Where Is Wyatt?

Can you find Wyatt The Wonder Dog in this picture?  You are right, he is peeking over the sand castle that he built!  Wyatt does love spending time at the beach during the summer and in the newest book which is coming out soon, Wyatt not only goes to the beach but he starts Kindergarten!  Do you know anyone who is starting kindergarten soon?  It is a big step and Wyatt as usual is wondering about a lot of things.     We'll be following Wyatt's newest wonder--full adventure right here on this blog, so be sure to check back each week as we get closer and closer to the book launch.  We are planning lots of fun activities!


Is there a child in your life who will be starting kindergarten soon?    What questions do they have? I wonder if Wyatt has the same questions...please post them here.  I'd love to know.


Be sure and 'like' Wyatt's page on Facebook!
Wyatt's Facebook Page

Countdown To Summer!

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
It's the end of the school year and as always there are mixed feelings among teachers and students.  There is the anticipation of vacations and relaxation.  Amusement parks! Water parks! The beach!  Sleeping late and staying up late! On the other hand, there is sadness as we say good bye to friends, teachers, familiar classrooms and routines.  I've always thought that this yearly ending and beginning anew in the fall is a very unique environment.  Where else is there a job that has such a clearly defined beginning, middle and end?  Where else do you draw everything to a close (ready or not!), declare the end and several weeks later start afresh... new students, new classroom, new material to teach, new teacher?  I think there are at least three reasons why this is a great way to structure not only our school but out lives...  Here are a few:

1. Knowing that there a beginning and an end forces us to set goals.  This is something most of us are pretty good at talking about but not so good at doing.
2. Having a beginning and end also forces us to measure our progress in some way.  Rather than just thinking that we are accomplishing something, we have to have proof.
3. Finally, having a beginning and an end gives us the satisfaction of closure as well as the freshness of a new beginning.

Lets count it down... how many more days are left?

Let's Celebrate Our Differences!

Counseling young children is often challenging, sometimes serious and sad but sometimes it is just plain fun.  This week I had Marci, a second grader, come to see me for help because her friend, Stacy, was mad at her.  If you work in an elementary school you know this is a common occurrence.  I asked her what happened.  Here's how her story went:  They were in PE and Stacy thought that she got in trouble but really she didn't get in trouble, Marci was the one who got in trouble, so now Stacy was mad at her.  Does this seem logical to you?   Me neither, so I asked Marci to repeat the story.  She did and then using my best counselor "what I hear you saying" technique I repeated it back to her.  "Marci, you are telling me that Stacy thought she got in trouble in PE but really you are the one who got in trouble so now Stacy is mad at you...is that correct?'  She nodded adamantly.  My response?  "Marci, that's pretty unusual  because most people don't get mad when they don't get in trouble;  most people get glad when they find out they aren't in trouble!  Here's my advice:  tell Stacy she is being silly, get over it and let's be friends."  Want to know Marci's response?  She looked relieved, smiled and took off to renew her friendship.  I wish all the problems we face could be solved so easily. 
I've been writing a lot lately about the DISC profile and understanding your own personality, but one of the advantages of learning about different personalities is learning to appreciate and even celebrate our differences.  When confronted with someone with a very different personality style, our first inclination is to tolerate them if necessary or preferably, avoid them with the hope of eliminating them from our life altogether.  Once you understand the personality differences though, it is possible to come to the place of appreciating our differences in a new way so that we can work together peaceably and productively.  A friend of mine was commenting on learning about the DISC through a workshop at work and she said the biggest benefit for her was realizing that people don't act the way they do because they are 'jerks', they do it because it is their personality type.  Once she realized that, she could appreciate and even celebrate their strengths rather than focusing on their weaknesses.  In order to do this we must first understand ourselves and then understand and communicate with each other.  Just like with Marci and Stacy, our friends' differences don't always make sense, but we can continue our friendship nevertheless.