After Twenty Years... I'm Retiring from School Counseling

I began my career as a school counselor the fall of 1994. For the past twenty years it has been a dream job. I have loved the school where I've worked and all the students. Some have been more challenging than others but then don't we all have our moments? I've loved the faculty and staff that I've worked with. There isn't a better, more dedicated group of teachers on the planet. They are each one dedicated to encouraging every student to be successful and to be the best they can be. I've loved the creativity of the job and it's focus on making positive changes in children's lives. If you had asked me five years ago if I'd ever retire, I'd have said, "What for?" I seriously thought I'd be 101 years old, wandering the halls looking for a class to share a guidance lesson with.

A Bigger Dream 

But sometimes you get a bigger dream. In the last five years, I've rediscovered the dream of writing and I've published four, soon to be five children's books. It began with this one:

 

Soon the newest one will be out

 

In addition, I've published a couple of inspirational/motivational books for adults. It's been a magical, challenging and thoroughly compelling journey that I've ventured forth on. So, May 30th is my last official day at Sixes Elementary. I don't feel that I'm leaving something behind so much as I'm forging headlong wildly, ecstatically and a bit recklessly into the greatest adventure of my life.

A Great Celebration 

Last week the school threw a retirement party for me and my principal, Mrs. Kelly, who is also retiring. 

It was a lovely celebration and we each received a rocking chair with our name on it.  Here is mine...

It is extra special because it was  painted by our talented art teacher, Susan Winchester.  The best part is that there is a picture of the inspiration behind this whole retirement thing on the back.  Can you make out his bandana?  It says retired on it!

Because I love stories, I'll finish this post with a funny student story.  It seems word got out among the students that I wouldn't be back next year and a third grader stopped me in the hall to ask, "Will the new counselor next year be just like you?"  To which I responded, "Well, she'll probably be taller."  At which point, the student dropped to her knees and said, "Do you mean she won't be a midget like us?"  I truthfully don't know where I'm going to get such quality material after I leave....

Thanks to everyone for the memories.

Don't worry, it's the end of my school counseling career but not the end of my blogging!  You can follow the journey along with my buddy, Wyatt the Wonder Dog here:  www.wyatthewonderdog.com

Want to check out Wyatt's newest book on winning and losing?  Here's a description:

Wyatt the Wonder Dog didn’t make it on the All Star Baseball Team and he is feeling like a loser. All his friends will be playing baseball this summer, while he and his pesky sister, Callie, visit grandparents at the beach.  How Wyatt learns to handle disappointment and failure will be an important lesson for the future.  Will he give up trying new things?  Will he have the confidence to try again?  Are there some things that take more practice and persistence to learn than others?  Join Wyatt on his latest “wonder-full” adventure as he learns what it takes to be a winner.

Here's the link:

http://wyatthewonderdog.com/booklaunch

You Get What You Get, If You Don't Throw a Fit: Learning to Handle Disappointment

We all face disappointment, children and adults alike.  Whether it's missing the winning shot or rain that ruins a picnic at the park, life is full of big and little disappointments.  As parents and teachers we often would like to spare kids from these letdowns.  However, we can do them a greater service if instead we teach them tools and skills for how to deal with them.

"Melvin did not deal well with disappointment."  This is the beginning of Julie Gassman's newest book, You Get What You Get.  It tackles the problem of handling disappointment in a clever and straightforward way.  Melvin throws a fit whenever he doesn't get what he wants.  Apparently this is what works at home and he always gets his way, but at school the rule is "You get what you get if you don't throw a fit."  Melvin quickly learns to control his behavior at school and when he spills the beans at home, his parents take on a new philosophy as well.  The book makes a great lesson and relevant point about self control that any child can understand. With bright illustrations and a to-the-point message, Gassman has created a winning book with a great message.

While the book teaches self control, it doesn't teach children other tools for handling disappointment.  It is after all a picture book and can't cover everything.   Here are some suggestions for expanding the story:

• Teach children that while feeling disappointed or angry is okay, certain behaviors such as throwing a fit are not.
• Teach children to communicate and talk through their feelings in a respectful way
• Teach children to recognize the difference between things they can change and things that need to be accepted. Not always getting to go first or to decide the movie to watch may need to be accepted. Not being accepted into the elite choir ensemble at school may need to be accepted but if this is a true goal then perhaps voice lessons and further practice should be considered for next year.  Help children develop critical thinking skills to evaluate different situations and the best response to each.
• Teach children that here is often a lesson learned or even an opportunity in disappointment.  As a teacher or parent you can share a time that you didn't get what you wanted but in the end you got an opportunity that you would not have expected because of the disappointment.

Disappointment is something we've all experienced and our children will as well.  Developing tools for handling it is an important life lesson.

What about you? Can you think of a disappointment that turned out to be a lesson learned or an unexpected opportunity?  How do you react to letdowns?

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