Welcome New Readers

Hi (hopefully new readers)! Post getting a Twitter account I felt like I should probably share this again or else your reading this blog thinking "who is this woman?" "why can't she spell?" "did she ever pass an English class?" "who is that adorable dog and can I snuggle with him/her?"

The adorable dogs featured are Brooklyn and Boss. We love making new friends! I also love seeing that people are visiting my blog, which is just a fun way for me to share/get ideas and of course display my mass amounts of puppy pictures. So if you new to my blog (thanks Twitter and ASCA) here is an updated old post that never really gets old.

5 Things You Should Know About Me:

Brooklyn hard at work in my office.

1) I have horrific grammar. English was my worst subject from elementary school through college, and it looks like things aren't changing. I started this blog as a fun way to share ideas I have had and the ideas I have begged for, borrowed, and stolen. It's also a fun way for me to write about what I am doing, so in many ways it's like a journal for me. Thus I tend to write my blog entries as if they were my journal entries, which means bad spelling and poor grammar. Worse I have moved away from the amazing E.S. (my former music teacher) who also assisted as a personal editor. So sorry in advance for the spelling and grammar mistakes!

Meeting new friends.

2) Much to the dismay of my friends I often compare working with my students to dog training. The comparison of my baby Brooklyn to our sweet Kindergartners has lead to many a head shake, but I just can't help it. For starters having a dog reminds me of having a toddler- they are always moving, they always need to go to the potty, and they are always learning how to treat others/follow the rules. I have spent hundreds of dollars in dog training and I want to put what I learned to good use. Most of all it connects for me. We are always looking to make connections with our students and ways to make what we are saying relevant to their lives. For me looking at a behavior/social problems the way I would look at working with my dog- well it just makes more sense.  For example I know that if Brooklyn 'leaves it' when I drop a Cheeto I need to reward her asap with a small treat and that if she 'leaves it' when we see a bunny we need to do an all night celebration. I know that she needs an immediate reward that can't be taken back and deepening on the situation and skill we are working on sometimes she needs just a small bite sized treat and sometimes she needs high value reward like a golf ball (don't ask.) Doesn't that sound like some of your students? It has really helped me re-evaluate the way I tackle behavior problems. Please don't take the comparison personal.

Which way are we going?

3) I love finding fun new websites! I remember in the summer of 2010ish I was sitting pool side and a friend of a friend said have you heard of this site "Pinterest".  Remember when you needed a .edu e-mail to get on thefacebook.com? Well at this time you needed an invitation to join Pinterest I thought "huh wonder what that's about." In the beginning it was the same DIY pins over and over again, but less than a year later I was addicted. 

I hope you will all follow me! (http://www.pinterest.com/sassyscounselor/)

4) If you haven't guessed it, I am slightly dog obsessed. I am in love with my babies, which is funny because I grew up with a crazy cat mom. No guys a legit crazy cat lady (she once had 9 or so cats). I adore them and have lead me to be passionate about animal advocacy. In fact I had the honor to attend the One Million Pibble March in Washington DC this year. I don't believe in discrimination and I certainly don't believe in the discrimination of my babies based on looks, myths, and lies. Ok Ok getting off my soap box.
So…in 2012 I attended a school counseling conference where I heard a fellow counselor talk about this puppet he took everywhere. It was suppose to be a breakout session on ADHD, and although I am sure not what he was teaching me about attention problems my brain wandered and soon I was thinking about "branding your program." Thanks to my own ADHD the idea really stuck with me and since I had just gotten my first dog it just fit like puzzle pieces.  It's a concept that's really blooming and that one day I hope I will perfect. I really love the idea of branding. Some of my favorite classrooms have fun themes and love the creativity behind them. so if you could create a theme what would yours be? What tips do you have on creating a brand?

Kissing Brutus, baby to our school librarian.

5) I read more children's books than I do adult books. No matter what school I have been at, I have always been friends with my school librarian. They are resourceful, wise, and always have the hook up to what should be on my bookshelf (or on the Kindle). At my last school I had amazing date nights at Barnes and Noble with my phenomenal librarian. I loved finding new books that weren't from the counseling magazines and that I could find in our library. Our love of books lead to a 6th grade book club, a parent book club, and many amazing other collaborations.  I have tried to keep a list of resources and my favorite books on my GoodReads page. It also means that my entire paycheck goes to book stores and when discussing where my office will be my poor principals always have to take into account my book collection- bless their hearts.

Awkward Family Photo