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Tag: School Counselor

Making Friends in School: Helping Students Connect With Their Peers in Meaningful Ways

Making Friends in School: Helping Students Connect With Their Peers in Meaningful Ways

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…

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Email Etiquette Tips and How-Tos in Education

Email Etiquette Tips and How-Tos in Education

Whether educators; caregivers; or students may like it or not, email is ubiquitous—it’s one of the essential forms of communication used in schools; by schools; and for schools to share-out information and to read or respond to updates; questions; or requests by other staff members and students and families alike. These days, many of us are writing far fewer handwritten notes and letters to others, so, perhaps, those traditional letter-writing skills; rules; and expectations that were historically-taught to students—many of…

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While Graduate School Taught Me a Lot, Some Things Just Had to Be Learned On the Job

While Graduate School Taught Me a Lot, Some Things Just Had to Be Learned On the Job

I want to spend some time looking at seven different things that I did not know as a student in graduate school. While I will be eternally grateful for all that I learned in my studies and from my professors and fellow students (and believe my program–and university–did a great job of preparing me for what I needed to know—and do—in order to have the best chance at success in the field of Education), some things may just have to…

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Study Tips For Students: How to Build Your Own System for Success

Study Tips For Students: How to Build Your Own System for Success

When it comes to studying and preparing for school, there are no shortage of tips and strategies out there for attempting to improve student outcomes and successes. I realize the following tips and strategies may only be adding to the abundance of circulating advice, but these are my top tips I routinely share with my own students. Please feel welcome to peruse through this list and see if something or another might be worth trying or incorporating into your study…

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Fighting Against ‘Senioritis’ (Tips; Strategies; and Mindsets For Helping Senior Students Finish Strong)

Fighting Against ‘Senioritis’ (Tips; Strategies; and Mindsets For Helping Senior Students Finish Strong)

“Is ‘Senioritis’ even really a thing?” you may exclaim. If you ask many teachers; school counselors; and others working in high schools, many would probably say: “yes, it’s a thing; ‘Senioritis’ is definitely real!” Sometime during the second half of the twelfth-grade year—for a number of students—something different often begins to occur: Attendance slips; motivation ebbs and flows; and it is one foot in, one foot out the door of high school. For some, it’s all they can do to…

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Leveraging the College Essay: How to Stand Out From The Crowd and Gain An Edge in Admissions (Part Two of Two)

Leveraging the College Essay: How to Stand Out From The Crowd and Gain An Edge in Admissions (Part Two of Two)

We continue the countdown to the final ten tips for college essays. This second set of tips will focus a bit more on the actual writing stages (and beyond), for our applicants now ready to put pen to paper for the first time. #10: Be Genuine and Sincere: As you begin writing, you may start to wonder–if not worry–if the admissions folks will like you as a person and/or judge you worthy of admittance. That is a natural thing to…

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Leveraging the College Essay: How to Stand Out From The Crowd and Gain an Edge in Admissions (Part One of Two)

Leveraging the College Essay: How to Stand Out From The Crowd and Gain an Edge in Admissions (Part One of Two)

One of the most nerve-wracking, or anxiety-producing, parts of the college application process, for many students, is the Essay portion of their application(s). But it doesn’t have to be that way. Over the course of this two-part series, we will look at twenty tips for leveraging; shining; and standing-out amongst the sea of applicants at America’s most popular and desirous colleges and universities (that do use college essays). What is more—now, more than ever–college essays are taking on greater importance,…

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Book Review: Millennials’ Guide to the Construction Trades: What No One Ever Told You About a Career In Construction

Book Review: Millennials’ Guide to the Construction Trades: What No One Ever Told You About a Career In Construction

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…

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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…

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