School Counselor Blog

In the spirit of the #NSCW22 theme, "Better Together," Olivia Carter (School Counselor of the Year 2021 🤩) and I are collaborating to share ways to celebrate National School Counseling Week 2022!  Check out our post for ideas to celebrate school counseling! 🎉 Understand National School Counseling Week National School Counseling Week is always celebrated the first full week of February. *This year it is February 7th-11th.* NSCW is sponsored by the American School Counselor Association (ASCA). The Purpose of NSCW is to celebrate "the unique contribution of school counselors... and highlight the tremendous impact school counselors can have in helping students achieve school success." School + District Leaders If you're new to NSCW, don't be nervous! We have some ideas to help you celebrate school counselors: interview students and staff about the impact your school counselor has on your school and make a heartfelt video, gi

Are you still Zooming? Even though my school is currently in-person, I still spend lots of time on Zoom. Recently, I had three Zoom meetings in one day. All of this Zooming made me think that others might benefit from some tips and tricks to improve your Zoom experience. You can use these tips for hosting Zoom meetings, participating in Zoom meetings, presenting for a virtual conference, or being a virtual conference participant.  Check out the post below for 6 Tips to Improve Your Zoom Experience for School Counselors.   1. Use a Ring Light Using a ring light is a great way to make your Zoom meetings, virtual conference presentations, and video chats look more professional. Ring lights balance light and reduce shadows. Ring lights also brighten your face and make you look your best. The ring light I have was under $20 and has been a game changer for me.  I even included the  ring light I have  in my recent post about  Gift Ideas for School Counselors . 2. Use a Laptop Stand A laptop

Do you have a school counseling budget? In the beginning of my career as a school counselor, I never even thought to ask if I had a budget. I purchased all the resources and items I used.  In this post I share ways to get funded for resources and projects even if you have a small (or non-existent) budget. School Counseling Budget Do you have a budget for your school counseling budget for your building or department? If you do, find out how much money you have in your account.  If you don't have a budget, talk to your administrator about creating one for your building or department. Determining how much money you have at your disposal can help you plan what you can purchase for your program and whether or not you need to seek out additional funding sources.  We are currently setting our budget for the 2022-23 school year. If you plan ahead, you can budget for things you will need for the following school year.  Parent Teacher Association (PTA) Your parent tea