MASCA
Counselor’s Notebook
MASSACHUSETTS SCHOOL COUNSELORS ASSOCIATION
Vol. 57, No. 2
October 2020
The Ultimate Reframe By Kerry Bartlett, MASCA Chair
While adjusting to the start of this school year, I found myself hyper-focused on what I had control over. Like many of you, I was inundated with new policies, new technology, and new obstacles. All of this newness was accompanied by constant change and frustration. I may have a decade of experience in fine-tuning schedules to accommodate requests and personnel changes, but I have never before been asked to balance cohorts to provide adequate physical space in a classroom. Just as I’m sure you have never planned for a hybrid model school structure that shifts to a fully remote structure in one day. As I was exposed to more unknowns, I clung to my established patterns to prepare for the start of school, only to realize I didn’t have the information necessary to follow through with these patterns or that those plans no longer worked in our new structure. Then I read, It’s Really a Brand New Year by Patrick O’Connor in the September 17th edition of the High School Counselor Week Newsletter. Within the article, a teacher contributes his success to throwing away his researched notes after every lesson. This idea made me chuckle because it identified my feelings exactly, even though throwing all my plans out the window was not intentional. After finishing the article, one comment by O’Connor resonated with me and reinstilled my hope, “there are enough factors in flux that allow us
The pacing man simply turns his hat a half rotation at each end of the farm resulting in each witness only seeing one color. Regardless of the specific intervention utilized, the objective is the same: to help someone shift from the topic/issue they are fixated on.
Kerry Bartlett MASCA Chair, 2020-2021
to throw out some of the rules of the past, and offer new insights into students this year.” We have been taught various methods on how to assist students in considering alternate perspectives and even sometimes shifting their own. You may have kindly requested a student to describe their observations while wearing different color-tinted glasses and inquire about the similarities and differences they notice. Or perhaps you shared a story of a man in a top hat pacing in the middle of a farm with witnesses disagreeing about what they see. Where one witness states the top hat is green, while the other witness adamantly disagrees stating that the top hat is red, only to ultimately discover that the top hat is indeed green on one side and red on the other.
It became apparent to me that I needed to utilize some reframing strategies and stop focusing on the negative while highlighting positives. The constant change and frustration are real, but so are the possibilities of engaging in new and sometimes better methods. Meetings were never before held virtually, but now it’s required in some instances and allows for more flexibility and increased attendance. Students were required to have hall passes when moving throughout the building because that is the way it has always been done and now we are using QR codes to scan in and out of classrooms. To maximize time on learning, passing periods were short and now they are double the amount of time with additional required mask breaks during each class. Students and staff alike comment on how much they enjoy not rushing from class to class and how they benefit from having a physical break during each class. As we continue to navigate these unknown waters, I remind myself and encourage you as well to take deep breaths, remain flexible, and remember that change arises out of necessity and sometimes it is for the better.
MASCA 2020-21 DIRECTORY GOVERNING BOARD: Kerry Bartlett, Chair kabartlett@hudson.k12.ma.us School / Career Counselor, Hudson High School
COMMITTEE CHAIRS: Jeremie Bateman, Awards and Publicity Committee jbateman@lexingtonma.org School Counselor, Lexington High School
April Megginson, Assistant Chair amegginson@bridgew.edu Assistant Professor of Counselor Education
Ruth Carrigan, Conference Committee Ruth.Carrigan@whrsd.k12.ma.us Director of School Counseling Whitman-Hansen Regional High School
Bridgewater State University Barbara Meyer, Past Chair b_meyer@stoughtonschools.org School Counselor, Stoughton High School
Ed Connor, Fiscal Oversight Committee econnor@dean.edu Executive Director of Admissions, Dean College
Ed Connor, Board Member econnor@dean.edu Executive Director of Admissions, Dean College
Juliette Coatsworth, Government Relations & Advocacy Committee juliette.nori@gmail.com School Counselor, Foxborough Regional Charter School
Laurie Dickstein-Fischer, Board Member ldicksteinfisc@salemstate.edu Assistant Professor & Program Director for School Counseling, Salem State University Johanna Smith, Board Member smithjoh@lynnschools.org School Counselor, Lynn Vocational Technical Institute Megan Krell, Board Member mkrell@fitchburgstate.edu Associate Professor, Fitchburg State University Jeremie Bateman, Board Member jbateman@lexingtonma.org School Counselor, Lexington High School Jennifer McGuire, Board Member jmcguire@uppercapetech.org School Counselor/Teacher Leader for Guidance Upper Cape Cod Technical School
Manjula Karamcheti, Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Access Committee karamcheti@wwgradschool.org Director of Equity and Student Support Woodrow Wilson Graduate School of Teaching and Learning Tyeshia Weir, Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Access (IDEA) Committee weirt@springfieldpublicschools.com School Counselor, RISE Academy Helen O'Donnell, MA Model Committee helenod@att.net Retired School Counselor Kerry Bartlett , Member Services Committee kabartlett@hudson.k12.ma.us School / Career Counselor, Hudson High School Barbara Meyer Member Services Committee b_meyer@stoughtonschools.org School Counselor, Stoughton High School Megan Krell, Nomination and Bylaws Committee mkrell@fitchburgstate.edu Associate Professor, Fitchburg State University Dina Sibilia, Professional Development Committee sibilia@wsps.org School Counselor, West Springfield High School
Find out how you can become a MASCA leader. Go to: https://masca.wildapricot.org/ How-to-Get-Involved
Christine Shaw, Research and Evaluation Committee shawc@merrimack.edu Associate Professor of Practice, Education & Community Studies, Merrimack College Jennifer McGuire. Technology Committee jmcguire@uppercapetech.org School Counselor/Teacher Leader for Guidance Upper Cape Cod Technical School APPOINTED POSITIONS: Bob Bardwell, Executive Director & Membership bardwellr@monsonschools.com Director of School Counseling, Monson Public Schools
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Julia Cahill-O'Shea, Secretary j.cahill-oshea@hwschools.net School Counselor, Hamilton- Wenham Regional High School Jean Atwater Williams, Web Administrator & Counselors Notebook Editor atwaterwilliams@gmail.com Dina Sibilia, Professional Development Coordinator sibilia@wsps.org School Counselor, West Springfield High School LIAISONS: Laurie Dickstein-Fischer, Counselor Educator Liaison ldicksteinfisc@salemstate.edu Assistant Professor & Program Director for School Counseling, Salem State University Lisa Weinstein, DESE Liaison LWeinstein@doe.mass.edu MA Dept of Elem & Sec Education Megan Krell, Emerging Leader Liaison mkrell@fitchburgstate.edu Associate Professor, Fitchburg State University Alisha Saini, Graduate Student Liaison asaini@lesley.edu Graduate Student, Lesley University Zac Songer, Graduate Student Liaison Zacchary.Songer001@umb.edu Graduate Student, UMASS Boston Julia Stone, Graduate Student Liaison jstone10@springfieldcollege.edu Graduate Student, Springfield College Helen O'Donnell, Retirees Liaison helenod@att.net Retired School Counselor Jennifer Just McGuire, Social Media Liaison jmcguire@uppercapetech.org School Counselor/Teacher Leader for Guidance Upper Cape Cod Technical School EMERGING LEADERS April Brunelle abrunelle@bostonpublicschools.org School Counselor, ech Boston Academy Dan Goldsbury danielgoldsbury@gmail.com School Counselor, Edwards Middle School Maria Maloney maloneym@monsonschools.com School Counselor, Granite Valley Middle School Kayla Schute kschutte@tewksbury.k12.ma.us School Counselor, Tewksbury Memorial High School
COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK
October 2020: Celebrating Membership, Special Interest Groups By Bob Bardwell, MASCA Executive Director We are in the second month of the 202021 school year and I sincerely hope that you are doing well and taking care of not only your students and families, but also yourselves as we continue to deal with the biggest disruption to education in the modern era. Stay strong friends. We will get through this together.
In addition to providing networking and professional development opportunities, the goal is that the SIGs make MASCA membership more meaningful and help us grow membership in those target groups. This would be a new member benefit beyond what is currently available.
This month I want to share with you two exciting and significant events for MASCA.
The Elementary SIG will be co-led by Maria Maloney, school counselor at Granite Valley School, Monson, Gail Okerman, school counselor at Turkey Hill Elementary School, Leominster, and Maura Ricardi, school adjustment counselor at East Street School, Ludlow. The Urban SIG leaders are April Brunelle, school counselor at Tech Boston Academy and Johanna Smith, school counselor at Lynn Vocational Technical Institute. I am most grateful to these volunteers who have stepped forward to help kick start these new initiatives. MASCA members can find their contact information on the SIG web pages.
In early September, MASCA membership eclipsed the 1000 member mark and as of this writing, we currently have 1007 professional, associate, retired and graduate members. This is significant for a number of reasons. First of all, 1000 is a significant number. One thousand sounds so much better than 950 or even 999. It is also significant because it shows a steady and positive climb in the number of colleagues who want to be part of something special. It also represents a 32% increase in membership from May 2019. Our current numbers rank Massachusetts number twelve among other school counselor associations across the country. MASCA is the largest in New England and second in the northeast behind New York and New Jersey, much larger states. Membership growth also sends a strong signal that colleagues want to be part of something exciting and beneficial. Despite the pandemic, the likelihood that some counseling positions have been eliminated, that school counseling budgets have been cut or eliminated and that people are less likely to spend money out of their own pockets that they may not have, more and more colleagues want to be part of MASCA. They want to be part of something cutting edge, something special and something that meets their needs. Some have asked how or why is this happening? Beyond the current wave of excitement among our colleagues, a back-to-school membership special for lapsed members, a discounted membership rate for those who participated OCTOBER 2020
Robert Bardwell Executive Director, MASCA
in our spring 2020 zoom meetings, a new crop of graduate students who are required to join and just the timing of a new school year, are likely reasons why this tremendous growth is happening now. While the growth is great, the most critical piece is to ensure that we retain these members and make every effort to keep them engaged and happy with their member benefits. That leads me to my second announcement, the official launching of our Elementary and Urban Counselor Special Interest Groups (SIGs). SIGs will provide members the opportunity to communicate and network with a focused group of colleagues who come from a similar environment and who have a passion for that topic. This forum will allow members to ask questions from their colleagues or seek support around common issues or topics specific to that group. SIGs can meet virtually or in-person when needed, organize events and plan other professional development opportunities to fulfill their unique needs. There are no set requirements for SIGs and we look forward to seeing creative and resourceful ideas from each group.
I am certainly hopeful that additional SIGs will form, assuming there is member interest and volunteer leaders to organize them. Rural, virtual, vocational, middle, secondary, graduate students, counselor educators, active retired, counselors of color, LGBT, solo and charter school counselors are some of the possible groups that could form in the future. There are no doubt others not listed here. Look for official email announcements and website details for both groups in the next few weeks and consider joining one or both of the SIGs if the topics are of interest to you. If you are interested in started a new SIG, please contact me at executivedirector@masca. org. I hope these two announcements make you feel good about your involvement with MASCA and excited about our future. I am very optimistic and energized that you are part of the journey. Be sure to spread the good things happening within our organization to your colleagues and friends and I thank you for your continuous support.
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How a Growth Mindset can help with Covid by Jennifer McGuire, MASCA Board Member and Past President
A few years ago, I incorporated a lesson into our ninth grade curriculum on growth mindset. I had attended some professional development sessions on the topic and was blown away by the numerous resources available. From my perspective, when we think about success, so much depends on the approach we take when we are faced with a challenge. Reframe it-- “I cannot do math” becomes “I can work hard to get better at math.” Pretty basic stuff. Never in my mind did I anticipate how that approach to thinking would help me get through what I can confidently say is the strangest time period I have ever experienced.
ing me or that they were a conspiracy theorist. I certainly could not have predicted that changes that came to my own family and household last spring when COVID-19 became a reality. Thankfully, my family is healthy and safe, at the time of this writing. However, we all experienced losses as a result of the pandemic. Even though we can intellectually grasp the fact that missing a season of a sport, for example, is insignificant compared to losing a loved one, we still experience emotions related to cancellations and experiences not had. In this way, we are “all in this together” as people tend to say.
When we started the 2019-2020 school year, if someone had told me that we would be starting the next year in the middle of a pandemic, I would have thought they were teas-
I was able to take my understanding of growth mindset and apply it in my own life. Having a growth mindset over the past seven months has made a difference in not only my well being
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but also in that of my children. Helping my own children to reframe disappointment as opportunity allowed our family to capitalize on what the pandemic has brought to us rather than dwell in what was lost. Instead of thinking about what you cannot do, change your mindset to focusing on what you can accomplish or experience. Professionally, I felt stressed by the change to remote learning last spring. As a school counselor, I wondered how I could be effective in my role without face to face contact. However, I was able to take my classroom lessons that were planned for the spring and create user friendly guides for students to complete their career and academic planning activities independently. The time spent creating these documents--and there was a lot of time spent--was not wasted as my department can now use these guides with students in the future, giving us more flexibility in how we deliver our lessons. Instead of thinking “I cannot reach my students” I started thinking “I need to find a new way to reach my students.” This is just one way that I was able to adopt a growth mindset and actually enhance my school counseling practice. As a parent, I also continue to watch my children go through this unique time. We are certainly not in a situation where we can say to our children “I know what you are going through” when they express disappointment about childhood experiences that have been changed or lost. For me, adopting a growth mindset permits me to model for my own children how to take a perspective that is healthier for them. For example, my children’s overnight camp was cancelled for the summer. This was an (continued next page)
COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK
Why do Mindsets Matter? from mindsetworks.com
In 1988, Dr. Carol Dweck first presented a research-based model to show the impact of mindsets. She showed how a person’s mindset sets the stage for either performance goals or learning goals. A student with a performance goal might be worried about looking smart all the time, and avoid challenging work. On the other hand, a student with a learning goal will pursue interesting and challenging tasks in order to learn more. For free resources for parents and teachers, go to https://www.mindsetworks.com/free-resources/
October 2020 Awareness Dates •
ADHD Awareness Month
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Bullying Prevention Month
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Communicate with Your Kids Month
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Computer Learning Month
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Crime Prevention Month
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Domestic Violence Awareness Month
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Down Syndrome Awareness Month
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Dyslexia Awareness Month
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Health Literacy Month
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LGBT History Month
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National Book Month
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National Depression and Mental Health Screening Month
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Positive Attitude Month
1 International Day for Older Persons 2 World Smile Day 4-10 Mental Illness Awareness Week 5-9 Solidarity Week 5 Child Health Day 5 World Habitat Day 5 World Teacher’s Day 7 Walk to School Day 8 National Depression Screening Day 10 World Mental Health Day 11 National Coming Out Day 12 Indigenous Peoples’ Day 16 World Food Day 17-23 America’s Safe Schools Week
Growth Mindset (continued from previous page) incredible loss for them (and, let’s be honest, for my husband and I as well). It was probably the most difficult Covid-19 related loss for them to swallow. And while certainly there is no mindset that can bring back Summer 2020 for a doover, we can choose to talk about what we would have missed out on as a family had the boys been away for seven weeks as planned. It was, in fact, a silver lining on a OCTOBER 2020
big storm cloud. As I am writing this, my students have just returned for their hybrid school year. My hope is that when you are reading this in October, my students are still engaged in a hybrid schedule and I am able to see them (from six feet) and speak with them in person. Regardless, I know the importance of helping my students to maintain a growth mindset no matter what this school year holds.
19-23 National School Bus Safety Week 21 Unity Day/Stop Bullying Day 22 International Stuttering Awareness Day 23-31 Red Ribbon Week (DrugFree America) 24 United Nations Day
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Taking Time to Replenish Your Spirit By: April Megginson, PhD. Assistant Board Chair of MASCA
Most days I feel as if I am simply trying to survive this pandemic, but there are some days I feel as if I am thriving during this “new normal.” Still, I seem to always be chasing that elusive balance that everyone speaks of. During this time, I have reflected on how self-care has changed during COVID. I have actively been searching for new ways to engage in self-care. As we return to school in various formats and begin working with kiddos and families again it is important for us to find ways to take care of ourselves. Eleanor Brown said “Rest and self-care are so important. When you take time to replenish your spirit, it allows you to serve others from the overflow. You cannot serve from an empty vessel.” Here are some ideas for simple ways that you can replenish your spirit. Developing new traditions For many of us our commute time has significantly changed during COVID, mostly for the better which has led to more sleep and more time, however, we did lose time that was dedicated to getting to work and getting home. Previously on the way to work, our commute allowed our brain to get ready for the day. Some people listened to music to pump themselves up, or listened to podcasts to get their minds flowing, while others talked to family members or friends, or remained in silence contemplating our plans for the day. On the way home from work, the commute allowed time to decompress and put the day behind us. This was a time that we utilized for ourselves and may be missing out on now. One of my students, Bridget Lehane, recently shared that as someone who is working from home, she developed a new commute to work by walking around her neighborhood before and after work. She takes pictures of flowers and other things in nature that she sees and posts them to social media to share the beauty that she sees with others. It is a unique way to tap into the same commuting benefits as well as spend time outdoors. Have any new traditions surfaced for you during this time? If not, what new traditions would you like to create? Connecting in New Ways We are definitely learning how to connect in new ways. I remember sometime
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in April, I said to my husband, I am tired of looking at my own face all day. PreCOVID, I would step in front of the mirror, check myself out, and head out for the day. I would not see myself again unless I encountered a mirror. But now I look at my face for at least 6 hours a day during Zoom meetings/classes. And while Zoom meetings (Google Meets, Adobe Connect, FaceTime) have become the norm, sometimes I do not feel like I am connecting with others. I have had to find new ways to connect. Some people have been utilizing these platforms to host gatherings, play games, and watch tv/movies with friends. I have found myself writing letters to friends and sending them in the mail. It is nice to be able to connect and send love to them in this way. What new ways have you found to connect with others? What ways would you be interested in trying in the future? Tapping into Your Creativity I recognize that I am not a Pinterest mom. I am probably more of a Pinterest fail mom! However, I am a scrapbooker. I love to take pictures and create an artistic way to showcase our family stories. I am not super creative and would not consider myself an artist, but it is ultimately something that I create. I find that it is a way for me to remember the past and create something our family can look at in the future. I have discovered that it is my Zen. It has been one of the things that I have chosen to do more of during this time. Pre-COVID, I would get together with other women and we would scrap and talk about our lives. It was nice. I miss that. I don’t think virtual scrap-circles hold the same appeal. However, it feels good to complete a layout or to complete a book. The kids love looking at the pictures of themselves and we talk about their memories. What ways have you been able to tap into your own creativity? What is your Zen? What things have you always wanted to try? What is holding you back from trying them? Making Space for You I am slightly embarrassed to say this, but I miss being alone. I am sure there are some of you out there that live alone and are terribly lonesome. I don’t mean to discredit that. But I legitimately have not been alone
since March, not for any great length of time. There is ALWAYS someone at home. If I wanted to go for a walk, someone would want to come. If I take a bath, someone would need something from me and interrupt. Back in the good old days (PreCOVID), I would have a couple of hours in the house to myself daily and I didn’t realize how much I relied on that time to keep me sane. I would read a book uninterrupted, watch tv uninterrupted, scrapbook uninterrupted. I am sure you are sensing a theme here. I have realized that I need this time to rejuvenate and refresh, so I have had to build it in when I can. Sometimes, if I run errands by myself, I will go to the nearest park and read for a bit before running the errand. I have even just spent time in a parking lot, playing Gardenscapes, enjoying the silence of the car. I am a night owl, so sometimes I find myself the only person awake in the house and it just feels so good. I can’t tell you why that is. I just know that I need space. So, when I hear about kiddos talking about their weird sleeping schedule, I wonder if they are trying to find some space for themselves. How have you been able to make space for yourself during this time? In what ways could you make time for yourself to engage in activities that make you feel replenished? My goal in writing this is to help others reflect on how they have been able to replenish their spirit or ways in which they can replenish their spirit. Taking care of ourselves is so very important to avoid burnout and crisis fatigue. I think a lot of people employ self-care techniques but don’t really give themselves credit for it and become anxious when thinking about self-care. Think about the things that you do for yourself, be intentional about how you spend your time, and give yourself some grace. We all deserve it. I have found looking at the Self-Care Wheel and/or creating one of my own can be beneficial in reminding me of the things that make me feel more connected. This can absolutely be a lesson that we teach our faculty, parents, and students. (continued next page)
COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK
Replenish
(continued)
I also want to recognize that there are some of us who may feel as if they are drowning or who are barely staying afloat during this time. If you feel this way, I encourage you to reach out for help. This is an extremely unprecedented time and our world has literally been flipped. Please, reach out. I have included some resources below for those in need: MA-211 www.helpsteps.com Samaritans Statewide Helpline 1-877870-4673 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 Additional crisis lines: https://www.mass.gov/service-details/ crisis-hotlines
Self-Care Wheel courtesy of olgaphoenix.com
OCTOBER 2020
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IMPLEMENTING MA MODEL FOR COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL COUNSELING PROGRAMS: By Helen C. O’Donnell, Ed. D, MA Model Trainer, MASCA MA Model Chair and MA Model 3.0 Co-Chair This CN series began in Sept 2017 to inform colleagues about steps and strategies for implementing the MA Model 2.0 and ASCA Model 3.0. With the Spring 2020 endorsement of MA Model 3.0 and June 2019 release of ASCA Model 4.0, previous MA Model Implementation CN articles are being reviewed and updated for language and content alignment to both documents. Updated information will soon be available on the MA Model tab of the MASCA website.
Asking all the right Questions Are You Educating Stakeholders and Keeping Them Informed?
Counselor infographic (www. school counselor.org or appendix of the MA Model 3.0) and the MASCA 2020 NSCW MA School Counselor Infographic.
Does your PR Footprint Answer the Following Questions? What is the School Counseling Program? Who are the School Counselors? What do School Counselors Do? Start your year being a detective and exploring on your district and school websites, school catalogues, etc. to locate materials specific to the school counseling program, the role of school counselors, and the school counselor’s assignment and contact information. You be the judge of your public relations footprint. What did you find? Are you satisfied? Is it easy to access and current? What can be added or changed to make the information more robust, engaging, and informative? School counselors need to take ownership of the publicity and marketing of their excellent opportunities, programming, resources, and services they provide to support the academic success of ALL students. Inform stakeholders how 21st century school counselors are guided by district, community, state, and national legislation and research-based program guidelines to plan, manage, deliver, and assess their multi-tiered services that assist in preparing ALL students to be Future Ready upon high school graduation. Every school counselor should make it a priority to review your PR footprint! What school counseling materials should stakeholders find? •
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Introductions to the counselors, their assignments, and an email link. Possibly a group or individual pictures of smiling school counselors. School counseling department vision, mission and belief statements. Include vision statement on social media posts.
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A link to your bitmoji classroom and available resources offered there.
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Your annual calendars and grade level calendars.
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Your school counseling curriculum calendar, topics and links to recorded lessons and materials to keep absentees updated and stakeholders aware of instruction.
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Links to power points and materials for parent and evening programs for those unable to attend. (Ex: Transition programs, SEL programs, FASFA night, Exploring postsecondary options, etc.)
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Academic, Career, and SEL resource links
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Your MARC or MARC Jr. document or other reports to share data stories about program impact
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Press Release to media and social media sites
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How about a link to the MASCA website or the MA Model 3.0 for Comprehensive School Counseling Programs?
More marketing ideas: •
Informative salutations on emails that included the counselor’s name, degree, contact information and possibly your department’s vision and /or mission statement.
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Personalized school counseling office mailings with a vision statement stamp
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Provide each counselor with a business card that can double as an appointment reminder on the back of the card.
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Energetic voice mail messages thanking caller for the call.
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Receipt reply for delivered emails to inform sender the message was received, availability of counselor, response time, and emergency contact.
MASCA MA Model committee fall PD offerings. Email helenod@att.net for details.
1. Repeating Spring '20 MA Model 3.0 - 5 zoom series: Hot Off the Press and (4) Words into Action Presentations Available to MASCA members for $25 with the option of earning 10 MASCA PDP's 2. Implementing MA Model 3.0 - training and mentoring opportunities Graduate coursework: MA Model Introductory Institute, MA Model 2: Next Steps, Counselors in K-12 Classrooms Registration open through Nov. for virtual academic year Institutes. With successful completion of coursework, registrants eligible for 45 MASCA PDP's or 3 graduate credits (for additional fee of $295 to Fitchburg State)
The ASCA’s Role of the School
COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK
Career Activities Corner: K-12 College and Career Readiness Activities Reach Higher MA Working Group #1: Careers and Citizenship for All hosts this Career Activity Corner to encourage infusion of a career development strand into your school counseling curriculum. You are invited to submit K-12 lessons with identified standards alignments, interdisciplinary curriculum links, measurable student learning objectives and implementation outcome data to Helen O’Donnell, Ed.D helenod@att.net
Keys to Motivation: Self-Assessment, Self-Reflection, Self-Discovery How do you keep students engaged in face-to-face or virtual, remote learning environments? Is a question being echoed by educators around the Commonwealth. This article is not a lesson, but a summary of motivational keys to weave into your lesson plan development and delivery. Capture student interest by making material relevant and personally introspective to hook students in and engage them in their personal, goal-oriented planning.
Visioning their Educational Success: The beginning to the year is a time to teach students about personal goal setting and action planning. Students usually feel engaged when they set their own goals and are interested in achieving their targets. Help students identify their short- and long-term goals, reflect on managing barriers to success, and make their plan for goal achievement. Teach them the DESE Cycle of Inquiry to learn that, when their personal data indicates a challenge to successful achievement, modifications can be made to overcome barriers and continue towards goal mastery. We often encourage academic and attendance goal setting to promote educational success. For ex: •
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Identify a measurable academic SMART goal: (All satisfactory progress report grades. No D’s or F’s on report card. Making the honor roll). Have students make a plan to achieve the goal and set specific times to review and assess data to monitor progress (progress reports, report cards). If attendance is an issue, encourage identifying achieving regular, on-time school attendance as a goal. For action planning, students list barriers causing past attendance issues, develop an action plan and with supports to eliminate or manage
OCTOBER 2020
barriers, and identify a frequent monitoring strategy by assessing attendance data. Visioning their Future: Take time to allow students to vision themselves in the post high school world. Encourage students to DREAM BIG and identify an end goal for themselves. AFTER HIGH SCHOOL WHAT? With an end goal in mind, we can motivate students to be personal ACTION RESEARCHERS and take control of their goal-setting by reviewing personal data, researching options and interests, and selecting relevant educational pathways to achieve desired future job or workforce outcomes. Self-Reflection and Self-assessment leads to Self-Discovery School is a student’s first employers. It is a perfect setting to teach workforce readiness skills K-12. Have students reflect on how they are doing in their first job. All students can examine their academic and attendance records. In high school, review their transcript. Ask them these questions? •
Does your attendance record reflect you as a dependable employee?
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Would you show your recent progress report or report card to potential employers?
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Are you demonstrating your employability readiness?
Naviance, free resources like MEFA Pathways and MassHire CIS, and other on-line platforms engage students in self-assessment and self-discovery. What is your learning style? Which job clusters have jobs that relate to your talents and interests? What type of skills and activities that you enjoy now, would you like to continue doing when they are in the workforce? What are the entry level skills and competency requirements for careers of interest? What school subjects are important for the job or career of interest? What does Labor Market Information say about employment in my fields of interest? Coupling personal research with relevant K-12 Career Development Education Activities (career awareness, career exploration and career immersion) or in personal, self-directed CDE, student MyCAP portfolios can document multiple career exploration activities and authentic work experiences that can motivate students, help them focus on future career pathways, and plan strategies to achieve their goal!
Scholarships Still Available! Ronald H. Fredrickson Professional Development Scholarship Fund for School Counselors The fund awards up to $1000 annually to support school counselor professional growth covering partial or full registration costs for school counseling related professional development opportunities and initiatives. Awardees must be active MASCA members. TO APPLY OR FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CLICK HERE.
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Join us at MASCA's Spring Conference! Go to https://ncyi.org/conferences/mascac/ for more information
Help your students get ready for college Free college planning tools and resources College Planning Calculator Financial literacy info Scholarship Search
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Get started at salliemae.com/collegeplanning Borrow responsibly We encourage students and families to start with savings, grants, scholarships, and federal student loans to pay for college. Students and families should evaluate all anticipated monthly loan payments, and how much the student expects to earn in the future, before considering a private student loan. * No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. Odds of winning depend on number of entries received. See official rules at SallieMae.com/SweepstakesRules. SALLIE MAE RESERVES THE RIGHT TO MODIFY OR DISCONTINUE PRODUCTS, SERVICES, AND BENEFITS AT ANY TIME WITHOUT NOTICE. CHECK SALLIEMAE.COM FOR THE MOST UP-TO-DATE PRODUCT INFORMATION. Š 2019 Sallie Mae Bank. All rights reserved. Sallie Mae, the Sallie Mae logo, and other Sallie Mae names and logos are service marks or registered service marks of Sallie Mae Bank. All other names and logos used are the trademarks or service marks of their respective owners. SLM Corporation and its subsidiaries, including Sallie Mae Bank, are not sponsored by or agencies of the United States of America. SMSCH MKT14454 0819
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Calling Retirees for MASCA 60th Birthday Party Planning! Please consider virtually joining other retirees to brainstorm MASCA 60th birthday events & activities. Email helenod@att.net with your name and email address so you can be invited to a virtual meeting.
COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK
COVID-19 National Survey of School Counselors Eariler this Summer, researchers from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and the Boston College Lynch School of Education and Human Development conducted the COVID-19 National Survey of School Counselors. Their first report based on insights from nearly 1,000 school counselors is now available online at https://www.gse.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/documents/School-Counseling-Covid-19-Report.pdf. An Education Week article also highlights some of their key findings: https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2020/09/16/how-ready-are-we-to-support-kids.html
The mission of MASCA is to promote excellence in the school counseling profession by advocating for, connecting, supporting, and empowering school counselors in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts through leadership, collaboration, and professional development. Visit us on the web at www.MASCA.org
OCTOBER 2020
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