I’m brand new. The kind of new that goes straight to work
because I don’t know how to get anywhere else. The new that can’t tell the kids
which hall the health classroom is on or which teacher teaches 7th
grade math. The phrases “I’m not sure”, “I’m sorry”, and “let me find out” were
on my speed dial of responses. Here’s
what I learned in my hectic, new, first week as a school counselor.
1. Conquer your to- do list.
First off, make a to-do list. It will be pages long, but you will need it. Prioritize the urgent tasks, and be productive. Have you heard that decluttering/tidy rule “if it takes less than a minute, just do it??” Well, I feel that way about my school counseling to-do lists. I changed the minute limit to five. In between appointments, meetings, consultations, etc. find some time to complete a few of your smaller tasks that take less than five minutes. I’ve been amazed at how many emails or phone calls I can get out in fifteen minutes when I put my mind to it.
2. Records, records, records.
When you are staring at a pile (a large ever growing pile) of records requests and new students’ folders you have to just keep trucking along. If you are the type of person who likes to finish what you start, your first time dealing with ongoing records will be interesting to say the least. The key is to stay organized. Find a system that works for you, and stick to it.
3. Take a lunch break.
On the first few days of school you will be bombarded with parents, students, teachers, meetings…you name it, you will deal with it in the first few days. During the first week of school I took a scheduled lunch break. From 12:00-12:20 I closed my door and did not answer my phone. I know that every school counselor reading this is thinking “NO SHE DIDN”T”. Yes, yes I did. I take pride in the fast pace and multi tasking nature of the job, but your mind will literally be racing during the first week. You need to take a few minutes to breathe and refocus. If you can’t take a full twenty minutes for lunch, figure out what you need to recharge, and do it.
4. Say “I’m sorry”.
Two weeks before school started my office received a schedule change request from a guardian. They filled it out in front of me and I do not know where it went after that. I think the paper actually disintegrated. I’m just kidding, but really… I still haven’t found it. On the first day of school when this student showed up in my office with an unchanged schedule I was very sorry. I learned that a sincere apology to a guardian makes a huge difference. Take responsibility, fix the problem, and tell yourself it’s okay. You’ll make another mistake soon, so do your best always and know you’re human.
5. Be ready for ANYTHING, even the first week of school.
After my first risk assessment I went back to my office and lost it. I'm not afraid to admit it. You were trained. You know what to do. Even if you’re terrified, you have to know what to do when the time comes. Be prepared, and don’t be afraid to do your job. Okay, speech over.
6. Keep a smile.
Attitude is everything. Even in a bad moment or trying day, you are still the only sunshine some students see. Enough said!
My first week was exhilarating and exhausting. Since then, I started guidance lessons and had the first parental involvement event. I can’t write the blogs fast enough! What are your first week of school experiences? Comment below to let me know!
First off, make a to-do list. It will be pages long, but you will need it. Prioritize the urgent tasks, and be productive. Have you heard that decluttering/tidy rule “if it takes less than a minute, just do it??” Well, I feel that way about my school counseling to-do lists. I changed the minute limit to five. In between appointments, meetings, consultations, etc. find some time to complete a few of your smaller tasks that take less than five minutes. I’ve been amazed at how many emails or phone calls I can get out in fifteen minutes when I put my mind to it.
2. Records, records, records.
When you are staring at a pile (a large ever growing pile) of records requests and new students’ folders you have to just keep trucking along. If you are the type of person who likes to finish what you start, your first time dealing with ongoing records will be interesting to say the least. The key is to stay organized. Find a system that works for you, and stick to it.
3. Take a lunch break.
On the first few days of school you will be bombarded with parents, students, teachers, meetings…you name it, you will deal with it in the first few days. During the first week of school I took a scheduled lunch break. From 12:00-12:20 I closed my door and did not answer my phone. I know that every school counselor reading this is thinking “NO SHE DIDN”T”. Yes, yes I did. I take pride in the fast pace and multi tasking nature of the job, but your mind will literally be racing during the first week. You need to take a few minutes to breathe and refocus. If you can’t take a full twenty minutes for lunch, figure out what you need to recharge, and do it.
4. Say “I’m sorry”.
Two weeks before school started my office received a schedule change request from a guardian. They filled it out in front of me and I do not know where it went after that. I think the paper actually disintegrated. I’m just kidding, but really… I still haven’t found it. On the first day of school when this student showed up in my office with an unchanged schedule I was very sorry. I learned that a sincere apology to a guardian makes a huge difference. Take responsibility, fix the problem, and tell yourself it’s okay. You’ll make another mistake soon, so do your best always and know you’re human.
5. Be ready for ANYTHING, even the first week of school.
After my first risk assessment I went back to my office and lost it. I'm not afraid to admit it. You were trained. You know what to do. Even if you’re terrified, you have to know what to do when the time comes. Be prepared, and don’t be afraid to do your job. Okay, speech over.
6. Keep a smile.
Attitude is everything. Even in a bad moment or trying day, you are still the only sunshine some students see. Enough said!
My first week was exhilarating and exhausting. Since then, I started guidance lessons and had the first parental involvement event. I can’t write the blogs fast enough! What are your first week of school experiences? Comment below to let me know!
Cheers to making it through the
first week! Good luck to you, and you, and you!
From the middle with love,
Mere
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