I was recently inspired by ASCA's involvement in the Stamp Out Stigma twitter chat. One of the Stamp Out Stigma mottos is: "Talk about It. Care Enough to Change A Mind." What a powerful statement! Often, we hide our struggles in order to appear strong to others. I've been reflecting on what that means for each person - I think it means  parting the curtains a bit to show our true selves. For me, that is a struggle with anxiety.

Do we need to tell more of a story? Do we need to explain, explore, defend? I don't think so. Simply sharing your struggle is enough to talk about. To care enough to change a mind. I carry a weight of anxiety with me as I walk through the day. What is your weight? What is your struggle?

Welcome back! Fall is here and my Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram feeds are filling up with classroom pictures and back to school outfits. This has always been a favorite time of year for me. There is so much excitement and passion at the beginning of the year! Each year, I like to set a goal for the year- these are personal goals and may or may not be a part of my ASCA National Model Plan. Last year, I had a self-care goal of eating lunch (I know that's kinda sad, but, if you're in a school, you understand)!

I met with a school yesterday about focusing on one idea or topic for the staff and students when it came to behavior and social-emotional learning. This school was feeling pulled in a lot of directions and was having some concerns about staff feeling overwhelmed. As we were talking, I asked about focusing on kindness. 

Being kind is not a passive behavior. Being kind involves action. My goal for this year is to be kind to those I meet. I really love this quote by Bob Kerrey. What a simple way to be an agent of change. So, let's make a plan - how can you spread kindness in your building?

For a Year of Kindness, we have to think about how to kick off the year. I've often used the book Have you Filled a Bucket Today? We would read it in every class K-5 at the beginning of the year and talk about how kindness looks in our building. This fit nicely with our PBIS schoolwide behavior expectations and can be incorporated into your expectation lessons if you have them. 

I've created a lesson plan and random acts of kindness cards over on Teachers Pay Teachers.  I am also sharing my K-5 Lesson plans at the bottom of this page (you may not be able to see on mobile). 

I hope you'll join me in the year of kindness! I am going to be posting along the way with kindness ideas throughout the school year.

Have you ever participated in a twitter chat? I have to admit that mere months ago, I was stumped by twitter. This blog gave me the encouragement to put myself out there. I am so glad I did! I have been able to connect to other school counseling professionals around the country!

So what is a twitter chat? A twitter chat revolves around a topic and uses a hashtag (#) so you can follow. I've participated in a few twitter chats but my favorite is #scchat. Hosted by Dr. Erin Mason and taking place the first Tuesday of the month, #scchat is a great way to belong to a Professional Learning Network (PLN). 

I was lucky enough to co-moderate the last #scchat! You can check out the transcript of the chat here. You can even link to a twitter chat guide by Erin if you're a newbie. If you're not comfortable participating in a chat yet, it's completely acceptable to follow the chat without chiming in. Hope to see you soon!

Do you follow me on twitter? I'd love to connect.