TheApple

A big part of my job is doing observations of kids in their learning environments. I find it shocking that there are psychologists who don’t visit the kid’s school when they are testing for learning disabilities, or any disability for that matter. To me, it seems like common sense that if you want to see how someone learns you go to ...

Employment for counselors is expected to grow much faster than the average for all occupations through 2016. However, job growth will vary by location and occupational specialty. Job prospects should be good due to growth and the need to replace people leaving the field. Employment change. Overall employment of counselors is expected to increase by 21 percent between 2006 and 2016, ...

I was recently assigned a new school, which I will affectionately call Stepford Elementary School. Now, I am typically assigned to the schools no one wants, by request. If someone makes a face like they are smelling something bad when I say the school’s name, all the better. I like being at cocktail parties and saying, “I coaxed a child wielding ...

Job Description: High school counselors advise students regarding college majors, admission requirements, entrance exams, financial aid, trade or technical schools, and apprenticeship programs. They help students develop job search skills, such as resume writing and interviewing techniques. College career planning and placement counselors assist alumni or students with career development and job-hunting techniques. School counselors at all levels help students to ...

Every year, I get to be a mentor to a new school psychologist in my district. I really enjoy doing it, but I have to fight the urge to give them a little notebook and say, “Write that down” after everything I say. Wouldn't that be fun? I got to do it one time before in my life, the day before ...

1. Watching Students Grow Counseling at any level affords a unique opportunity to observe and interact with whatever developmental stage the student is in at the time. It was always fascinating for me to watch high school students come in as barely pubescent 9th-grade teens, and walk out four years later as young adults. Sharing in that growth process was fun ...

Parents often ask what else they can do besides insuring their students make good grades and test well on the SAT and/or ACT to help their students look impressive on paper. My answer is always about the student’s passion. What does the student enjoy doing? Colleges want to see well-rounded young people. They want to see a student demonstrate leadership, an ...

Question: On a percentage basis, what topics do counselors cover with students? With the inception of the “No Child Left Behind” act, there has been a disproportionate emphasis on testing as the sole indicator as to whether federal standards criteria were being met. As the site “testing coordinator,” I easily spent 6-7 weeks a year planning, implementing, and summarizing our state ...

Ideally, the first one-on-one meeting with any of my students would come during their Freshman year. The reality is that I didn’t meet with every one of my 400+ students individually. As I mentioned earlier, the state legislature has now mandated that every incoming 9th grader sit down with a parent and a school counselor to formulate a 4-year plan. Since ...

In Connecticut each year, there are more than 10,000 well-qualified, thoroughly prepared students who graduate from high school but do not go on to attend college. Their reasons vary, but a recent study suggests that many of them could be in college, if only they knew more about how to pursue a college education. For them, and for our state, their ...

Now that the new school year is back in full swing, we wanted to let you know what FastWeb has been up to. The FastWeb website has been update and improved. The new FastWeb website still includes over 1.5 million scholarships and now includes financial aid information, admissions information, internship opportunities, discussion groups and so much more. Students and their parents ...

1. Talk To Your Counselor. Between the books in the counselor’s office, and the knowledge in your counselor’s head, he or she will be a virtual treasure trove of information. Take advantage of the opportunities you have to work with a counselor to make plans for your future. Many counselors know more than any one book or website, and they are ...

Parent involvement is one of the most important factors in the academic success of your students. Even though parents come in all forms and their level of involvement in your student’s academics may or may not be ideal, always remember that they are an ally and not the enemy. They love their child and want them to be successful, and ...

Financial aid counselors that are employed in a school setting typically do so at the higher education level. These counselors work with students to find funding in the source of loans, grants or scholarships for continuing education costs. Though counselors at the high school level may not be called financial aid counselors, they may also be involved in guiding students toward ...

Job Description: Elementary school counselors observe children during classroom and play activities and confer with their teachers and parents to evaluate the children’s strengths, problems, or special needs. In conjunction with teachers and administrators, they make sure that the curriculum addresses both the academic and the developmental needs of students. Elementary school counselors do less vocational and academic counseling than high ...

It is not often that I am at a loss for words. I know, you are surprised, right? But recently, I did an assessment with a 15-year-old boy who was in a special school for kids with emotional disabilities, and part of this assessment was to interview the parent. Now, I try my best not to be judgmental about parenting. I ...

In Hollywood, the phenomenon is called “Mean Girls.” In the land of School Psychology, we call it “Relational Aggression.” Anyone who has been to high school probably has first-hand experience with it, either as the victim, perpetrator (not my readers!), or more commonly, as a bystander. We just didn’t have a name for it back in high school. *About the clip:* ...

It would be difficult to find a school without any history of bullying, but statistics show that bullying in public schools is a serious epidemic. Studies report that 10% of students in the K-12 grades have been the victims of chronic bullying, and that 75% described being the victim of at least one incident per year. Many bullying victims experience physical ...

Many children have difficulty making friends for a variety of reasons. Children may be have poor social skills, be shy, be hyper, have atypical interests, or come from a different background than their classmates which may challenge them socially. Unfortunately, your ability to help students make friends at school may be limited by time and activity constraints. Parents have an opportunity ...

One of the best defenses against misbehavior is to enlist the support of the parents and guardians of your students. Although this will take effort on your part, the time you spend building a bridge between school and home will reward you many times over during the course of the school year. When students know that teachers and parents are working ...