Leading in the Present (Plus a Fun Freebie)

Happy almost September...say whaaat?!?! How is that even possible. I am over here still trying to get myself together and Starbucks will be breakin' out the pumpkin spice latte soon. August and September always flash before our eyes. With my new position, getting my own kiddos ready for back to school, and me and my husband's side projects (more about that later)...it has been busy, as I am sure it has been for all of you. I hope you have welcomed sweet students through your doors and have had time to catch your breath.

One thing that has really been on my heart to blog about has been Leadership. I don't mean leadership as an administrator or central office staff member (while those are important, too) but I simply mean leadership.

I was thinking about what it means to be a leader. Sounds simple enough...to be a leader means to lead. Yet, so often we get titles and leadership confused. Leadership goes way beyond titles. Leadership isn't something you magically inherit when you obtain a certain role. To be a leader is an action. To be a leader is something you choose to do when it's not easy. To be a leader is to take risks. To be a leader is to be passionate about something and want to share that excitement with others.

I can remember throughout my career thinking that when I have this job or that job, I can do "x, y, and z." I remember telling myself I couldn't be part of starting a new initiative because I wasn't in a "leadership role." I would think about the next job I could get where I could impact more, do more, or lead.  In reality, I could have been a leader right where I was. It wasn't about what position I held, it was about my mindset. In education, I feel that we all do this at times (I am guilty of it). We tell ourselves if I was in this place or in this position, it would be better or I could do more. It's almost as if we sabotage ourselves. I love the quote that says, "The grass isn't greener on the other side, it is green where you water it." I remember there was a poster of this at the middle school I worked it. It has stuck with me since then.

That very quote is what keeps me joyful. Sometimes we are in tough situations or our hearts are set on something else but it is our outlook and perception that can make all of the difference. Remember, you can lead and impact exactly where you are. I truly believe we are all put in the position and place we are for a reason. We have the choice to embrace it and lead.

As a back to school gift. I am sharing this reversible door sign. It serves a purpose with a side of humor. You can find it in my TPT store for FREE HERE!

TIP: As I shared before, a great place to print items with a lot of color are UPS stores. I do all of my personal printing and even some work printing there. I can usually look at Retail Me Not for coupon codes. The ink and paper quality are pretty amazing.

Have a great rest of the week and take time for you!

-Melanie

Counselor Communication and End of Year Fun!!!

Wow! I can't believe the end of April is already here! I am not only prepping for the end of year but I am already looking to create new ideas for next school year. Crazy, I know!

Next month, I am doing a little hodge podge guidance lesson. Part of it will be over summer safety and the other part will be over end of year/school changes. It may sound silly but there is so much I want to go over with my students with so little time.

I created a little end of year activity I will be using with my kiddos and I can't wait. It even has a little autograph page for a keepsake for the ones who couldn't buy a yearbook.

You can purchase it in my TPT store, here: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/End-of-Year-Book 

Don't worry, though. I made a freebie, too. I am also using this with some of my younger ones or for any classes where we start to run low on time. This is a "Year of Change" activity that is simple and great to use after using a cute end of year story.

You can get your free copy here: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/A-Year-of-Change

On another note, literally (haha), I was thinking of what I could do when I wanted to give a quick note to a kiddo who was doing an awesome job in guidance or who was showing great character. I love giving handwritten notes but sometimes it's nice to have one handy that I can just give out. So I created encouragement notes. I am so excited to use these. I printed some off and have them on my little clipboard so that when I am walking down the hall and I see something awesome, I can just jot down their name and pass them out!

I love the font because it makes them look handwritten and a little more personal. You can find them here for sale in my TPT store: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Encouraging-Notes-Counselor-Pack-of-6

I also have blank ones available for teachers to use or administrators which can be found here: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Encouraging-Notes-Blank-Signature

If you would like a full page for a note, I also have this for FREE!!!!

Get it for free here: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Sweet-Note-from-School-Counselor

Put Ups and Put Downs Freebie!!!

I have a freebie! I actually made this after a lesson today and used it the rest of the day and the kids loved it! It's just a quick activity to reinforce self esteem and how put ups and put downs can affect us. You could use cute buckets but since I did this last minute, I just taped ziploc baggies to the dry erase board and we were good to go!

You can get it here for free! http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Self-Esteem-Activity-Put-Ups-and-Put-Downs

Have a Happy Friday tomorrow!! : )

Who's Got Character? I do! I do!!

Today our district Character Counts! team visited schools who were finalists for the Character Counts! Award and we were one of them!!! I was so stinkin' excited and so were our kiddos. Although this is my first year as an elementary counselor, I have been thinking of ideas to implement for a successful character program for awhile now. Some of the things that we have implemented at our campus are:

*Caught In Good Character: Teachers, parents, and students can write who has done something based on the six pillars of character (trustworthiness, respect, caring, responsibility, citizenship, and fairness). I read them at announcements and post them in the hall. The kids LOVE this!!

*Character Council: A service group that does different projects that shine our character and spread kindness to others.

P.S. We even got lil' shirts and the kids were so rockin' them today!

*Bully Police: This is a program where we have Bully Officers in all grades that report bullying that they see. I will do a separate post on this and add the printables for free...but let me tell ya'.....this has been golden!

*Character Word of the Week: I read a character word of the week each day and I do word checks in the hall to see if the kiddos have been listening. I also announce on Thursdays that whichever teacher emails me the character word of the week first, wins a small prize. Love it!

*Teacher of the Month: We vote for Teacher of the Month based on a character word.

We are doing much more but I thought I would share some of the things I was doing on my campus. I don't know if we will win but it was such an honor having them visit our school!


I also just finished a little unit on Self Esteem, which you can find here:
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Self-Esteem-Pack

It's a pretty short and simple pack! Don't worry I will definitely be posting some freebies though this week. I am also so excited about this new addition to my office which has already been put to good use today! My sister was cleaning out my niece's playroom and I knew this would have a home with my students!

I hope you all have a great rest of the week. I am super excited about spring break and enjoying it with these sweet kiddos!

Don't forget to like Stylish School Counselor on facebook with the link at the top of the page!

Character Posters and Back to School We Go!

Right now, I feel excited, overwhelmed, and a little sad all rolled into one! I am excited to get back to work and see my kiddos and take pictures of things to blog on here and just dive into work! I feel a bit overwhelmed with all the to do lists I have to get taken care of when I get back. Of course, I am sad because I have enjoyed every bit of the break with my sweet kiddos and my husband (a PE teacher) so we had a lot of time together and I sure will miss it!

This afternoon, after baking banana bread and catching up on Hart of Dixie (my new fav show), I was brainstorming something cute and decorative for my office that would be meaningful! So I created some character words with super cute chevron and little frames. You can find it in my Teachers Pay Teachers store...for only $1.50. This is my first time to "try" to sell something so we will see. So feel free to check it out here: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Character-Word-Posters
Of course, here is a picture of one of them, there are a total of 6 and I hope to make much more!!!

Also, I would like to share with you all my personal blog which has updates on my crazy life:
http://whatshappeningintheackerfamily.blogspot.com/

Have a wonderful week and please be on the lookout for more!