I'm sorry!

I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry!

It's just so difficult to keep up a blog when you're trying to do your internship!

So- just as an fyi on what I'm up to, have I read the girls yet- No. Why not? Because I went to go buy it at Barnes and Nobles two weekends ago and then didn't have it. Did I order it from Amazon and it's on it's way? Yes. Will I be using it in a girls group at my elementary school in the coming weeks and be updating you with the questions we use in our girls group? Yes. So don't worry your pretty little heads too much.

What I'll Be Reading this Weekend: The Girls

The Girls, by Amy Goldman Koss, appropriate for grades 5 through 8. After seeing the bibliotherapy seminar a few weeks ago, the other intern and I at our elementary school though it would be interesting to follow in the speaker's footsteps and develop a group curriculum for fifth grade girls based on this novel. The speaker at the seminar could not recommend this book enough and said that her fifth grade girls could NOT put it down! Let's see if I feel the same way :)

Here's a description from Amazon.com:

When the other members of Maya's clique decide to ostracize her, the girl is shocked and devastated. She has no clue what she could have done wrong, and neither do Brianna, Renee, or Darcy. However, Candace is their leader, the self-assured one, the one who decides who's in and who's not, and, suddenly, Maya's not. In brief chapters that jump from one girl's perspective to another, a picture emerges of social status and peer pressure among middle schoolers who are struggling to figure out who they are, where they belong, and maybe even what is right.

Middle school cliques, relational aggression, queen bees, what more could a girl ask for, right?

Website You Should Know About: Transition Year!

All you school counselors interning in high schools out there! Check this website out: Transition Year!

According to their website:

" Whether you need help picking a school that is the best fit, are looking for tips on managing stress once on campus, or want guidance in making a smooth transition for a student dealing with an issue like depression, this site has the tools and information you need. The Transition Year is an online resource center to help parents and students focus on emotional health before, during and after the college transition.

It's common to assume that the major obstacle in adjusting to campus life will be academic. However, research shows that emotional issues are most likely to interfere with success at college. Transition Year helps you prepare."

Sounds great to me!

Sexting!

To go along with my previous post about cyberbullying, Sexting (sending sexually explicit messages or photographs, usually via cell phones) is becoming a more and more common phenomenon, and is often included in cyberbullying. For those of you who may be dealing with this issue in your middle or high school, here are some resources you may find useful:

Sexting Fact Sheet: http://www.ncpc.org/resources/files/pdf/internet-safety/NCPC-FactSheet1.pdf

The Lowdown on Sexting: http://www.greatschools.org/parenting/behavior-discipline/sexting.gs?content=2079&print=true&fromPage=all

Talking to Kids and Teens about Social Media and Sexting: http://www.aap.org/advocacy/releases/june09socialmedia.htm

Safety Tips for Tweens and Teens: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/tech/tec14.shtm

Girl Scouts Cyberbullying (Sexting): http://lmk.girlscouts.org/

The Truth About Teens and Sexting: http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=7337547&page=1

Rosalind Wiseman "Sext-Ed": http://rosalindwiseman.com/2010/01/12/sexted/

Gosh, time does fly! Let's talk about...Cyberbullying!

Well, folks, time certainly does fly when you're learning how to be an intern! As you can see, I haven't been updating as frequently as I suspected might occur. I promise, I will try an do better.

Today I want to talk about Cyberbullying. We all know about bullying and how harmful its effects can be on the bully, the victim, and the bystander. And I'm sure, by now, you've all heard about cyberbullying-- the 21st century, technological version of run-of-the-mill bullying--whether it's on the internet, through social media networks like Facebook or MySpace, through cell phones, wherever! -- If it uses technology and it's bullying, then it's cyberbullying.

Read Read Read

Something I keep meaning to do (when I get that oh-so-coveted free time I've always been looking for) is read some more psycho-educational books. We talked about some great ones today that I wanted to share with you, as well as a few more that I've put on the list myself:

The Motivation Breakthrough by Richard Lavoie

Hidden Gifts of an Introverted Child by Marti Olsen Laney

The Trouble with Boys by Peg Tyre

Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys by Dan Kindlon

Queen Bees and Wannabes by Rosalind Wiseman

The Curse of the Good Girl by Rachel Simmons

Happy reading!

And the school year begins!

Welcome back folks! And the school year begins. Some of you may be just beginning your Master's program, others of you may be beginning your second year and that means beginning your internship, getting involved at your on-site internship (whether school or otherwise) and a whole gag of other wonderful things. For my internship site I had the wonderful opportunity of attending a bibliotherapy seminar this morning, and for the next couple of posts I thought I would share some of the books I learned about. Feel free to check them out for yourself!

First, the wonderful seminar was offered by a school counselor by the name of Amy Sauder Lehman who has written the book "That's My Story Too"-- check it out here: http://www.amazon.com/Thats-Story-Brambrut-Sauder-Lehman/dp/1598500821/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1283385367&sr=8-1. This is a book for K-5th grade that includes 4 books/grade with lesson plans and reproducibles for each book. She was a great speaker and clearly knew what she was talking about and could get adults, and surely children, engaged in the material. I highly suggest this resource, and I plan on buying it myself!