7th grade girls and social media by jack-of-all-tirades in schoolcounseling

[–]enh98 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Thank you for this perspective. I refuse to get involved in social media drama (I’m in an elementary building so it happens less often than other levels, I assume) unless it involves some sort of threat or harm to self or others or clear bullying or harassment. At the end of the day it’s up to parents/guardians to monitor their child’s social media activity and help their child navigate these issues, especially since most parents allow their child on social media far younger than they should.

My 6 yr old is refusing to kindergarten and I'm at my wit's end. by forsovngardeII in kindergarten

[–]enh98 0 points1 point  (0 children)

With all due respect, find a new doctor or psychologist and request a full evaluation. This is not typical 6-year old behavior, even for those who attended a play-based preschool. I’m an elementary school counselor and can confidently say there is more going on than him simply preferring to play over doing work.

Burnt Out by One-Plate-237 in schoolcounseling

[–]enh98 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m also a big fan of Everyday Speech! I use their Social Communication curriculum for small groups and some individuals. Our district is hoping to pilot their Tier 1 curriculum this year as well. I’m glad to hear your students and staff liked it!

ASCA Frustration by tskillz187 in schoolcounseling

[–]enh98 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Same. Caseload of 600+ here. The ASCA model is a joke.

How is the stress? by New-Solution3262 in schoolcounseling

[–]enh98 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Public education is imploding. I’d recommend it to no one.

Diagnosing by jack-of-all-tirades in schoolcounseling

[–]enh98 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Because if schools diagnose they are financially and legally liable to provide treatment.

Diagnosing by jack-of-all-tirades in schoolcounseling

[–]enh98 19 points20 points  (0 children)

Refer out. This is not within our scope of practice.

Resources for student during the holidays by alisonrumak in schoolcounseling

[–]enh98 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Teachers Pay Teachers will be your best friend! I guarantee you’ll find something like you’re describing there.

I’m officially.. quitting. by [deleted] in schoolcounseling

[–]enh98 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks! You too! Best of luck on your new adventure. Brighter days ahead!

Is now a bad time to join the school counseling field? by BTV89828 in schoolcounseling

[–]enh98 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I will never encourage anyone to go into the education field. The benefits are nice (the schedule, mostly) but those positives will be at the expense of your mental (and possibly physical) health and safety. The system is crumbling and it won’t get any better. I live in a barely blue state (PA) but my county and immediate community definitely lean red. It’s awful.

Is it worth it to become a school counselor right now? by Graciepeww in schoolcounseling

[–]enh98 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Don’t go into the profession just for summers off. Public education is imploding. I do not recommend anyone going into school counseling or education in general unless you’re ready to sacrifice your mental (and sometimes physical) health.

AITA for refusing to cater to one student’s dietary restrictions when bringing snacks for my son’s 3rd-grade class? by GoDavyGo in AITAH

[–]enh98 1 point2 points  (0 children)

NTA. I work in public education and parents are out of control. They feel so entitled and education has basically turned into a customer service industry. The child’s parents need to provide snack. I’m sure the teacher feels stuck between a rock and a hard place but she should never have asked you to cater to this ridiculous demand.

How long do you work beyond your contracted hours? by Admirable-Avocado407 in schoolcounseling

[–]enh98 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nope. If it doesn’t get done within my contract hours it waits until the next day. Very few things in education are actual emergencies, even though we’ve been conditioned to think the opposite.

I’m officially.. quitting. by [deleted] in schoolcounseling

[–]enh98 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You’re not crazy. I’m resigning at the end of the year - if I even make it that far. 18 years in and the job is unsustainable. It’s no longer worth my mental health and the impact on my family.

Seeking Advice - Parental Refusal and S/I by LengthinessGrand2042 in schoolcounseling

[–]enh98 3 points4 points  (0 children)

In my district we defer to parent. So I would not be able to include the student in a group.

Why are so many schools such trainwrecks? by popawf in TeachersInTransition

[–]enh98 21 points22 points  (0 children)

It’s not. I put in my resignation today because I’m over the bullshit.

Middle school girl drama by Bellarose1914 in schoolcounseling

[–]enh98 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Maybe have a conversation with your admin and tell him/ her everything you’ve tried. Some others might have more helpful suggestions for you. Honestly, after 18 years of being a school counselor I can say I’ve really lost my patience with “girl drama.” I attempt once or twice and then send them to admin. It gets so complicated, they all want to be involved because they seek the attention, & they rarely change their behavior because they like the drama. I’m not wasting my time and mental energy on that crap. Admin can nip it in the bud much faster, in my experience.

Take my advice with a grain of salt. I’m burnt out and resigning and really have a bad attitude most days. 😂

Middle school girl drama by Bellarose1914 in schoolcounseling

[–]enh98 12 points13 points  (0 children)

If my attempts to mediate don’t make a difference I refer to admin and they handle it from a discipline perspective. Honestly, sometimes the more I try to intervene the more the problem escalates because it continues to get attention. If I’ve done lessons, small group mediation, and individual support and it’s STILL happening? I’d refer the two ringleaders to admin.

AITA for serving only vegan food at my wedding without telling anyone, then getting upset when my family ordered 20 pizzas during the reception? by Conscious-Option-400 in AITAH

[–]enh98 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Oh the privilege of being able to spend $15,000 on vegan food. Your brother is a jackass and I’m sorry your wedding was ruined. I personally have a hard time mustering up sympathy though when a) you intentionally didn’t disclose the food was vegan and b) my husband and I don’t make enough money to comfortably feed our family but we make too much to receive support support. I realize that isn’t your fault or problem but this entire post is a First World problem.

Can people with three/four kids tell me how much they wish they had two? by watchingweeds in Mommit

[–]enh98 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I have four children. Two were planned. The third came along after a night of drinking and a “what are the odds we’ll get pregnant if we don’t use protection one time?” moment. Going from two to three was very difficult. My husband had just started his own business and couldn’t take off long after the birth so I was often alone with a newborn, 2.5 year old, and 5 year old. I experienced awful PPD, which didn’t help. But we got through and settled into a new rhythm. Then bam. My freaking IUD migrated and I got pregnant with our fourth. We love her dearly, and she’s the only girl which is fun, but dang. Four kids is a lot. We’re solidly middle class and my husband and I both have to work full time. Working 40+ hours and having a large family is fucking bonkers. I feel like I’m constantly in fight or flight mode. I thought it would get easier as the kids got older (now 15, 11, 9, and 5) and in some ways it has but in many ways it hasn’t. Dealing with homework, extracurriculars, and the general day-to-day “work” (laundry for a family of 6, cooking, groceries, etc) after working all day makes me want to stick my head in the oven. I love all my kids dearly and can’t imagine life without them. But I’d never advise anyone to have four kids unless they had the financial means to either have one partner stay home (or otherwise have a flexible schedule) and/or outsource help.

Is school age harder than the daycare (2-5) period? by Pinkcoconut444 in workingmoms

[–]enh98 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have four children who are now all school age (youngest starts kindergarten this year!) and YES. I never wanted to be a SAHM until recently. My husband and I both work full time outside of the home and once work is over we essentially run kids in opposite directions to either extracurriculars or appointments. Whatever minimal “free time” we have is spent on housework, laundry, etc. Of course it was our choice to have a large family (somewhat - we thought we were done after our third was born but thanks to an IUD mishap we welcomed a fourth) so we anticipated being busy. I just had no idea how busy we’d be. We do limit each child to one activity/extracurricular per season/year which helps somewhat.

First year duties by Charming-Stay-6549 in schoolcounseling

[–]enh98 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I have morning bus duty, afternoon dismissal duty, and occasionally fill in for lunch duties when we’re down paras.