Well, here we are again with a brand new start to the school year! Like most other educators and counselors out there, I return with mixed feelings- excitement to see all my kids again and start a fresh school year, and....a little bummed that all those 8am wake-ups and lazy weekday trips wit…
Well summer is finally upon us and this season is the perfect time to practice some self-care as everything slows down a bit. Self-care is described by the American Psychological Association as as providing adequate attention to one's own physical and psychological wellness (Beauchamp & Child…
Hello, Summer, my old friend! This month, I have lots of ideas on getting your counseling or teaching program ready for the next school year! So, if you'd like some professional food-for-thought to make your program even better once you start up again, this post is right up your alley! Also, summ…
All of us in the counseling and teaching professions have had or will have the experience of being an intern- whether a student teaching intern or a counseling intern. This can be a magnificent, life-changing experience…or a roadmap of all the professional pitfalls to avoid. Either way, read on for…
I’ve been away too long, I know it! I have some great reasons for my online absence, but more on that in a moment. First, lots of interesting tidbits to share this month so let’s just jump right into it! My counseling post today will feature some of the latest resources I’ve come across for …
Happy December! For this post, I'd like to share my favorite winter holiday ESL and counseling resources and then discuss Growth Mindset as it relates to goal-based counseling.
HOLIDAY RESOURCES
Here are some of my favs for both ESL teachers and counselors!
Happy November! If you are living stateside, I hope the fall finds you in a good place and the election drama hasn't been too hard on you. For all the readers living abroad, hope you are enjoying this crazy show that the American electoral process is providing the world! If you find that your …
As school counselors and as teachers, we are driven by nature to help, nurture, and solve problems. Therefore, most of us don't like to say no to any request. This creates a problem because there are only so many hours in the day and we have more than enough teaching or counseling duties of our own …
The time is now!! Each year during Back to School Season, my co-counselors and I spend time and effort putting together a presentation for staff about our counseling program. This is such an important part of what we do! Whether you are a specialist teacher (ESL/EFL) or a mental health professiona…
Happy Back-to-School Season, Everyone!
This August post will just be a quickie post to tell you about a few Back-to-School tips since I will be sending out my quarterly newsletter in a week or two with ALL the tips you'd usually find here plus lots of freebie downloadables! If you aren't already on…
Happy Independence Day! Hope your 4th of July was safe, fun and restful! For this month's post, I want to write a bit about a new boys counseling group I started last spring called Goals Make the Man.
I also have a few Independence Day and summer-themed ESL/EFL activities to include, plus 2 fr…
Hello Summer Vacay! This month, I have lots of ideas and tips on wrapping up this school year’s counseling program AND getting prepared for the next school year! So if you'd like some professional food-for-thought to make your program even better once you start up again, this post is right up your…
As one of our amazing colleagues put it in her notes to teachers- "Since educators, administrators, and school counselors all work together to support students, thank YOU for being one of the "3 Musketeers" So Happy Belated National School Counseling Week to us all! And Happy Valentines Day!!…
Happy November! In this post, we have tons of holiday resources and ideas to share for your ESL/EFL classroom or counseling office. Also, a quick update- that we will be signing off here for a few months to focus on getting all the teaching and counseling guides below written. As always, you can …
As October rolls in, we are gearing up for Red Ribbon Week on the counseling front to highlight drug and alcohol awareness. On the ESL/EFL front, we are starting our English classes, so we have some tips and photos for teaching the not-so-beginning beginner English students! As always, we've inc…
If you are new to the school environment, the start of the school year is about as overwhelming as it gets! So our September post is full of tips for helping the rookie counselor or teacher survive and thrive during your first (or fifth) year. Someone once said that the first year of teaching is j…
It was such a pleasant surprise to go back to school this week. The end of the summer is always a little depressing and this break, in particular, was especially difficult to end since I had such a good time writing some new ESL and counseling books while visiting my parents in Florida. (Visiting m…
Happy Independence Day to all you Americans out there! Enjoy this little blast-from-the-past video clip in honor of the 4th of July (click on the telescope pic to the left)...
Well, better late than never! We finally have our July post up and ready for you, just before midnight! Thi…
Hello Summer Vacay! Oh, it's that glorious time of the year when US teachers and school counselors throw their hands up in the air in FREEDOM! Sorry to all you overseas educators who are still slugging away at your schools, but we'll be envying you big time come December and January...
We have lots of interesting tidbits to share today so let’s just jump right into it! Our post today will feature some of the latest resources we’ve come across this spring in the ESL/EFL and counseling worlds…summer English activities, Memorial Day lessons and other cultural resources, s…