What's Up Wednesday: Conference Wrap-Up

This What's Up Wednesday is a little different. Monday and Tuesday I was able to attend the Lone Star State School Counseling Association Conference. I had so much fun and got a ton of great ideas to take back to campus that I can start using immediately. Also, I got to spend some time with some of my favorite counselor buddies, Pamela and Sally.

Here are just a few of my takeaways from this awesome experience...

We All Need to Grow Up

So, I totally geeked out when I got to attend a breakout session with Julia Cook as the presenter. I have talked about her before because she is one of my favorite counseling authors. Scratch that, now she is my favorite because not only are her books amazing, she is hysterical.

This is her newest book...

In this story, a blue flower gets a new neighbor that is purple. He doesn't like the purple flower. He doesn't want to be anywhere near the purple flower. That purple flower is a nuisance and looks different and likes different things. But here's the deal...All flowers grow roots. All flowers grow the same, no matter what color. The sun shines on every flower regardless of their status in life. Are you listening, America? I am starting to think Julia wrote this book for adults. Children are often the best at looking on the inside and not judging too quickly. This book is a great reminder of acknowledging our unique differences and celebrating them. You don't have to agree with them, you just have to listen respectfully. Speak your own truth and let others speak theirs. 

Heart

Julia Cook also spoke about heart. She cut out a red paper heart and put it on her sleeve. 

Some people wear their heart on their sleeve. Then she hid the heart under her jacket and reminded us that some people hide they heart and never let you know how they feel. But no matter what, when you give someone a mean look or say something to bring them down, they feel sad and they cry inside. Then she folded the heart and turned it upside down like a tear drop.

Then Julia tore the heart apart and threw it on the floor. An apology can act like tape, but if it isn't sincere, it won't stick. Either way, once the heart has been torn it will always have scars.

Anxiety

I got a ton of cute new ideas for my anxiety and worry groups from an awesome set of counselors that work in Keller ISD.

Look at these cute worry dolls made out of pipe cleaners. What a fun, cheap way to get the point across and give kids a visual. Plus, who doesn't love playing with pipe cleaners?

They also gave some great ideas for those bodily-kinesthetic learners. Allowing students to act out their worries helps them connect to them, make them into something silly, and get a sense of power over them.

They asked questions like these...

 If your worry was an animal, what would it look like? 

If your worry was a sound, what would it be?

Another idea I really liked would be great for tactile learners. You tell your students to close their eyes and picture the thing that makes them the most anxious. What does it sound like, look like, feel like? Then you tell them to build a model of their worry using play-doh. Ask them to describe it in detail, get them to connect to it, and then...have them smash it! I have several worries I'd like to smash right now! 

Tacky Box

Tacky Box is a Social Emotional Learning program that teaches students to choose kind words over tacky ones. It is a proactive approach, rather than reactive and has had much success in schools all over the nation. There are sets for girls and for boys with literature included, but the basic idea is that we keep those tacky words in the box. Spread kindness, I think we all need a little bit of it right now.

Skill Sets

One of the presenters, Betty White...

(not this one, unfortunately)

...spoke about the emotional skills sets students are coming to school with. More and more we are seeing emotionally undeveloped students entering our school systems. Technology, parents working long hours, the economy, and media role models are all contributors to this problem. Students are lacking empathy, problem-solving skills, and social awareness. As elementary educators, we are charged with teaching the curriculum, but also with making sure our students are decent human beings. It is so hard for many of us to understand why students are lacking these skills. That doesn't mean we can shirk the responsibility of teaching them. I loved this quote from one of Betty's friends...

"You can't ask kids to color with crayons they don't have in their box." 

We have to teach them these skills before they can fully "color" the way we want them to. What a great reminder that we need to incorporate social-emotional learning into every classroom.

Uplifting Inspiration

This quote was in the back of one of Julia Cook's books, Baditude.

This reminds me of another great quote from an amazing therapist, 

While I will never understand how my dad tried to explain this to stubborn, headstrong, little me, I am appreciative for the advice. Only you get to dictate your reaction to a situation. People can be mean, they can break your heart, they can try to bring you down. YOU get to have the power to react with either despair or hope. I for one, choose hope.