Work Smarter Not Harder!
Do you ever feel like this photo? Like you are constantly running from one crisis, lesson or meeting to another with no time to breathe or eat in between? Sometimes I feel like that is the life we are destined to have the day we sign on to be School Counselors, but then I think there has to be a better way to be in charge of my time rather than having everyone else dictate how my time will be spend.
Have a Plan for your Time
Master Calendars
One of the things we love about our jobs is that every day is different but when I come in to work each day with no plan, I feel like everyone else creates one for me. I need to have an idea of how my time is going to be spent and do my best to stick to that plan. (we all know the reality of that, but its the idea). I am the one who looked at data to determine the lessons I need to do, the groups I need to run and the kids I need to see so I am the one that should get to dictate how my time is spent, for the most part. How do I do this? Creating a Master Calendar (here is a great example I found, mine is at the bottom) is vital to my planning each year. It helps me see my time in the big picture and I share it with staff, administrators and parents! It helps everyone see that I'm not just showing up ready for "Random Acts of Guidance", that I have a plan! Clearly, this gets modified throughout the year but it is a great starting point.
master_calendar_09-10.docx | |
File Size: | 25 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Google Calendar
Google is my saving grace when it comes to managing my time. The day I figured out how to use Google Calendar and how to invite teachers to events/lessons was one amazing day! To plan my classroom lessons I created a three week rotation (K-8). Three grade levels per week, I scheduled their lessons in Google Calendar and selected to repeat the event every three weeks. Doing it this way saved so much time! I didn't have to create a calendar in Microsoft Word every week (which I used to do), I didn't print it out, make copies and put in teacher mailboxes (which I sometimes still do...depending on how savvy the teachers are with Google Calendar) and I didn't have to constantly email them to remind them of their lessons, I simply set up reminders in Google Calendar! Hands down one of the best time savers ever! I could then share the Classroom Lessons calendar that I created with all of the teachers, admin and secretaries so they always had access. This also allowed them to know my availability to see a student, attend a meeting etc. My priority is always classroom lessons - those go into my calendar first then I schedule groups, meetings, individual checks around that classroom time. Classroom time is sacred to me as it is my opportunity to get to know ALL students and provide my services to ALL students. With the exception of a real crisis (not a student crying, not a minor conflict between students, not even a parent in the office wanting to see me) I never cancelled my classroom lessons.
Tracking Students
Keeping notes is not something that I do, for a variety of reasons. But often my admin would come to me and want to know some data on the numbers of students I've seen. Or I'd be writing a grant to purchase a Bullying Prevention curriculum and I needed numbers to justify that we needed certain interventions. My Student Tracker is a saving grace. Its a quick way to make a note of who I saw, when I saw them and why (brief). Again, through Google Forms I was able to create THIS FORM (K-8 version) and THIS FORM (9-12). I can view my entries as a spreadsheet or as charts! It is the most amazing thing I've ever done to keep track of data quickly!
Counseling Request Forms
I get students stopping me in the hallway, hunting me down in classrooms, or just sitting outside (or inside!) of my office waiting to see me! I knew I needed a better system so I found a fairly cheap mailbox with a lock at my local department store. Like this one. Threw a few stickers on it and put it outside of my office along with Counseling Request Forms (see below). If a student needed to see me, they were directed to fill out a form and place it in my mailbox. I instructed all students of this procedure during my first counseling lesson of the year. I also posted procedures right outside of my office and provided copies of the form for all teachers to keep in their classrooms. This saved me so much time! And helped me stay organized. Students knew that I would try my best to see them within 3 days. Based on the information they filled out on the form, I decided how quickly I needed to pull the student from class, if at all. I also learned that if I held onto the pass for a few days the problem would magically work itself out! In those cases, when students were able to resolve their own conflicts or problems well I'd surprise them with a trip to the Treasure Box.
Comment below with your favorite time savers.
Google is my saving grace when it comes to managing my time. The day I figured out how to use Google Calendar and how to invite teachers to events/lessons was one amazing day! To plan my classroom lessons I created a three week rotation (K-8). Three grade levels per week, I scheduled their lessons in Google Calendar and selected to repeat the event every three weeks. Doing it this way saved so much time! I didn't have to create a calendar in Microsoft Word every week (which I used to do), I didn't print it out, make copies and put in teacher mailboxes (which I sometimes still do...depending on how savvy the teachers are with Google Calendar) and I didn't have to constantly email them to remind them of their lessons, I simply set up reminders in Google Calendar! Hands down one of the best time savers ever! I could then share the Classroom Lessons calendar that I created with all of the teachers, admin and secretaries so they always had access. This also allowed them to know my availability to see a student, attend a meeting etc. My priority is always classroom lessons - those go into my calendar first then I schedule groups, meetings, individual checks around that classroom time. Classroom time is sacred to me as it is my opportunity to get to know ALL students and provide my services to ALL students. With the exception of a real crisis (not a student crying, not a minor conflict between students, not even a parent in the office wanting to see me) I never cancelled my classroom lessons.
Tracking Students
Keeping notes is not something that I do, for a variety of reasons. But often my admin would come to me and want to know some data on the numbers of students I've seen. Or I'd be writing a grant to purchase a Bullying Prevention curriculum and I needed numbers to justify that we needed certain interventions. My Student Tracker is a saving grace. Its a quick way to make a note of who I saw, when I saw them and why (brief). Again, through Google Forms I was able to create THIS FORM (K-8 version) and THIS FORM (9-12). I can view my entries as a spreadsheet or as charts! It is the most amazing thing I've ever done to keep track of data quickly!
Counseling Request Forms
I get students stopping me in the hallway, hunting me down in classrooms, or just sitting outside (or inside!) of my office waiting to see me! I knew I needed a better system so I found a fairly cheap mailbox with a lock at my local department store. Like this one. Threw a few stickers on it and put it outside of my office along with Counseling Request Forms (see below). If a student needed to see me, they were directed to fill out a form and place it in my mailbox. I instructed all students of this procedure during my first counseling lesson of the year. I also posted procedures right outside of my office and provided copies of the form for all teachers to keep in their classrooms. This saved me so much time! And helped me stay organized. Students knew that I would try my best to see them within 3 days. Based on the information they filled out on the form, I decided how quickly I needed to pull the student from class, if at all. I also learned that if I held onto the pass for a few days the problem would magically work itself out! In those cases, when students were able to resolve their own conflicts or problems well I'd surprise them with a trip to the Treasure Box.
Comment below with your favorite time savers.
student_counseling_request.docx | |
File Size: | 36 kb |
File Type: | docx |
student_requst_for_counseling_services.doc | |
File Size: | 24 kb |
File Type: | doc |