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Efficient Educators: Using autoCrat to take the tedium out of school counseling and teaching
I like to spend time teaching you new tech tools but also help you, school counselors and educators, use your time, expertise and energy efficiently. This video will help you learn how to use 100% free tools in Google Drive with Forms, Sheets, Docs and an Add-In called AutoCrat to create self-filling forms that can automatically share PDF copies with a set group of people to make for easy print outs, filing and more.
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The Other Side of the Submit Button: Holding a HS College Admissions Case Study
2018 was the third year that my school hosted our annual College Admissions Case Study event and it was a huge hit for the third year running. Not familiar with a Case Study? Don’t worry – I am going to walk you through what it is and how to run your first one over the next few minutes.
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ASCA 2018 Presentation – Make Your School Counseling Program POP with PR and Marketing
I am all for open source and when possible – I make my resources free. I had the opportunity to present with Franciene Sabens at the 2018 American School Counselor Association conference in July 2018 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. We presented on using marketing tools and techniques in the school counseling profession. While the slide deck doesn’t capture everything we covered – it does have some great links and you can get a feel for the presentation.
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Shared Resources: #ASCA18 Shared Session Notes Folder
I’d like to collect notes from the conference to put onto one big shared file. If you are interested and able to – please share your notes with me via email at thegeek@thecounselinggeek.com – Super bonus points if you do so on Google Drive but I’ll take anything and make it work. Send as you make them or at the end.
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6 Things School Counselors Should Tell Students About College Apps (Guest Post)
Аs а nеw сlаss оf studеnts stаrts рlаnnіng thеіr futurеs, hеrе аrе sіх vаluаblе ріесеs оf аdvісе sсhооl соunsеlоrs саn оffеr studеnts.
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How to Manage Your School Counseling Appointments 2.0
I've made some changes. I have long been a proponent and avid user of online scheduling tools in my school counseling practice. For years, I've used ScheduleOnce as my go to scheduling tool. If you want to learn more about my experience with ScheduleOnce,...
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Using Canva in your School Counseling Program
Why do I need to worry about graphic design?
School counselors have a lot to offer. Our core curriculum, sharing of data with stake holders, promoting opportunities to students and parents and so much more. We offer so much that it keeps is up to our necks in busy. It’s hard to justify spending time learning and creating interesting graphics to support our efforts and that is understandable. Stick with me today and I hope to show you that spending a little time on your public image and outreach is actually something that is essential to your full success and professionalism.
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National School Counseling Week Gift Ideas for School Counselor Super Heroes
Principals, supervisors, and co-workers – it’s time to shop for those sometimes overlooked but all too important people in your office – the school counselors! The first full week of February is our yearly celebration of the profession and is used as an opportunity to support and promote the role of the school counselor. We call it National School Counseling Week. You can check out the celebrations happening around the country via social media using the #NSCW18 (or the two numbers of the current year at the end)
Don’t let their hard work go unnoticed. A kind word, a coffee, some cookies are always nice. There are also nice things that you can buy that not only help us know you support us but also allow us to support our profession! Check out some great shopping ideas for your school counselors below to help celebrate National School Counseling Week.
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Writing Letters Home to Continue Your Counseling Connections
I bet you have 10 minutes a day….
That’s right. You do have 10 minutes a day. Likely more if you really looked hard, but we will go with 10 minutes. What would you say if I told you that 10 minutes was all it could take to make a huge difference (or even just a little) in a few kids lives each day you are in your office? You’d probably jump right on that bandwagon.
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Another Thank You!
Happy Thanksgiving 2017!
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Making The Cut: School Counselor Application Tips and Tricks
The job hunting world can be cruel, frustrating and difficult to navigate. The ebb and flow of the economy, legislation, and focus on school counseling will create or decimate jobs. That is why the preparation, the paper screen, and presentation are so important in the process. I spoke in October 2017 at the California Association of School Counselors conference on key tips and tricks for the school counseling job hunter. I combined my experience and knowledge in the are
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Introducing my Teachers Pay Teachers store
Guess what? I started a Teachers Pay Teachers store. Come check it out and be sure to follow me there for all the latest updates and products!
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8 Blogs Every School Counselor Needs to Follow
I went ahead and did a little heavy lifting for you and listed 15 of my favorite school counseling blogs below (in no particular order). If you have a favorite blog that is not on the list – please add it to the comments at the end to help myself and the readers find all the good stuff. Enjoy!
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A Letter To Myself – What I Wish I Knew On Day One
Having recently returned from the 2017 ASCA National Conference in Denver, CO – I had a lot of learning, reflection, and networking on my mind. I got to meet and reconnect with both uber experienced veteran school counselors and school counselors just starting their journey into the profession. I still feel like a baby-faced newbie, but finishing year five – I feel like I have learned a LOT in that time. I decided I wanted to write a letter to myself that I wish I could have read on day 1 of the job. Check it out below and I hope you think about writing a letter to your future or past self.
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1 Simple Survey to Help Connect Students with Caring Adults
I want to share with you a step by step guide to creating a tool that we, at my school and other schools in my district, use a ton since we have had it implemented. I cannot take credit for the idea – a colleague in our district had the idea – but I cannot just sit on a great opportunity like this. School counselors know that relationships reign king (or queen) in our line of work. A number of indicators with research backing show that students who feel connected with at least one caring adult at school tend to fare much better. We wanted to capitalize on this fact, but need to know who is or is not connected and with what adults.
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