Winter Wear To Work

Hey y'all! I am so excited to team up with the oh-so-beautiful and stylish Andrea over at JyJoyner Counselor blog. We are doing our Winter Wear to Work series and I couldn't be more excited. Honestly, my winter fashion has been a hodge podge of randomness. It has been a little bit of glam mixed with a whole lot of comfortable.

But first, let's "oooh and aaaah" over how cute Andrea is!! Here she is....

Yes we're back with one of my favorite topics...school counselor fashion!  I'm so excited to team up with my favorite school counselor/now assistant principal fashionista Melanie from The Stylish School Counselor Blog.  

We'd like to share some of our Winter Wear to Work Gear.

This season, I had a "little" obsession with wearing vests and thanks to jcrew, I went from owning 1 vest to 5 vests this season.  To justify my purchases I vowed to wear a vest at least once a week (makes sense right).

 Here are a few more wear to work gear looks:

Shirt: Nautica, Dress & Belt: Gap, Tights: Macy's, Boots: Coach

Cardigan: JCrew, Belt: Gap, Skirt: Banana Republic, Shoes: Bass Weguns

Scarf: Gift, Sweater: Gap, Pants: Banana Republic, Shoes: Cole Haan

Old Navy, Belt: Gap, Skirt: Thifted, Shoes: Bass Weguns, Necklace: Belk, Glasses: Kate Spade

 It's me....Melanie, again! Here is a little of what I have been wearing this winter!

Just like Andrea, I have been loving vests! I bought two this season. A furry black vest that I swear keeps me so warm and a white one that I wear with so much! 

Black fur vest (Apricot Lane), Dress (Nordstrom), Silver Tassel Necklace (Gap)

White Vest (Old Navy), Tunic (Groovy's), Scarf (Nordstrom), Skinny Jeans (Gap), Boots (Groovy's)

I have also been loving jewelry. Whether it's a bold pop of color or simply and dainty...I want to wear it all!!

Coral statement necklace and earrings (Charming Charlie)

Pendant and Drop Earrings (Kendra Scott)

 When the weather is cooler, scarves become my instant BFF! They always tend to tie an outfit together plus keep you warm!

Leopard Scarf (Nordstrom), Green Long Sleeve Tee (Express), Skinny Jeans (Gap), Boots (Target), Purse (Kate Spade)

Leopard Scarf (Nordstrom), Striped Dress (Groovy's)

And here is a pic to show how much I am lovin' these items altogether!!

Chunky Scarf (Nordstrom), White Vest (Old Navy), Tunic (Groovy's), Earrings (Kendra Scott)

I hope you join Andrea and myself during National School Counselor's Week for our School Counselor Fashion Challenge on Instagram and Facebook. We can't wait to see all of your style (guys and girls)!! Simply upload your outfit each day with #nscw15fashion

Short and Sweet

With Pinterest and all of the great ideas on social media, sometimes we get sooo excited in the delivery that we can sometimes forget about the meaning. I am only saying this because I have been caught up in this.

Sometimes, it is the short and sweet things that you can get so much from. I have some kiddos I have been seeing and I needed a quick activity that was a bit hands on so it wasn't pure writing. I gave them some color paper, scissors, a sheet of paper with boxes to cut out, and glue. It was an easy task!

Let me just say that when I went back to read it I noticed that there was some super deep information and also just fun facts that helped me know them a little better. I would definitely suggest this if you need an activity for a small group or maybe a student who doesn't want to talk.

The next thing seems silly because it's a no brainer. I forgot about the power of a handwritten note. I had some students that were tough. I didn't know how to get through to them. I knew they probably hadn't heard many words of encouragement from an adult that didn't seem so generic so I thought I would write them handwritten notes. My relationship with one of them completely turned around from one word answers and a little attitude to telling me I was like a mom they never had. Tears...y'all. Am I saying I did anything great? No way. Silly me forgot what it means to slow down and look at the kid and who they are. So often we get caught up in the day to day duties that we forget to look at what our kids truly need and sometimes it can be something so simple.

 I hope you are able to use these quick little ideas. What are some of your easy, go to activities??? I would love to see them! Feel free to share in the comments below!

Too Much....Hello, 2015!

Hey, y'all!!! I have missed you. I have missed catching up on reading other counseling blogs. I have missed creating. I have missed chatting with my counseling colleagues from around the world.

I kept saying I would be better about blogging and so this time I won't say it...haha. Life gets busy. Family, work, and friends have kept me busy but in a good way. I think taking a little break has been good for the soul but now I am ready. I have a crazy lady notebook of all of the things I want to create for you all!

I first want to say THANK YOU for all of the new Facebook "Likes" on The Stylish School Counselor. It kinda just warms my heart. I won't lie, I do feel a little more pressure (in a good way) to keep up with the blog even more so. I want to make sure I can continue to be a positive, useful resource for you all.

And...now...the bombshell. Some of you who follow me on Instagram (melroseacker is my username) saw me post a pic of my office change. I received some emails and Facebook messages wondering what in the world is goin' on?? Well, let me tell ya'........

 Starting on Monday, I will be the 7th Grade Interim Assistant Principal at my same campus. I am going from 8th Grade Counselor to this new position. I will still see some of my 8th grade "regulars" and work with them. It is a bittersweet change.

Some of you may be like, "Oh, no you didn't!" Haha...but let me first tell you what my career goals are and it might make sense why I want to continue this blog strong and why I am excited about this change. My goal is to one day work in a type of position supporting counselors or teachers like a mentor/new teacher coordinator or a director of guidance. This is in the way future because with the "in between" I want to learn how to be an administrator. My heart will always be in counseling just like it is still in teaching. I have always loved working with students and they bring a smile to my face every stinkin' day but I absolutely LOVE working with teachers and counselors and just educators in general. Helping provide resources, encouragement, constructive criticism at times, motivation, and help is absolutely where my heart lies.

One question I have gotten the most of is how am I going to handle discipline after being such a sweet counselor??? That is a great question and I can see why one would ask that. Many people think you have to yell or be super mean to be effective in discipline. My belief is that most kids that get into trouble may already hear yelling...nonstop at home. How effective is that going to be in creating a change? I think being firm, holding high expectations, and being wise in words to hold students accountable is even more fierce and effective than yelling.

Is this position permanent? No, not at this time. I am filling in and gaining experience and after this semester I am not sure what next year holds???? I am just thankful for the chance to get a glimpse into this side and get my feet wet. I will say, though, that this change is encouraging me even more to support fellow counselors. I feel taking step to the side of counseling while still being somewhat involved gives me a new perspective and new ideas if that makes any sense. Over break, I feel instead of focusing on my counselor to do's that I would usually be working on, I have been able to write lists and ideas for new units and products for my TPT store and also Freebies.

I am so excited for this new year. I already have some guest posts in the works by fellow counseling bloggers and Ms. Andrea over at JyJoyner Counselor and I have a fashion post heading your way soon!

Since I am so thankful for all of you, I have two Freebies in my TPT store to help you get organized for this new year!! I have a Counselor In & Out sign to hang on your door and I even made one for Social Workers since I have had a lot of requests for those too!!!

You can get your own for FREE HERE.
Note: Once you download, the words and website above will NOT be on your printed copy.


I also had a request for a portrait To Do List so it be kept in their binder. This is a great way to keep your daily or weekly To Do List in one binder so that you can see what you have coming up and can keep track of students you need to see, lessons you need to do, and phone calls or emails to make!

You can get your own HERE for FREE!

And if that wasn't enough excitement, I am having a sale this weekend in honor of us not wanting to wake up early...haha!

Today, I am working on a unit to add to my TPT store and I will also begin creating early literacy activities for classroom teachers or moms to use. I have been working with sweet Ella on reading and writing and have been working on creating some activities for her that I thought I would add to my store!!!


I hope y'all have a great rest of the weekend!!! Please feel free to message me any activities or themes you would like to see!!

melroseacker@yahoo.com

Haters Gonna' Hate....

Resiliency is something that I feel students are just really struggling with these days. The ability to bounce back...and the coping skills to become stronger. I was thinking long and hard about this the other day because "bless their hearts" my heart breaks for them. I was sitting at my desk after many conversations that day wondering what I could do? How can I help them see that this is only temporary? Why are kids not as resilient as years past?

Then it hit me. These kids deal with a whole ugly side of bullying, judgement, and attacks. They deal with technology. I can't imagine as a kid to deal with drama at school and then have it follow you home 24/7 because that's how long these kids usually have their phones on them on top of whatever is going on at home and with school work.

When I was in school (I know I am officially old for saying that), kids could escape the name calling or the comments at home but now it's on a whole new level. It's funny because when I talk to kids and we work on coping skills, I always tell them..."Haters gonna hate."

The kids give me a super awkward look and then say, "You're so right, Mrs. Acker!" Of course, this is after laughing at me (an old person who is a mommy and watches My Little Pony and Pokemon every night...don't judge)!

One of the things I discuss with students when we discuss coping and building resiliency is that there are negative people out there and we can't change or conform to their opinions about us because some of those negative people will STILL have something rude to say regardless. We use YouTube, online articles, and Instagram as examples. I spoke with a kiddo the other day about the new Taylor Swift video that they loved. We discussed the comments on the video and if they thought there were more negative or positive.

We then talked about how our actions and choices affect what people say. Will it stop all rude comments if we are wise in our decision making? No, not always. But we can find confidence in knowing that we are doing what we can do to make things better for ourselves and there will always be "haters."

I refer to this so much that I made a sign. Is it cheesy. Maybe. Is it a good saying? Oh yes! So for Cyber Monday...I am sharing a freebie with you along with a long story and example. Ha!

 You can get your own HERE! 

I think it's important to show our students that there are negative people and we can't let them control how we feel about ourselves or the decisions that we make. We can be respectful and show kindness in the face of negativity and after that....it's out of our control. We can't control other people's feelings...we can make an impact but we can't control them.

It's also important for parents to understand the difficulties that our kids face these days by educating them through parent meetings and providing resources.

Here are some helpful resources for you to use: 

Article on Helping Teens Manage Technology:
http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/five_tips_for_helping_teens_manage_technology

Article on Building Resiliency in Children:
http://www.healthychildren.org/English/healthy-living/emotional-wellness/Building-Resilience/Pages/Building-Resilience-in-Children.aspx

25 Ideas for Teaching Your Kids Resiliency: (Great for Younger Kids/Toddlers)
http://creativewithkids.com/25-ideas-for-teaching-your-kids-resiliency/

Many of you have asked or emailed to see what I have been up to. I just love y'all! I love seeing my counselor friends on Instagram so you can find me there when I don't blog as much! My username is: melroseacker or you can click the icon on the top of this page.

So...what have I been up to? I have been enjoying Thanksgiving break with my sweet family and friends and getting excited for the Christmas season! I was able to attend an awesome counseling conference at the beginning of November and got some amazing ideas from the impressive presenters which I will share in another post! Other than that, I am just being thankful for each day...

Sweet time with sweet kiddos

Fun with friends

Getting ready for Christmas!

Enjoying a little Starbucks before the conference

Thanksgiving with my biggest blessings

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and take time for YOU to relax during this wonderful yet busy time of year!! Happy Holidays from my family to yours!

Documenting Students Tutorial and a FREEBIE!!!

Hey y'all! Long time, no blog. I usually give you excuses but hey, I know y'all feel me. School has started and we are super busy. Any spare time I have is spent with family and friends but I do love blogging and networking so here I am!

I have been getting a lot of questions on how I document students and keep up with who I see. So,  I thought I would do a video and a tutorial. I hope it helps and would love to hear how you use it or plan to use it if you have never heard of Google Docs!

Tutorials on How to Create Your Own Google Form:

Hope this helps and please comment how you plan to use it, change it, and if this was helpful!

Also, I have a FREEBIE that you can find HERE. These are large letters that spell COUNSELOR, great for a hallway or above a door! I will also be posting a pack to purchase of encouraging words that you could use for a bulletin board or display somewhere!!!

Next up on the blog: Red Ribbon Week!!!!!

Looking towards the future....

I don't know about you but college week is one of my fav times of year! It comes super quick for us but it is still tons of fun! Most of the things we did this year were similar to the things we did last year! We didn't have as much time to plan but I am definitely going to start collecting ideas and creating things I can ahead of time so I will just need to pull those things out when it comes around next year!!!

Some of the things we did this year were:

-Wear as much college gear as possible/dress in your fav college

-Door decorating contest

My lovely co counselor..haha!

-College trivia (a fight song and clues about the school are read aloud on the announcements and students can drop off their guesses to be entered in a drawing)

-Guess that Grad (teachers submit pictures from college and students LOVE guessing who they are)

-College students from a local university came to speak to our students about college life, things why wish they would have paid attention to in middle school, and about the neat activities to get involved in at college

Chi O's

-High school students came to speak to our students at lunch about important skills for college, what colleges they planned on attending, and visited lunch tables to answer questions

It was so much fun and now my co counselor and I are eager to start planning Red Ribbon Week!I am also posting a letter pack for sayings. If you notice my "Guess the Grad" letters....I am in love with them. I love seeing BIG letters and displays in hallways because with huge, long hallways smaller displays get lost in it all. I am posting some inspirational words and popular headings for displays. It will be in my TPT store TODAY! I am home with a sick kiddo so I finally had time to stop and do a little blogging. I will post the link on facebook.


I would love to hear some of the things you do in your school for college week!!!! Please comment below or share on facebook!!! Next up on the blog....how I use my large inspirational words and a google form that will help you keep track of all the kids you see...I am in LOVE!