Counsellor Talk : Connecting with those who want to make a difference.

Do You Really Want To Be A Teacher?

Published on June 6, 2013April 1, 2016 by Counsellor Talk2 Comments

I say an emphatic YES. I have no regrets about choosing a profession I love and have loved since 1980.

When I hear people tell young people to not go into teaching it saddens me, because I think we need great teachers who love what they do. Of course there are things that are not so great that teachers have to do and yes parts of what teachers do are extremely difficult. There is no doubt about that, but it is still a wonderful profession that has many, many rewards.

The students are why we do what we do. We want to be part of their learning. We want to make a difference in their lives. We want to impact how they live their lives and contribute to society. So if anyone asks me if they should become a teacher I will say YES, YES, YES. I will tell them they have an amazing opportunity to be around and impact youth. No doubt there will be frustrations and work you don’t like to do, but the positives will so outweigh the negatives.

There are so many great things about being an educator:

Working with students is number one
Working with people who love what they do is number two
Having choices to do a variety of jobs within a district…teaching at different levels, consulting, administration, counselling etc.
Having the freedom to be creative every day
Learning, learning, learning. If you are a teacher you are always learning
So many, many more reasons

This is an exciting time in education. There will be many changes over the next few years and teachers will have the opportunity to work with youth differently while still impacting their lives in a positive way. I encourage you to find your passion and if it happens to be teaching both YOU and the students will benefit! So I say go ahead CHOOSE TEACHING.

Since 1991 I have been a School Counsellor and I believe teaching and School Counselling have been the best careers in the world. Everyday,I am grateful!

All you educators out there tell me why you would tell young people to go into teaching. Please share your ideas.

Making A Difference On Line … Using Social Media to Make the World A Better Place for Educators and Students

Published on May 29, 2013May 29, 2013 by Counsellor Talk2 Comments

Just for Today recognize that you can build a positive reputation. Even if you have said or done negative things in the past, start today to be honest, reliable and reputable. You can use social media to make a positive difference or a negative difference. It is all up to YOU.

Digital Citizenship has a place in every school and we need to focus on the positive aspects of the internet as well as the things that concern us.

You might want to ask yourself:

What are the creative opportunities on the web?
How can I make a positive impact on the world on the web?
What are the ethical dilemmas?
What are the rewards and the risks of being on line?

As an educator it is important for you to find great examples on the internet of students doing things to not only improve their own opportunities, but to improve the lives of those in their school, communities, and around the world. We also need to encourage students to look for these great examples as well.

I’d like to see schools focus on those students who make a difference on the internet by providing them with a scholarship that recognizes all the good they do online.

I’d also like to see every school teach students and educators about Creative Commons .

As educators we need to create our own digital footprint and model good Digital Citizenship for our students. Taking Care Of Your Digital Self highlights the importance of a positive digital presence.

When teaching Digital Citizenship we need students to recognize that they need to be responsible and learn everything they can about being a good citizen period.

We need to ask students:

If I were to look you up online what would I find?
What would you want others to find?
If your grandmother googled you would she be proud of what she found?
What is your digital tattoo? Find out more information at http://digitaltattoo.ubc.ca/

George Couros discusses the importance of students developing digital leadership skills—positive, proactive connection, cultivation, sharing, and creation of new knowledge and learning to help others.

Resources:

Be a Digital Citizen

Choose what happens next … a you tube video that is interactive for students

Alec Couros has an excellent wiki of amazing resources to use :

Wiki on Digital Citizenship by Alec

My livebinder on Digital Citizenship:

Susan’s livebinder on Digital Citizenship

My pinterest site on Digital Citizenship:

Susan’s pinterest site on Digital Citizenship

Check out my Haiku Deck on Digital Identity

Act As If …

If you have any other ideas or resources to share on this topic please do.

The Other 21st Century Skills

Published on May 26, 2013May 26, 2013 by Counsellor TalkLeave a comment

I love this post by Jackie Gerstein. She says so many things that are close to my heart. This is a fantastic blog for new school counsellors and those that want to add to their school counselling toolbox.

School Counsellors can model and teach:

Adaptability

Agility

Curiosity

Collaboration

Critical Thinking

Effective oral and written communication

Empathy

Grit

Global Stewartship

Hope

Imagination

Optimism

Problem Solving

Resilience

Self-regulation

Vision

Thanks Jackie for writing such a great post to share with school counsellors and other educators.

User Generated Education

skills

Many have attempted to identify the skills important for a learner today in this era of the 21st century (I know it is an overused phrase). I have an affinity towards the skills identified by Tony Wagner:

Critical thinking and problem-solving
Collaboration across networks and leading by influence
Agility and adaptability
Initiative and entrepreneurialism
Effective oral and written communication
Accessing and analyzing information
Curiosity and imagination http://www.tonywagner.com/7-survival-skills

Today I viewed a slideshow created by Gallup entitled, The Economics of Human Development: The Path to Winning Again in Education.

Here are some slides from this presentation.

This presentation sparked my thinking about what other skills and attributes would serve the learners (of all ages) in this era of learning. Some other ones that I believe important based on what I hear at conferences, read via blogs and other social networks include:

Perseverance
Resilience
Hope and Optimism
Vision
Self-Regulation
Empathy and Global…

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Being An Open Educator Is Definitely A Process

Published on May 23, 2013May 23, 2013 by Counsellor TalkLeave a comment

Being an Open Educator is definitely a process for me. What does being open mean? Well at this point in my life it means that I am open to learning, open to discovery, open to connecting, open to inspiration, open to reflection, open to remaining hopeful, open to collaboration and open to finding ways that will assist and impact our students now and in the future. As a school counsellor my role is different, but being open is the same. I am connecting with diverse educators and counsellors who all want the same thing … what is best for our students. They are motivated, caring people who want to impact students in a positive way, wanting them to thrive. They choose to be in a profession to work with students because they know that students matter and so does being an Open Educator.

Alec Couros began my thinking of being open during ETMOOC. He defines Open Teaching in the following way:

“Open teaching is described as the facilitation of learning experiences that are open, transparent, collaborative, and social. Open teachers are advocates of a free and open knowledge society, and support their students in the critical consumption, production, connection, and synthesis of knowledge through the shared development of learning networks.”

Part of being open is helping students and myself understand and use Creative Commons .

I believe I am becoming more open all the time by involving myself in the following:

Open Spokes: A fellowship for anyone who is interested in using video for reflecting on the practice of teaching and learning . Check out the following links:

The Fellowship of Open Spokes

Vote for Questions to ask these Vloggers

Become a member of Open Spokes

Here is what my fellow Vlogger Jas has to say about being open.

My Vlog on being an Open Educator :

I love what Sheri my fellow Open Spokes friend has to say about being open:

Open is Attitude Open is Hope

Other ways I am being Open …

In the Google plus community with the Post Etmooc Blog Community
In the Google plus community Alberta Educators Who Love What They Do
In the twitter chat: #scchat with School Counsellors
In the twitter chat : #etmchat with educators post ETMOOC
In the twitter chat #cndedchat with Canadian Educators

I am happy to be learning along with such great Open Educators who challenge my thinking and encourage me to be better at what I do. Thanks to all of my PLN. You have helped me in the process of becoming an Open Educator and as a result I know it will positively impact students.

We All Have A Story To Tell

Published on May 13, 2013May 13, 2013 by Counsellor TalkLeave a comment

It is important as educators that we remember that each student comes to us with a story and even if we think we know what that story is we may not, but we should always treat that student with dignity and respect.

Haiku Deck A Fantastic App for School Counsellors

Published on May 13, 2013 by Counsellor TalkLeave a comment

Haiku Deck A Fantastic App for School Counsellors.

School Counsellors Connecting With Each Other

Published on May 10, 2013May 11, 2013 by Counsellor TalkLeave a comment

At first when I heard about twitter I thought oh no one more thing to do and learn so why bother. I really thought I am too old to learn to use this, so what would be the point. Then everything changed. I went to a workshop by Alec Couros and was about to embark on a professional journey that would change how I connected to school counsellors and educators from around the world. Twitter and the professional network I have developed has ultimately impacted the way I practice as a school counsellor in a positive way.

As a school counsellor little did I know that opening a twitter account two years ago was one of the best ways I could develop professionally and connect with educators and school counsellors who are passionate about what they do.

What is twitter you might ask and why is it so helpful?

Twitter was founded in 2006. It is an online social networking platform that allows us to send and receive messages (140 characters). Within the body of the messages are often links to great resources or blogs or ideas that are just plain helpful. You can follow other educators and people who are associated with the ideas that are the most helpful to you. It is an extremely helpful tool that has impacted my professional life in a positive way linking me to educators who are creative, connected and willing to share ideas and resources. My PLN (personal learning network) helps me to learn almost daily. Today I need to thank @SISQITMAN for teaching me how to use word press in a more effective way. I met Glenn in ETMOOC which I found out about on twitter through @courosa which has been a gift to me as an educator. ALL the people in ETMOOC are always willing to help me as I am new to all this technology, but a most willing learner. Twitter leads to so many positive connections.

What I love about twitter:

Amazing PD tool
A fantastic way to connect with school counsellors and educators from all over the world
A fast easy way to get access to great resources in mental health, psychology , education and school counselling
Easy access to up to date resources in the field of education
A great way to collaborate, connect and curate information
Sharing leads to positive relationships that assist us to grow as school counsellors ( what you give , share on twitter comes back tenfold)

How can I learn more about twitter and how to use it?

Ask your colleagues who are on twitter to help. Hands on lessons are the best.
Go to a workshop on how to use twitter
Sign up for twitter and play and learn
If you know how to use livebinders there are great resources here: Twitter … Helpful Ideas for School Counsellors
Go to The Complete Manual for Understanding Twitter and learn more.

Who to follow on twitter in the School Counselling Field:

@SSpellmanCann Canada
@Michelle0102197 Canada
@BoskerttheSC Canada
@TrentLangdonNL Canada
@EHordyskiLuong Japan
@ecmmason US
@sch_counselor US
@rsabella US
@juliataylor US
@pmsscounselor US
@Brian_Zink Mexico
@kadriblaster Australia
@Teaching_Intl China

People who resourceful and share great information:

@courosa
@gcouros
@rljessen
@karensharon
@grammasheri
@nobelknits2
@verenanz
@clhendricksbc
@AlisonSemen
@folynick
@SISQITMAN
@JeffMerrell
@bhwilkoff
@dendari
@mrsdkrebs
@gallit_z@v_lees
@onewheeljoe
@LaEducationista
@mbritt

Resources to follow:

@haikudeck
@scopeistech4scs
@psychcentral
@LiveBinders
@SCResourceCtr
@tellagami
@heretohelpbc
@mindcheck_ca
@AnxietyBC
@cspyyc
@pinterest

Hashtags to follow:

#cscchat Canadian School Counsellor Chat
#scchat School Counselor Chat
#edchat Ed Chat
#cdnedchat Canadian Educators Chat

Once you start tweeting you will love it. Those of us that have stayed with it and learned how to use it effectively absolutely love the benefits to our professional development. Digital literacy is becoming a required skill that school counselors will benefit from . Who knows where it might lead? You’ll be a techie before you know it. I would have never dreamed two years ago that I would be blogging, vlogging, sharing in Google hangouts or that I would be part of networks and Google communities that encourage and support each other.

Thanks to Alec Couros @courosa and everyone in ETMOOC who has helped me. I believe I am a better school counsellor with so many more resources than I ever could have dreamed of.

A big thanks also to Erin Mason @ecmmason I am connected in several ways to other school counselors who are always willing to help and point me in the right direction to resources.

Thanks to @HaikuDeck who have allowed me to share with other school counsellors, educators, and a diverse group of connected learners from around the globe who have assisted in making me better at what I do.

Connect with School Counsellors on twitter

Connect with School Counselors on Google plus Communities

Connect with school Counsellors on twitter chats

There is so much for us to learn together. I look forward continuing the journey.

Learning Through Openspokes

Published on April 28, 2013April 28, 2013 by Counsellor TalkLeave a comment

As part of a continual learning journey post ETMOOC, I am begiinning the process of vlogging.

This weeks topic is how do I learn best and as I refelct on what the other vloggers in the fellowship of the openspokes have said as well as reflecting on my own video, I realize at different points in my life my answer would have been different. For now the vlog below expresses a few thoughts on some of the ways i learn best today. However, I recognize that this may change for me depending on what , why and how I need to learn.

There is no doubt in my mind that one of the best ways to learn is to continue to be a learner. My brain seems like it is on overload these days as I continue to learn in a variety of ways.

I certainly hope I continue to model life long learning and that it is OK to make mistakes. It took me several mistakes in attempting to upload my video to youtube, but now that it is there I have learned and written down what to do next time, so that I learn from this frustrating experience.

I am sure next time will be easier and I will be happy with myself that I persisted so that I could figure it all out!

MY VLOG:

Click on the link below to view my Haiku Deck that summarizes many of the ways my fellowship of the Openspokes learns.

Click here: http://www.haikudeck.com/p/4xavgfDse3/learning

Go to the fellowship of Open Spokes on YOUTUBE

Helping School Counsellors Through Technology

Published on April 21, 2013 by Counsellor TalkLeave a comment

The following video is about School Counsellors connecting and finding new ways to help students.

Do We Really Need School Counsellors? You May Be The First One …

Published on April 14, 2013July 4, 2015 by Counsellor TalkLeave a comment

The First One…

As a school counsellor you may be the first one

To listen to the story of a young man who does not believe he is good enough because his step dad who is alcoholic repeats that he is not good enough everyday in a number of ways
To be there when a young person comes out for the very first time
To listen to the dying words of a student who has cancer, but still wants to come to school
To listen to students who are having suicidal thoughts and don’t know how to cope or to students who need to be hospitalized and you are the first to assess the risk
To recognize that a student has psychosis and send them to the hospital where they get diagnosed and the family starts the process of treatment
To understand that a students cutting is way of coping with pain for them
To sit with a student as she tells her mom that she is pregnant at 15
To hear of a students years of repeated sexual abuse that they are now disclosing at 17 years old
To refer young people to a group for dealing with clinical depression
To work with a student who has been bullied since grade two and wants it to stop
To help students who feel caught in the middle because of a parents divorce
To recognize that a student needs treatment for their mental health
To get help for a young woman or young man who has an eating disorder, but doesn’t want anyone to know
To listen to the buried fears of a young man coping with an anxiety disorder
To recognize a learning disability in a young person and have them get help
To be present to the impalpable grief of a brother who lost his sister in a tragic accident
To help students face the unbearable
To reach out to a student with a drug and alcohol problem who feels nobody understands and encourage them to seek treatment
To show compassion and assist students who are suspended from school
To work with students who are in an unhealthy relationship and help them understand how to get help
To assist students with their confusion about which post secondary school to go to
To get students help for their academic challenges and start to achieve what they are capable of
To let students know that whatever they are going through they will get through it. You will be with them along the way and assist them with resources to help them when they have finished school
To listen to the unspoken dreams of a young person
To let students know they can start over
To reach out to the student who no one knows how to
To be present and teach mindfulness to the student
To encourage students to engage and include all students with special needs
To trust the student
To listen to their stories and share stories that can help them
To believe in students
To help students find courage
To not give up on the student
To be their champion
To lift them up
To celebrate and make them aware of their strengths
To help, to really help students not just survive , but thrive
To recognize the gifts that a student has and encourage them to utilize them
To give HOPE to a student who has felt hopeless
To be the one person that matters for that one student

The School Counsellor may just be the first one students decide to share their stories with. The student might feel safe enough in their school to trust an adult with their most precious and often their painful secrets and that person could be you. Students want help and School Counsellors are trained and want to help students. There are so many stories out there everyday and in every school all across the world that need and are being shared.

I believe School Counsellors can and are saving the lives of students.

Do we need School Counsellors? What do you think?

For any of you who are considering School Counselling, I want you to know it is the best career in the world. I also want to thank all the School Counsellors from across the world that saved a student’s life TODAY or yesterday or a year or maybe even several years ago and remind you that you do make a difference.

Always remember you may be the first one …

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The First One…

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