Ten Secrets to Effective Parent Communication

parent teacher conference

Communicating Effectively with Parents As the school year begins, an important part of starting school for every counselor is establishing communication with parents.  This is especially true in the younger years but even in later years, counselors have a responsibility to keep parents informed.  I know you probably got into this field because you enjoy…

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Taking the Stress out of Holiday Giving

kids and Christmas gifts

Holiday Giving and the 5 Love Languages Do you feel like your children or students have a case of the “Christmas gimmies?” Is “no” fast becoming  your most frequently used word during the holiday season? Are you rushed and stressed already about shopping and hosting family events? The holiday season is here and as usual…

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Teaching a child persistence

boy watching soccer

Children and Persistence Here’s a pop quiz for you: Your child begs you to take piano lessons.  You aren’t so sure it’s worth the time and commitment.  After all, no one in your family has an ounce of musical ability and it’s a big expense. She is persistent though so you decide to give it a…

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5 Creative Ways to Get Students’ Attention

Rear view of pupils raising arms during the lesson

How to Hook Students at the Beginning of a Lesson Ever been to a conference where the keynote speaker started out with… “Take out your textbook and turn to page 24”? Me neither. If they did… well their audience would probably either head for the exit or start playing Candy Crush on their iphone. Great…

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Empower Your Family with a Mission Statement

family mission statement

Does Your Family Have a Mission Statement? The idea of a mission statement is not new.  Businesses have put in countless hours hashing out their mission statement. The idea then moved on to personal mission statements thanks to Stephen Covey among others. What if we applied this idea to our families? Or our classrooms? Would…

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Andy Stanley Parenting Tips

happy kids

Guidelines for Parenting A few years ago, Andy Stanley, senior pastor at Northpoint Church, created a message series entitled Future Family.   In one of the sessions, Andy and his wife, Sandra talk about things they learned and advice they have followed as parents.  It was a brave and informative session because no matter what…

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