider When Working With Late-Bloomers

Four Tips to Consider When Working With Late-Bloomers

Our society is often quick to embrace and celebrate prodigies and people doing noteworthy things at young ages. In youth-centric–or, some might even say, youth-obsessed–cultures, like, perhaps, the United States, people who take longer to develop, or take more time to find their footing in life, are usually not celebrated in the same ways as the young gifted learner, musician, or athlete, for instance. Because of this, late-bloomers can often be overlooked, casually dismissed–or worse yet, completely written off by…

Read More Read More

Nine Points to Consider When Working With Brand-New Students

Nine Points to Consider When Working With Brand-New Students

Every year, new students arrive to each and every school–many, at the beginning of the school year; others, arriving at different, various points as the year progresses. With this reality in mind, I wanted to take a look at several things to consider when helping new students get acclimated and comfortable in their newest educational setting. 1. Carve Out Adequate Time to Meet With the New Student(s): This may sound a bit naive, but when I was a brand-new counselor,…

Read More Read More

Five Reasons Why School Counselors Should Consider Keeping School Supplies and Food in Their Offices

Five Reasons Why School Counselors Should Consider Keeping School Supplies and Food in Their Offices

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…

Read More Read More

Super-Charging Your Student Loan Repayments: How to Pay Back Loans Quicker and Save Substantial Money (Part I of II)

Super-Charging Your Student Loan Repayments: How to Pay Back Loans Quicker and Save Substantial Money (Part I of II)

Seemingly plastered over the news these days, it’s little secret that student loan debt is a big deal to a lot of people in 2021. With outstanding debt loads that can rival, or beat, many car notes–or even approach some mortgage payments–it’s a burden that is certainly felt strongly by many tens of millions of Americans. I, too, have felt that burden. However, recently, I was able to pay off my student loans in six years and three months’ time–shaving…

Read More Read More