I like using these "What Emotions Do You See?" sunglass sliders with my little ones to show how situations affect all of us a little differently. I try to teach students that we do not all feel the same; I may find something funny that they would find hurtful.  I want my kids to be able to see events from someone else's point of view and have empathy for other people's situations. I want them to be able to describe the emotions they might feel if it were happening to them.  I recently used this resource with a group of first-graders who needed to stop and think about how their ac ..read more

I really love flipbooks. They are so easy to prep, and I love being able to give students a takeaway when they leave my groups.  This month, I am working with my top 25% of frequently absent students, and we are focusing on attendance skills in hopes to boost our attendance rates. At this week’s meeting, we made our own attendance flipbooks. I love the no-cut design. It makes it really quick to prep for my small group meetings. The design allows students to take ownership of their learning as they are guided through activities that teach attendance success skills such as: Recognizing ..read more

At the very beginning of the group, I give all students attendance trackers. Attendance trackers are a great way to improve student attendance since they hold students accountable by providing a consistent person who is waiting for them every single morning. Knowing that someone is waiting for them to show up, increases the chances that they will. Attendance trackers also offer a great opportunity for quick daily one on one meetings with frequently absent students. My morning duty is to be the over-caffeinated smiling lady holding open the front door saying good morning way too excitedly. Stu ..read more

I love these monster pencil case holders I got from Amazon (click here to view on Amazon). They completely unzip down to nothing, which is really unexpected and catches a kid off guard. They become fascinated and have to know more. It is a great distractor. I let kids zip and unzip until their frustrations have faded away and they are able to go back to class and get back to learning.  I can also use them in my classroom guidance lessons so that’s a huge bonus. What fun, unexpected things do you have in your calm down kits? Stay Connected: Follow Me on TeachersPayTeachers Fo ..read more

My students, and teachers at times use the word bullying a little too loosely. Today, calling someone a bully is handled in a very serious matter. In extreme situations, bullying accusations can lead to criminal charges. I want to educate my students on what it truly means to be a bully. With that, I want to minimize the numbers of false reports of bullying along with the number of hurt feelings associated with teases that were meant to be playful. With my older kids (grades three through five), I explicitly teach the differences between what is considered bullying and what is considered tea ..read more

Happy counselors are not happy by accident!  They choose to find the happiness in their lives.  Here are eight ways they choose happy every day! 1.     Prepare Themselves  Counselors carry a heavy load. The demands of the jobs leave both physical aches and emotional pain. The emotional weight we carry with us is sometimes quite hard to shake. Happy counselors are realistic about what this career entails and prepare themselves to be able to compartmentalize the pains that accompany our job. Happy counselors do not allow the darkness and tough situatio ..read more

A quick, funny story about me. When I was in fifth grade, I was picked to be a safety patrol. I was so stinkin' excited that I slept in my safety patrol belt every night for six months until my mom made me stop. I just found out that I am in charge of the safety patrols at my new school. My fifth-grade self would have been "pee your pants excited" if she could see me now. Do any of you run safety patrol groups?  I am still thinking about how I want to set the group up. I know I am supposed to have weekly meetings and that I am to set up a ranking system (sergeant, deputies, patrols ..read more

One of a child's most powerful tools is their words. I love giving kids more words and ways to express their emotions. That is why I created this emotions wall in my office. I like helping them expand their vocabulary and discover new ways of expressing themselves.  To create the wall, I started with cutting out the letters. I normally would use my cricket to accomplish this, but I just moved and a lot of things are in storage. Long story short, I had to go old school this time.  After that laboring task was complete, I got to hanging. I had previously laminated ..read more

Calm down corners have the power to change a child’s mood and set the stage for a successful rest of the day. Whether a student is recovering from a meltdown or just needs a brain break, calm down corners are awesome at helping set kids up for success by utilizing calm down strategies and visuals that help students find their calm. For the majority of my kiddos, when they are upset, they want to freely move. They want to escape whatever made them angry as fast as possible. This is a little difficult within the classroom or school setting. Calm down corners allow kids the freedom of a safe env ..read more

It can be really tough for a kid to have the confidence to try to make a new friend. A lot of kids are unsure about themselves and the thought of walking up to someone new and striking up a conversation can be anxiety provoking. It breaks my heart to see kids alone or without a friend simply because they lack the social skills needed to properly approach the situation. To help tackle that issue, I designed this interactive book to help kids learn the skills needed to make new friends in a stress free manner. By breaking the skills apart and learning how to do it piece by piece, it allows ki ..read more