You're on your way to a counseling lesson, meeting, or you have a group of kids due in 5 minutes. The phone rings and without thinking about it, you answer. The person on the other end is angry and it's all coming at you fast. What to do? 

I'm over on Confident Counselors today sharing my top three tips and my secret phrase that I use when I'm at my limit. Uncomfortable phone calls don't get any more fun but they can get easier. 

Please comment and let me know your trickiest "what to do when..." and I can share some more tips! 

National School Counseling Week is coming up! Mark your calendars for February 5-9, just in case you haven't already. You may know that I have a love/hate relationship with #NSCW because it seems like we spend all of our time celebrating everyone else instead of the school honoring the amazing work that the counselors do. Life of the counselor, huh? At least we have teacher appreciation week (can I get a shout out for donuts and coffee)!

One of my wonderful colleagues, Ellen McClay, shared her awesome National School Counseling Week plans. She has graciously agreed that I can share all the deets here with you. The character trait for the month at her school is Kindness so she incorporated this trait in all of her activities. Fits nicely don't you think?

Orange you glad you go to our school? Celebrate by wearing orange. Tip for Teachers: Consider getting a buddy class to partner with for Spring Semester to participate in buddy reading, writing, or other joint activities.

Wear your favorite hat to school. Tip for Teachers: Give each student an opportunity to saw "My Hat's off to ________ because ...." Encourage giving compliments and encourage to one another. 

Wear your favorite school or college shirt. We live in a community with many local colleges so most students will have a team shirt. If not, they can wear their college colors. Tip for Teachers: Share with your students you favorite college experience. Pain the picture of why college is an experience to strive for.

In honor of the Native American proverb "To know the heart and mind of a person, you must walk a mile in his/her moccasins," wear different or crazy socks. Tip for Teachers: Guide your class in discussion of the differences you see. Discuss the concepts of diversity and empathy. 

Wear your most comfortable fleece or sweatshirt. Tip for Teachers: Send warm and fuzzy notes to coworkers and help students to make cards to give friends, parents, and teachers to tell them how much they are appreciated. Encourage parents to leave a note for their child on their pillow at home. 

Join the staff in celrbating the unique, diverse offerings that each staff member offers. The counselor will bring in crock pots for staff to bring their favorite soup incrediates to simmer all morning. Encourage staff to enjoy a warm bowl of soup as a symbol of coming together to make something good. Tips for Teachers: Teach your students about the story of Stone Soup  and share what the teachers are doing. Students love to hear about the lives of their teachers!

What do you think? I love these ideas because they celebrate the meaning of our work which is what we really care most about anyway.  You can see my 5 Meaningful Ways to Celebrate your School Counselor, School Counseling Memes, and how I show the reach of my work with stickers. 

I am happy to share another author interview with you today! Mike Resh is an elementary school counselor from Lancaster, Pennsylvania where he works with primary aged students grades K-3.  He is also a brand new children’s book author, having his first book entitled “Dneirf” published by Mascot Books in November 2017.  Dneirf is the word friend spelled backwards and the story is about a boy named Otto who after having a difficult morning, goes to school and struggles with having positive interactions with his friends.  He learns that he's been doing things “backwards” also known as being a “Dneirf.”  With the help of his peers and school counselor, Otto is able to turn himself around and move in the right direction towards becoming a true friend to himself and others.  A cool twist to the book is that it includes palindromes (words that when spelled backwards create the same word when spelled forwards) and semordinlaps (words that when spelled backwards create a new word) throughout the text and hidden in the illustrations. So Fun!

• What motivated you to write dneirf?

After my first year as an elementary school counselor, I took time to reflect on how things went and lessons learned.  One thing stood out immediately to me, the amount of time spent educating and sorting through incidents reported as “Bullying.” The buzz of bullying in the media and community is great for bringing awareness to a problem but caused another problem in itself.  Parents and even kids used this word almost as an escape solution to fix problems or rather have them fixed by others (adults) at the fear of not handling a “bullying situation.”  This caused an even greater gap of kids being unable to think and act for themselves.  Much of my time was spent being a mediator between kids and helping them with self-awareness of their own actions.  You did “A” so “C” happened…what else could you have done so that “B” could have happened?  Dneirf grew out of the idea of escaping the labeling of “bullying” and focusing rather on behavior and behavioral change that is normal in social relationships. Dneirf makes the connection of cause/effect of friendships problems for young children.    

• How did Dneirf come about?

 As a school counselor I saw a need for a social skills book that covered normal social conflicts between friends that is a normal part of growing up and not always an act of bullying. I partnered with a parent of a former student in my school to do the awesome illustrations for the book and am happy to have it being release by my publisher Mascot Books this fall.

• What suggestions do you have for school counselors who want to use Dneirf in their school counseling programs?

 
Information about Dneirf can be found by visiting: www.mikeresh.com. There are also free printable handouts on the website that can be used in groups, classroom lessons, and individual counseling sessions. 
 
This story can be a support source for those reading it not only to those who have acted as a “Dneirf” but those who may have experienced the backwards behaviors of others.  When someone turns into a “Dneirf” it is like they are wearing their shoes backwards and trying to walk and have a normal day…it just is not going to work. 

Doctors prescribe/recommend exercise and healthy eating as preventative measures or precursors to good physical health.  School counselors and teachers can recommend this book and its ideas in the same way for good social and mental health development and maintenance. The prevention of bullying can occur with a primary focus and goal of creating caring and kind social relationship that are dictated by self-recognition of one’s own behaviors towards others.  BE A FRIEND, NOT A DNEIRF!

Thanks Mike! Dneirf is such a fun book. I love the idea of using the phrase "Being a Dneirf" as a way to redirect kids in a friendly manner that doesn't label them as unkind or a bully. We all have Dneirf days for sure. Make sure to check out Mike's site because he has a ton of lesson plans, printables, and other fun (Free!) goodies for you. To sweeten the deal, Mike has also generously offered to GIVEAWAY 4 copies of the book - 1 print copy and 3 digital copies. As always, all of my email subscribers are entered into any giveaway. To gain an **extra** entry, leave a comment on the post with your #1 friendship drama tip.  Giveaway will end Friday January, 26th and I'll announce the winners on Instagram stories. Winners will also receive an email. 

I am thrilled to share with you that I am an ambassador for The Great Kindness Challenge. I've spoken a lot about Kindness here on Counselor Up, including my Year of Kindness and Acts of Kindness cards (free download!). The Great Kindness challenge is a global initiative that can improve school climate and increase student engagement. But, let's be honest, kindness and humanity is always a good idea. 

Students are challenged to complete as many acts of kindness as possible within the week. The organization, Kids of Peace, provides you with a list of 50 acts of kindness for parents, students, and teachers to practice during the challenge. 

Studies show that kindness matters and it’s scientifically proven! Not only does kindness improve our climate and communities but this simple concept and virtue can enhance our minds and bodies, too. According to Random Acts of Kindness and a study conducted by Dartmouth College, kindness improves peer relations, lowers anxiety and enhances concentration.

The official dates are coming soon, January 22-26th, 2017. But never fear, you can make this work on a different week if you're not ready!  Beyond the one-week challenge, students and families can participate in a unifying campaign, supporting a community in need: Kind Coins for Hurricane Relief. This year in response to the historic hurricane season on US Territory, Kids for Peace, home to The Great Kindness Challenge is raising funds to build as many playgrounds at hurricane affected schools in Florida, Louisiana, Texas and Puerto Rico. Check out Jet Stream Jax, an eight-year-old meteorologist sharing about the devastation in his hometown, Houston and why play heals. 

To sign up, register online and download the toolkit. I'm planning to use the family version at my house as well! What do you do for Kindness at your school? Make sure to follow me on Instagram to see some of my own #greatkindnesschallenge acts!