TN School Counselor & Leadership Institute Recap

I attended the TN School Counselor & Leadership Institute in Chattanooga earlier this week. It's always so energizing for me to be around other school counselors and educators and to see their passion for what they do for kids each day. Knowing that most of us are the only counselor in our building, I believe it is so important for us to connect with and learn from others. A few highlights that I'm continuing to think about as I return to my school this week . . .

Behavior Interventions that Work - Amie Dean
www.behaviorqueen.com
One of the best professional learning sessions I've been to in a long time. I love how she framed the purposes of behavior. She stated that all behavior traces back to trying to get or get out of something - to get attention, control, power, or revenge and get out of work, pain, embarrassment, or lack of confidence. She set up the foundation for successful behavior as kids needing to know where they stand, that the teacher will follow through, and that the teacher is on their side. She also shared lots of behavior intervention resources that I'm glad to have in my toolbox now.

Building Strong(er) Working Relationships - Rodger Dinwiddle & Teresa Whitaker
www.starsnashville.org
I've been to enough of Rodger's sessions now over the years that when I see his name as a presenter, I go! This session talked about school climate through healthy working relationships and working out conflicts. The presenters discussed their 24 hours to work it out office norm and the power of having crucial conversations. Some concepts I'll continue to mull over. They also referenced this video that I love on vulnerability.

Unlearning Helplessness - Motivating the Underachiever - Julia Cook
www.juliacookonline.com
Julia Cook's books are staples in my guidance curriculum. She is a dynamic speaker, and she read 3 of her books to us in the course of the session which I loved. She also talked about underachieving students being those who have a significant gap in their ability verses what they achieve at school. This can be the gifted student not reaching full potential to the student about to drop out. In order to achieve, students need to feel connected, to feel confident in their abilities, to have fun, to make choices, and to feel safe. I like this recipe for achievement and the emphasis on relationships as a foundation for achievement!

I also presented a session on technology for elementary school counselors that I'll be posting about soon!