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"It’s not fair!” If you work with children, you probably hear this statement on a daily basis. Young people seem to have an innate sense of what constitutes fairness and can react strongly when they feel this has been violated (and adults are definitely not immune!). In the world of schools, 504 plans and individualized education programs (IEPs) often provide students with accommodations to facilitate their learning. Unfortunately, this leads some students who don’t receive accomm …

When I was a graduate student, I spent a number of hours observing other school counselors conducting classroom guidance lessons. One memorable lesson involved a counselor who used the idiom, “Before you judge a man, walk a mile in his shoes.” The lesson was designed to introduce the concept of empathy to first graders. While the students seemed to enjoy the lesson, there was still some confusion regarding the concept. Some even took the idiom literally. I can only imagine the interest …

It’s so hard to be perfect. In fact, it’s impossible to be perfect. Yet that seems to be exactly what many of us are seeking. Where did we get this idea that it was possible to do everything well? Was it when we were in elementary school, and got our papers back? We looked to see if we got a star or if we missed any. We looked to see if we were worthy or worthless. No matter the origin, I feel like many of us missed out on the lessons and teachings we are working to pass down to our chi …

"You need to be more patient!" Six words that I have heard ALL of my life. To me, patience means waiting…and waiting is really hard! Personally, I think that a lack of patience is and always has been one of my biggest faults. When I was little, my grandma would give me candy corn in two small plastic bags. She’d say, “This bag is to eat now, and you can save this bag for later, because good things come to those who wait.” Let’s just say that my later bag never made it to later. When I was se …

We’ve all had those evenings where there just doesn’t seem to be enough time to do everything we’d like to get done. Many kids rush from school straight to extracurricular activities, and dinner becomes an afterthought as families scramble to make time for schoolwork and getting ready for the next day. With multiple children in a family, everything is multiplied. Enter Opal Octopus, whose busy schedule and inability to say no have her juggling too much on her plate. Opal uses these tips …

Children and teenagers have been spending more time online during the COVID-19 pandemic to attend classes, connect with their peers, and entertain themselves. As a result, a lot of kids and teens are more active on social media and apps. This allows them to connect to a wide network of people, which unfortunately, may also expose them to cyberbullies. According to a report on cyberbullying published by Verywell Family, cases of cyberbullying have increased by 70% since the pandemi …

Visit any school in the country and it would be unusual to not see this posted somewhere in the building. These words are a reminder of the effects teachers have – effects they may never have the opportunity to actually see. And, while teachers understand the importance of the academic skills their students need to master, the importance of social and emotional competencies is becoming increasingly evident. To fulfill this need, many educators are becoming acutely aware of the need for t …

What if you could know both sides of the story? What if you could know the “why” and not just the “what”?I spent quite a bit of my youth feeling insecure and jealous of my sister. The adults in our lives compared us, and I seemed to fall short. To my young brain, she was the favored child in the family. I took my anger out on her, which did not earn me the daughter-of-the-year award. Then the most important person in my life died: our father. I was seven and did not understand what death actuall …

After waiting for a while in a crowded deli line on my lunch break, it was finally my turn. “I’ll have a ham and cheese sandwich, please,” I said, proud of my politeness. “Good morning, sir,” the obviously perturbed worker said. I deserved that. I quickly said, “Good morning, ma’am,” excused myself and repeated my order with a smile. Given how crowded the place was, my New Yorker-brain cut to the chase and dispensed with the greeting. This deli, however, was located in Paris, France, not i …

I encourage my students to apply self-determination to many different areas of their lives. They need to understand that ability is not the only factor to reaching their goals. With long-term goals particularly, my students have to know it will be a journey, not instant gratification. Research suggests that having high self-determination can foster success in reaching those goals in their life, which has further been linked to happiness. The psychology of self-determination is an impor …