Best laid plans, right? Sometimes being a school counselor feels like 3 steps forward and 2 steps back. Your brain is full of ideas and ways that you can support your students but the many demands on your time, extra duties, and never ending fires to put out can leave you feeling like you're not even sure where you spent your energy. What if I told you that there exists something that can help with that? Something you've heard of before but may have dismissed as "too much?" I believe that the  ASCA National Model is the real problem solver for school counselors. That's why I'm so excited to speak at NCSCA's Summer Academy about taking a realistic approach to the National Model.

Here's some of the problems we will be solving: 

• No one gets what I do!
• So. Many. Extra. Duties. 
• I spend so much time planning.
• Things just sneak up on me.
• I plan to _______ but then...
• Too many fires!
• The school does not see the counselor as integral to the work of the school.
• I run around all day.
• I try to respond to all the deamands.
• Everyone thinks I have so much availability.
• I end the year wondering if I did anything well.
• I have a walkie talkie.

​Sound familiar?!?! Can I get a high five?

Guess what? Instead of these being these being the reasons your can't do the ASCA National Model - these are the problems that you can solve with the model. I know! This is some good stuff.  So here are the goods: My presentation AND the super,amazing, awesome handouts I created to support your work. And guess what? We never even say the word template. 

​So what's your plan for problem solving? I gotta say, I think this is gonna be your year :)

Do you teach a lot of classes? In my area, more and more elementary counselors are asked to increase the number of lessons that they teach in order to find coverage for planning time. While I love teaching classroom lessons, there are many reasons why being locked into a rotation is less than ideal. In reality, it happens. How can you create meaningful activities for students without taking time away from your other services for planning?

One of my colleagues, Jaime Bierwagen, created an awesome video sharing how she used centers​ in her counseling lessons so she could stop planning and start playing. I loved it so much, I asked her if I could share it here with you! 

If you aren't able to watch the video right now, let me recap some of the major points:

• Whole Group mini-lesson for 10-20 minutes and then transition to learning stations
• Create routines for entering the classroom and transitioning into mini-lesson
• Keep it simple with K-2 lessons and 3-5 lessons
• Create routines for transitioning into centers
• List the centers visually along with a maximum number of students per station
• Leave time for cleaning up and lining up
• Create stations tubs or baskets ready with all the materials you need
• Use a bell to stop the class and maximize teachable moments
• Create routines for behavior management - Jaime uses a three strikes model
• Keep station locations and titles the same, switch out a few items when a refresh is needed

When creating stations, think about skills or strategies of social emotional learning that kids might need. What activities might allow students to practice these skills? Some ideas: Problem solving station can have puzzles and combination locks. Mindful coloring or journaling station can have drawing, coloring, and journaling activities. Social skill play incorporates board games and counseling games like feelings go fish. Creation station allows students to create something from their imagination and problem solve when their plan doesn't always work out. 

When it fits well, you can create a mini-lesson station that incorporates the skills taught in the mini lesson. I could imagine reading a book about integrity and having the character ed booklet, integrity flowers, or character ed DIY posters as stations. This integrity series could last several weeks as kids get to experience many ways to understand integrity.

Check out the video to get some more ideas about planning mini-lessons! Jaime includes some great ideas for free ways to read books and incorporate technology into your lessons. 

So what about you? How many lessons do you teach? Do you use centers or learning stations? I would love to hear about what works (and doesn't work) for you! Get ready to be Productive. Organized. Effective.