Snow Days are Good Days

Many in the education world are divided on the topic of snow days. Some would rather not have any, so their year in the spring is not extended. Some take the position that I do~ a snow day a year is good for the mind and soul. At a time when days at school are more hectic and more busy, it's nice to be at home for a day or two to let my mind settle, much like letting dust settle in the attic. When you finally go up there and wipe the dust off, you find treasures you forgot you had.

Giving my mind a rest from the mental energy it takes to spend most of my 7 hour day talking to people (teachers, parents, students, administration, administrative assistants, other counselors, the nurse . . . you get the picture?), is quite a relief.

This year the snow days couldn't have been more timely. I had just come down with the respiratory illness that over 70 students have been calling in absent for each day recently. Did I spend my time cleaning the house because it is always a mess? No. I spent it wandering from room to room doing whatever I felt like doing. I would sit in the sun room and read for awhile, go to the computer and look at Facebook, drink glasses and glasses of hot tea for my throat, and pull out all my scrapbooking paraphernalia (only to discover that my children have aged 4 years in what I thought was only 4 months!).

Yes, it has been a wonderful two days off, letting my mind slip into la la land and not worry about returning a phone call or getting to a meeting on time.

Snow Days ARE Good Days!

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

Business often increases in guidance and counseling offices across the country during the months of January and February. There is no doubt that some people suffer from what is now called Seasonal Affective Disorder, which in summary, is a lack of sunshine in their lives. The days are darker, colder, and just plain miserable at times. Symptoms often mirror those of depression: hopelessness, anxiety, loss of appetite, and oversleeping, among others. Instead of writing about it, I am including a link to the Mayo Clinic, who has a great article about it.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/seasonal-affective-disorder/DS00195/DSECTION=symptoms

I guess the most important thing to remember if you or someone you know suffers from SAD is that you can get through it. My tips to my students that I talk to are these:
1. Get outside if possible, or sit by a sunny window in the house for a half hour each day.
2. Exercise
3. Get 8-9 hours of sleep each night
4. Read something you enjoy reading about
5. Watch funny TV shows or movies
6. Eat healthy
7. If you like to write, start a journal of your thoughts (or a blog like me!)
8. If you are spiritual, pray for the strength to get through the tough time

Sweet Aunt Nancy

My Aunt Nancy may never know how truly special she is to me. I know she is special to a lot of people, but I want to share why she is such a special person. Aunt Nancy is 80 years old, exactly twice my age. She has been around ever since I was born!

From as far back as I can remember, Aunt Nancy has taken the place of a grandparent in my mind. She bought me my very first bike (new and not a hand me down!). I am getting side tracked. Buying me things is not why she is special to me!

Aunt Nancy and her former husband, Uncle Stan, know the value of work. When I was about 10 I started doing chores for them when I went over to their house, and they would pay me a fair price for my labor, although I think they stuck in a few extra bucks just for me! I remember vividly scraping paint on their porch and painting it again. I think they had their porch scraped and painted twice a year. Once by me and my sisters, and once by our cousins, just so they could teach us principles of hard work and earning a living. They also paid us for mowing the lawn, which I think may have been mowed every day of the summer for all I know! They taught me to operate a riding lawn mower by the time I was 12, and I really enjoyed that. I also raked a lot of twigs and leaves around the yard.

Aunt Nancy is also special because she always stocked her refrigerator with cheese and sodas, and her cabinets with twinkies so we would always have a treat to eat when we visited. She is a very generous lady and always thinks the best about everyone (well, almost everyone!). She gives, and gives, and gives and doesn't ask for much in return.

Aunt Nancy is a great crocheter (if that is a word). She gave me an afghan when I was younger that I will always treasure. I hope that when Aunt Nancy leaves this earth, I can be as special to someone else as she is to me.

"Thanks for Listening"

I didn't start thinking about my thanksgiving list much until after Thanksgiving Day this year. In my head I kept thinking, "I need to sit down and write a list of everything this year that I am thankful for." My thoughts didn't make it past my head and onto paper, or in this case, the computer. So, I am writing it now. I have already mentioned in previous blogs that this is one of my toughest years ever as a school counselor. There is much happening in the lives of people, families, kids, and the world.
I actually came back to school on Monday a little melancholy, thinking as I was supervising in the loud, boisterous cafeteria, that maybe I wasn't cut out to be a middle school counselor. Maybe I should think about doing something else in the near future. It just seemed like middle school kids get annoying with their pestering habits, and was I really making ANY difference with ANY of them?
Well, funny thing. About as soon as I got back to my office from lunch, a student came in and asked to speak with me. It was a boy, and boys rarely take any initiative in even getting close to the guidance counselor's office unless sent for. We talked, and I found out some interesting things about this student, and discovered he was carrying a heavy load of worry in his mind about his family. The next day, he came back again, and I was pretty shocked that he would want to come back and talk to me 2 days in a row! He wasn't a behavior problem at all, he wasn't falling apart, he just needed to talk. As he left, I said, "Thanks for coming and sharing with me. I'm sure that took a lot of courage. Sometimes it's good to get things off your chest." And he said, "Thanks for listening." Wow, thank you Lord for giving me a middle schooler to talk to right when I thought I wasn't needed! So, my Thanksgiving list? 1. Middle School students who need someone to listen to them.

Community

Co-mu-ni-ty: a social group of any size whose members reside in a specific locality, share government, and often have a common cultural and historical heritage.

If you have ever moved from one city or state to another, you know that every place has a different feel, or culture to it. Each state has it's own place in history, and in a sense, has it's own identity. If you work in a school in a community, you really get the sense of what is going on in the local community by getting to know kids and family.

Working in a school we are often told by fellow educators to "not take the students problems home with us," but in reality, there is not really a way to separate them from our minds when we invest so much time and energy into them during the school day. I think most teachers will tell you there are many times they go home and think about their students and all that they are dealing with.

Today is one of those days for me. I have some students in real crisis right now. Mary, whose name I can use because she is on many prayer chains, is struggling to survive at Peyton Manning's Children's Hospital after a sudden illness. I am very worried about Mary. She is part of my school community and I care about her family and what happens to her. I am not sure I would want to live in isolation from my community. We are all called on to help and support each other.

This year has proven to be my toughest emotional year yet with all the things this group of students is struggling with. I know I am here for a reason, and I have to believe it's to help these kids and families. It keeps me going every day, even though at times, it is hard.

Whatever you are struggling with right now, please remember, you are stronger than you think you are, and there is someone in your community who needs YOU.

Fall Break

1/4th of the year is over, wow! When I got home today, looking forward to fall break, the sun was out and there were a few things in bloom around the yard, so I took my camera out to see if I could get any photos. It's amazing that in mid to late October, things are still blooming and thriving. I have a spindly tree in my yard and I wondered if it would survive the winter. Sometimes I look at people on the outside and I wonder how they can survive the winters in their lives because they look so fragile and weak. The tree reminded me that it has deep roots, and will soak up the winter snow when it melts in March, and so too, people can survive their winters if they develop deep roots in the spring and summer, which can soak up the winter snow and cause new growth and deeper roots in the spring. Enjoy the fall weather while you can, and get ready for winter, because it will come whether we try to wish it away or not!

Champions

As I promised, I said I would write about great kids doing great things, and not always focus on the burdens of counseling middle schoolers! It is a great privilege to live and work in the same community, and also to have kids in the same school system. There is a real sense of family everywhere I go, and I am so proud to be where I am!
A great joy I have is to be able to watch my daughter participate in the middle school cross country program. Today was a beautiful fall day to have a conference championship race among 8 teams. Both our boys and our girls won team first places! It is so fun to be out and watching them have great attitudes and great sportsmanship, and to be able to talk with other parents who are passionate about their kids.
I know that having a child in a sport forces me out to the community where I may not otherwise always go. For example, cross country is one of many sports going on, and I only get to sample a tidbit of how many kids are involved in something as positive as a sport. Sports sometimes get a bad rap by non-athletes, but those students also participate in other things that maybe athletes do not, such as band, orchestra, choir, art club . . . you get the idea.
I am just so thankful to live in a country where kids can go out and play without fear, and with safe equipment. Sports definitely builds character, pride, and self-worth.