The Tutoring Counselor

After finishing my Master's degree in School Counseling, I decided to revisit my passion for tutoring kids. I had tutored for 3-4 years while completing my Bachelor's degree and into my first year of my Master's program, but I realized that I needed to take a break in order to put all of my energy into grad school. After I graduated and started tutoring again, I realized that my School Counseling training had GREATLY influenced my tutoring style! I knew that I could never go back to just being a tutor. Below are some of the many things that I have learned from combining my passion for counseling with my love for teaching:

1. Children don't care how much you know until they know how much you care! 

You can teach a child until you're blue in the face, but unless you show them that you care about THEM and not just their academic performance, you will have wasted your time. I used to just jump right in and start teaching my students what I thought they needed to learn. When I reflect back on my grade school days, I can't tell you anything about what specific teachers taught me. But I can tell you about how they impacted me as an individual. I can tell you the ones who encouraged me to keep trying even if I didn't get it the first time. I can tell you the ones who pushed me to go even further than I thought I could and wouldn't let me settle for less than my very best. I like to start each tutoring session with a very quick check-in. (How was your day/week on scale of 0-10.) I've learned that students can not and will not focus as much on academics if another area of their life is consuming their energy. Taking just 5 minutes to discuss the argument they just had with a friend could help the remainder of the hour be much more efficient. Also, as a tutor I look for every opportunity to get to know my students better, and to incorporate their interests into tutoring!

2. You CAN tie in social skills and character education when teaching students!

I recently found out that one of my tutoring students, a sixth grade boy, was getting bullied at school. At this point, the school counselor in me came roaring out, and I was mad that I couldn't be at the kid's school to do something about it! However, I did have this student for the next hour, and I could give him some tools for handling this situation even if I'm not at his school. This particular boy is very bubbly and always energetic, so we never have a dull moment in tutoring! Since we are working on reading skills, I brought out one of my books on dealing with bullies (Confessions of a Former Bully- my favorite bullying book!). I will try to post the activities that I did with him soon!

Another student I am working with is a 5th grade girl who struggles with self-concept and responsibility. I have worked closely with her to help her with organization skills. She, like many kids, wants to put big projects off until the very last minute, which usually results in a late night cram session and quite a few tears shed. I designed a "Big Project Planner" to help her break down big projects into smaller tasks to work on each day. I am also starting her on a "progress card" for her to take responsibility for certain behaviors and attitudes that she has.  Also, to help her increase her self-concept, I am teaming up with her teachers and parents to really bring out her strengths and make a point to tell her any strength that I see in her.

(Click on the pictures to be taken to my TPT store!)

3. Learning does NOT have to be boring and should NEVER be boring!

Worksheets can be a time saver for teachers, but they can be a time waster for students. I DO NOT like to use worksheets and avoid them at all costs! For homework, worksheets can be a great tool to review materials independently, but when working with  a teacher I believe it's best NOT to use them. When I'm tutoring, I will create fun games to teach and review topics. For example when completing math problems or reading sight words, I might pull out a Tic-Tac-Toe board or a Connect 4 board. For each problem answered, they get to have a turn. I also have file-folder game boards, PowerPoint games, and even basketball games (using my indoor hoop). When students are having fun, they are learning. With my more creative and artistic students, I will sometimes have them create a Lapbook of the concept we are discussing.

Below are a few games and activities that I have posted on my TPT store:
 

4. There's more to learning than just learning. 

I sometimes ask my students what they think about different subjects, like reading for example. One student would always say that he HATES reading. The counselor in me then gets him to reframe that "garbage" thought into a "recycled" though. Instead of saying "I hate it", they can say "It's hard for me but I am learning." Often times, students come to see their academic difficulties as a direct reflection of their value as a person. I want my students to know that there is more than just academic success, and I will make a point to describe several of the student's strengths. We might have a conversation about why it is important to learn XYZ, and how it will help them in the future if they learn it now.

Now that I am seeing tutoring through the counseling lens, counseling opportunities with my students are popping up all over the place! Sure, I mainly tutor reading and math, but I also teach self-esteem, self-worth, and self-discipline. I use Solution Focused therapy and CBT on a regular basis during tutoring. I work with families on the best way to support their child. I may not have a school to counsel at yet, but I sure am using my school counseling skills when I am tutoring! Once I do get a school counseling job, I will be able to further incorporate academics into everything that I do with my students.

If you are interested in becoming a tutor, 

check out my Tutoring Forms Pack from my Teachers Pay Teachers Store! 

End of the Year Closure Lessons

This week was very bitter sweet for me, though more sweet than bitter! I have now finished my school counseling internship and will be graduating in just two weeks! This week consisted of tying up some loose ends with individual students and saying my good-byes to groups and classes. Below are some of the closing/termination activities that I did with my students, and some that I didn't do but wanted to share anyways. I hope you enjoy!

Individual

• Paper Finger Puppets- Found on the blog Seven Thirty Three, I taught some of my younger students how to make these very simple puppets. A lot of my individual work with the younger students has involved puppets. As a final individual session, we both made a paper finger puppet and used it to say goodbye. The students absolutely LOVED it! And it gave them something to take with them to remind them of our time together. 
• Writing notes- Before I left for the year, I wrote several of the students personalized notes emphasizing their growth over the school year, and included some empowering words to encourage them to continue to work towards their goals. 
• Bridge- Have the student draw a bridge in the middle of a sheet of paper. One one side is where the student used to be, and on the other is where he is now. Under the bridge- what obstacles did you have to overcome? This can also be done with two bridges, with the last one being where you would like to be, and what obstacles you might have to overcome to get there. This activity can be used at the beginning of counseling as well to give direction to the sessions. 
• Letters to the past/future you-Have the student write a letter to him/herself in the past or the future. If you could time travel to the past/future what would you tell yourself?
• Lines of Feelings. Ask the student to draw a line that represents their feelings over the past (year, month, week, etc). All of the lines will vary, but usually the jagged or rough lines in red or orange are used to signify anger or discontent, and the smooth, flowing lines in blues and greens are usually used to show calmness and contentment. After the lines are drawn, the student can expand on them by writing about what the lines represent, how it feels to draw them, or to whom or what they are directed.  

Groups

• Flower Petals- The flower represents the group growing over time. A flower starts as a bud, and you can not see the petals yet. But over time, with water and sun, the petals begin to unfold, creating a beautiful flower. Place a circle in the center of the group, and tell them that this represents the bud, before group began. There were many things that you know now that you didnt know before. Give each student a paper flower petal, and say one thing that they have learned from the group. Have the student symbolically tape the flower petal to the circle. Continue until everyone has done this. 
• String tying- From Diane Senn's book Creative Approaches to Counseling Individual Children. I used this at the end of my fourth grade girls friendship group to help remind the girls that it is okay to ask for help when they have problems, and that your friends are often a great source of help. Start by giving each girl a string that is at least one foot long. Tell them to tie a knot in a string. This is pretty simple for them to do. Some problems are easy to handle yourself. Then, instruct them to hold both ends of the string without letting go and tie a knot. Tell them that it is okay to ask for help. After letting them try for a few minutes, ask them if they would like some help. Ask one student to cross her arms, then hand her the ends of the string in each of her hands. Have her unfold her arms without letting go of the string, and a knot will be tied in the string. Allow the girls to help one another with this. Tell the girls that sometimes we have problems that we are not sure how to fix, and it is okay to ask someone else for help, and sometimes it takes a creative solution to solve their problems. Friends help us get through some of the tough problems we have, but when friends cant help, your school counselor is still there for you. 
• Choose a Picture- Print out a variety of different pictures, such as animals, scenery, symbolic pictures, people, etc that represent a variety of emotions and different points of view- both positive and negative. Lay the pictures out on the floor and ask students to choose the picture that shows how they feel, what they will take away from the experience/group. Process what the picture chosen means to each individual. This site does a great job of explaining this method of closure. 
• Group Puzzle/Mandala- Give each student a piece of the puzzle or a piece of the mandala and let each student decorate it. At the end, let each student symbolically place their puzzle piece or mandala piece back into the puzzle, saying one thing that they have enjoyed or have learned during the group. Allow students to keep the finished product in their class to remember the good times together.

Classroom

• The Giving Tree- I wanted to incorporate a finger-print tree into the lesson somehow, and my supervisor suggested I use the The Giving Tree with it. That got my wheels turning! I used the book with first grade and up, adjusting the lesson slightly to accommodate for developmental differences. Before reading the book, I asked the students to be thinking about who they can relate to more- the tree or the boy. I then read the book to the class without stopping for inserting my own interpretation of what was going on. After I read the book, I asked them again who thinks they are more like the tree or more like the boy. In most classes it was about half and half. I let a few students explain why they thought they were more like one or the other. Then I told them that sometimes I feel like both. I feel like the tree because as a counselor, I will gladly give my students anything and everything that I have to help them when they need it. But at times, I have felt like the boy, and the students were the tree. In the same way that the boy got what he needed every time he asked for it, I got what I needed to become a school counselor from the students. I told them that they have taught me so much more than I have taught them this year, and thanked them for helping me learn how to be a school counselor. At the end of the lesson, I let each student come up and put a finger print on the tree, using a washable marker. (In later classes I decided to just have them write their names on the branches in different colors). I then wrote a note to the class and gave it back to them to keep in their classroom to remember our time together, and to remember that it's okay to be like the tree AND like the boy. 
• Toss 'n Talk ball- For some classes, the students had many questions for me about why I am leaving and what I would be doing after I'm gone. After answering a few questions, I got out a inflatable ball and asked students what their favorite memory with me was this year, in 2-3 words. I used the ball as a talking tool- only the person who has the ball can talk. I gave each student a turn to catch the ball and say a favorite memory. 
• Class Rap- I did not do this one, but it was my back up. The students are finishing up a poetry unit, so to incorporate this, I was going to have the students write a haiku about what they will take away from our time together this year. After they wrote the poems, we would all sit in a circle. Depending on the age and ability, I would divide the class into 2-4 groups, and give each group a rhythm to clap to a given beat, and maybe even having a student being our "beatboxer" to be our percussion. Then one at a time, students would read their poems in rhythm with the class's beat. 
• Empowering Words- Adapted from Kellybear.com-  Close the year out with some positive and encouraging words! Have students think about some thoughts that help them feel better when they are feeling sad.This is called positive self-talk. Brainstorm thoughts that can help on the board. After the class is brainstormed out, have them choose one statement that is meaningful to them and draw a picture about it. Allow time to share. Remind kids that even though they may feel sad about things (such as a teacher/counselor intern leaving them, or something else sad), they have the power to control their thoughts and can think about these things to make them feel better. Leave with encouraging words challenging them to be their best! (These positive self-statements could make a nice end-of-year bulletin board!)
• Paper Quilt- have each student draw their favorite memory from the year on a square sheet of paper. Tape the pictures together, or put into a gallon-bag quilt format to display, like the one here. 

Diversity Lesson- The Crayon Box that Talked Lesson

I taught a lesson on diversity to a class of PK/Kindergarten students.


Introduction:
Introducing the topic, I opened a box of crayons, grabbed a handful and laid them out in front of me on the floor so that everyone could see. Next, I asked students how these crayons are different. I got the expected responses: different colors, some are longer than others, some have paper and others don't, etc. I then asked the class how the crayons are the same. One kid said that all the crayons do the same thing. Another pointed out that they are all called "crayons". I added that the crayons all go back into the same box when we were through.

Story Time!

I then read the story, "The Crayon Box That Talked" by Shane DeRolf. This is a book about a box of crayons that do not get along with each other. In the story, a girl buys the box of crayons and takes them home to draw a picture using every single one of the colors in the box. By doing this, the crayons all start to realize that they each have something to give that is different from every other crayon in the box! We talked about what it meant to be "unique" and discussed how each student in this class is unique, just like this box of crayons. We talked about a few ways that we are different from one another, and about a few ways that we are the same as everyone else. 

Activity:

To really drive this message home, I told the class that we were going to make a puzzle as a class! I created a puzzle using a file folder and numbered each of the pieces to make putting it back together easier. (Plus, the kids can practice their counting skills!) I gave each student a piece of the puzzle to decorate with crayons however they would like. The teachers also helped color a piece.

Conclusion:
Once everyone was finished, I taped all of the pieces together. Each person's unique puzzle piece came together to create this beautiful class puzzle! No two puzzle pieces are alike, just like no two kids are alike. The class now has this puzzle displayed in their classroom to remind students that they are all unique! 

(Click the images below to be taken to my Teachers Pay Teachers store and purchase this lesson!)

Confessions of a Former Bully Lessons

I just got the book, "Confessions of a Former Bully" by Trudy Ludwig, and I have already used it several times!

Here's the book description:

"After Katie gets caught teasing a schoolmate, she's told to meet with Mrs. Petrowski, the school counselor, so she can make right her wrong and learn to be a better friend. Bothered at first, it doesn't take long before Katie realizes that bullying has hurt not only the people around her, but her, too. Told from the unusual point of view of the bullier rather than the bullied, Confessions of a Former Bully provides kids with real life tools they can use to identify and stop relational aggression."

So far, the 3rd and 4th grade girls that I have used this with really seemed to grasp the concepts. This opened the door to talk about the motives behind one girl's bullying behaviors, helped another girl understand ways that she could help when she is a bystander, helped a girl begin to see what the good and bad qualities of a friend are, and gave some useful strategies for another girl who is often the target of teasing. While this book could easily be read from cover to cover, I have been using it more as a reference book depending on the specific situation. I could see this book being the topic of a girls small group, discussing a few pages at a time.

Once concept in the book talks about using "empower" tools as a way of dealing with bullying/teasing. I created these cards as a takeaway for kids, using the same wording from the book and clipart of the tools that correspond with the book.

Progress Cards

I recently bought the Progress Cards book- this is honestly one of my best school counseling purchases yet! It is a great motivational tool to increase positive behaviors! I am using the blank cards to let the students come up with their own goals, using cards as reference.

I have been using the blank practice cards with a few students so that they can work towards their very specific goals that they set for themselves. For younger kids, I have created a smaller practice card that only has two or three blanks for goals.

Once we have decided on what goals to set, we then use the counselor and teacher rewards to see what the student is willing to work for. For example- 10 minutes of your teacher's undivided attention, helping your favorite teacher for 20 minutes, having lunch with a friend, getting 15 minutes on the computer, and a positive phone call home. The student sorts out the reward cards into three groups: Absolutely Love (big rewards), Like (small rewards), and Don't like (put aside). The small rewards will be a daily reward for achieving the day's goals. The big rewards will be a weekly reward for achieving the daily goals for all 5 days. I have been very surprised at the things that the kids have picked that they really want to work for!

Tattle Tongue Mask Lesson

We read A Bad Case of Tattle Tongue by Julia Cook in first and second grade, and did a mini-unit based on the book. Here is the book description from Amazon:

Josh the Tattler doesn't have any friends. He tattles on his classmates, on his brother, and even on his dog! He tattles so much that he wakes up one night to find that his tongue is yellow, unusually long, and covered in bright purple spots! Will a bad case of Tattle Tongue teach him a lesson? A Bad Case of Tattle Tongue gives teachers and counselors a humorous, cleverly creative way to address the time-consuming tattling-related issues that often sap classroom energy and thwart teaching opportunities. Parents who "battle the tattle" at home, on the playground, in the grocery store, or anywhere else, can use this book to both entertain and enlighten their children about "The Tattle Rules." Every adult that desires to help children understand the differences between unnecessary tattling and the necessity of warning others about important matters needs this book!

Week 1: 
On the first day, we read the book and discussed the difference between tattling and telling. This was taught using "little problems" and "big problems". Big problems are problems where someone or something is being hurt or could get hurt. Everything else is a little problem that can usually be handled without an adult. Using slips of paper with problems on it, students had to decide if the problems were little problems or big problems.
Week 2: 
During the second week, we started with a review of the book, and reviewed what little problems and big problems were. Today, we talked about why people tattle, and what people could do besides tattling. We talked about how to handle "little problems" and discussed a few scenarios where students had to decide what they would do in that situation.
Week 3: 
On the final day discussing this book, we made these adorable masks! I first gave each student a paper plate. On the back side, they completed the sentence: "I will not tattle because..." Once they had compelted their sentence, I gave them a cut out picture similar to Josh in the story. Students colored their picture any way they wanted to. At the end of class, I let students who wanted to share tell the class their sentence and show their mask.