Staff Appreciation Week

It is very satisfying being included in "Teacher Appreciation Week."  Flowers, candy, markers, card, are all very nice.  I especially liked the beach bucket and shovel with card "We dig ____."  Of course the gifts were from parents but delivered by smiling children.  In kindergarten through second grade most children seem proud to be a "special friends" with the school counselor.  By third grade some students are not as comfortable coming to the counseling office and feel embarrassed.  I see some upper grade students before school because they don't want their classmates to know they need help. Meeting with the counselor seems to develop a negative connotation among their peer group despite our efforts to make it okay to ask for help.  It is very helpful when parents and teachers continue to "normalize" talking to the counselor as getting coaching or taking advantage of a resource who is a trained listener.