Saw this list posted on Facebook and thought they might be good to share with some of your students:

SOME SOCIAL RULES THAT MAY HELP YOU:

1. Don’t call someone more than twice continuously. If they don’t pick up your call, presume they have something important to attend to;

2. Return money that you have borrowed even before the person that borrowed you remember or ask for it. It shows your integrity and character. Same goes with umbrellas, pens and lunch boxes.

3. Never order the expensive dish on the menu when someone is giving you a lunch/dinner.

4. Don’t ask awkward questions like ‘Oh so you aren’t married yet?’ Or ‘Don’t you have kids’ or ‘Why didn’t you buy a house?’ Or why don’t you buy a car? For God’s sake it isn’t your problem;

5. Always open the door for the person coming behind you. It doesn’t matter if it is a guy or a girl, senior or junior. You don’t grow small by treating someone well in public;

6. If you take a taxi with a friend and he/she pays now, try paying next time;

7. Respect different shades of opinions. Remember what’s 6 to you will appear 9 to someone facing you. Besides, second opinion is good for an alternative;

8. Never interrupt people talking. Allow them to pour it out. As they say, hear them all and filter them all;

9. If you tease someone, and they don’t seem to enjoy it, stop it and never do it again. It encourages one to do more and it shows how appreciative you’re;

10. Say “thank you” when someone is helping you.

11. Praise publicly. Criticize privately;

12. There’s almost never a reason to comment on someone’s weight. Just say, “You look fantastic.” If they want to talk about losing weight, they will;

13. When someone shows you a photo on their phone, don’t swipe left or right. You never know what’s next;

14. If a colleague tells you they have a doctors’ appointment, don’t ask what it’s for, just say “I hope you’re okay”. Don’t put them in the uncomfortable position of having to tell you their personal illness. If they want you to know, they’ll do so without your inquisitiveness;

15. Treat the cleaner with the same respect as the CEO. Nobody is impressed at how rude you can treat someone below you but people will notice if you treat them with respect;

16. If a person is speaking directly to you, staring at your phone is rude;

17. Never give advice until you’re asked;

18. When meeting someone after a long time, unless they want to talk about it, don’t ask them their age and salary;

19. Mind your business unless anything involves you directly – just stay out of it;

20. Remove your sunglasses if you are talking to anyone in the street. It is a sign of respect. Moreso, eye contact is as important as your speech; and

21. Never talk about your riches in the midst of the poor. Similarly, don’t talk about your children in the midst of the barren.

22.After reading a good message try to say “Thanks for the message”.

APPRECIATION remains the easiest way of getting what you don’t have.

The American School Counselor Association posted some interview questions for school counselors. Interviewing for a position? It should be helpful to review these questions and think about how you will answer them prior to your interview.

Role of the School Counselor

• How does the school counselor’s role support the school’s mission?
• What do you see as the most effective use of a school counselor’s time?
• How do the ASCA student standards (Mindsets & Behaviors) inform the work of the school counselor?
• When you have implemented the ASCA National Model, how has it affected student success?
• What do you think is the most important characteristic of a school counselor? What’s the most essential characteristic school counselors have that supports a caring/supportive school climate for all students?
• When considering school counseling ethical standards and school policies, how would you handle a conflict between the two?
• How will the school counseling program facilitate a more peaceful/safe school environment? 
• What’s the school counselor’s role in promoting equity and access for all students? 
• What can you provide that is different from a school social worker, school psychologist or mental health counselor? How does the school counselor’s role differ from other student service providers in support of all students?
• What is the difference between a therapist and a school counselor? Or, how do school counselors support students who need therapy to be successful in school?
• Describe your ideal school counseling program. Include some specific examples of what it will include. Or, how does the school counseling program support a school’s school improvement plan? 

Strengths and Interests

• What influenced you to be a school counselor? What’s your journey to becoming a school counselor?
• How will your practical experience inform your role as a school counselor?
• What is your strongest asset? Talk about your strengths and how they will support the implementation of an ASCA National Model program.  
• What do you know about our school that you would consider a strength? A weakness?
• Tell us about a successful (satisfying) case that you have handled? And, one that was not so successful; what would you have done differently? Tell us about a time you helped a student be successful.
• What makes you want to work at ______ School? 
• What do you consider the most important reason(s) for you, personally, to become a member of this faculty? How will you achieve your professional at this school?
• What do you like about working with (grade level) school students?  Describe how your specific skills/interests will help you connect to this student population.
• How would you address cultural differences in a school setting?
• What is something new you could bring to our program? What innovations or current best practices will you incorporate into your delivery of services?
• How do you handle criticism? How can criticism improve one’s work?
• How do you handle stress? Stress is part of schools; how does the ASCA National Model help to manage it? School counselors are confronted with a lot of stressful circumstances and stories. How will you maintain your professionalism and your personal wellness when confronted with these?
• Are you available to work in the evenings for functions such as parent programs, student programs, etc.? Working in a school often includes extended hours. How will you balance work/life demands?
• What experiences have you had in working with special education students? How are special education students included in a school counseling program?
• What has your experience been in working with students of color? LGBTQ students? 
• What is your experience with parenting programs? What support will your counseling program offer to parents? What instructional services can you provide? 
• How do you approach writing letters of recommendation? 
• How do you keep yourself organized? 
• Where do you see yourself in the next five years? 
• Are you proficient in a language other than English? 

School Counseling Program: Define

• How does a school counseling program support the school’s academic mission?
• What is your school counseling/educational philosophy?
• What is the counseling theory or approach that you most closely follow? How does your counseling theory or approach support student learning?
• How does the ASCA National Model support all students?
• How is the ASCA National Model defined, delivered, managed or assessed at an elementary/middle/high school?  

School Counseling Program: Deliver

• How do you develop a plan to deliver the student standards (Mindsets & Behaviors) thru classroom lessons or group sessions?
• How would you approach appraisal and advisement? 
• How do you develop a positive relationship with students in individual counseling? Small-group counseling? What’s the role of a school counselor to student relationship in individual and group counseling?
• What are examples of evidence-based strategies addressing student attendance?

School Counseling Program: Manage

• How do you use data in a school counseling program? How does school data inform the school counseling program? 
• What type of activities would you deliver in a school counseling program to address an achievement gap, opportunity gap or attainment gap? 
• What innovative and new ideas would you like to employ as a school counselor? How does a school counseling program identify, select and implement new ideas to support student success?
• How would you divide your time between meeting the immediate needs of the students and keeping up with the paperwork? How is your use-of-time spent to address the needs of all students? How will you effectively plan and manage your time as a school counselor?
• What technology applications do you see being useful in your work?
• How is your professional development plan a part of the school counseling program? How will you determine your own professional development needs? How will your professional development plan improve the school counseling program?

School Counseling Program: Assess

• How will you assess the school counseling program?
• What type of data would demonstrate an effective school counseling program? How do you use data to reflect on school counseling program goals? How do you use data to inform school counseling program growth? How will you convey this impact to stakeholders?
• What do the most recent state standardized test results indicate about this school district and this school? What is your role regarding standardized testing?

Leadership

• How do you see the word “leader” fitting into your role as a school counselor? How do school counselors model leadership? How is leadership a part of the school counselor’s role? In schools, where can school counselors be leaders?
• Describe a time when you provided leadership around a specific need/issue/situation?

Advocacy

• How have you advocated for students? 
• How does a school counseling program support school counselor advocacy? 
• How do school counselors advocate for students differently than other school staff? 
• How do school counselors advocate for systemic change? 

Collaboration

• What is the school counselor’s role in relation to teachers, parents, administrators and other school counselors?
• How would you address an irate parent?
• How would you address a passive or uninvolved parent?
• How do you see yourself fitting in with school counselors who have many years of experience as veteran teachers? What strengths do you bring as a new school counselor to the department?
• What is your view on collaborative consultation in the schools?
• Describe past interactions with parents in home visits.
• How do you manage conflict and create solutions with stakeholders? 

What Would You Do If …

• One of your students tells you she’s pregnant?
• You suspect one of your students is being abused?
• One of your students talks to you about wanting to kill himself/herself?
• One of your students tells you he/she is being abused?
• A student says a teacher doesn’t like him/her and requests a teacher change?
• A parent asks you to switch their child’s teacher?
• A student asks to be in the same lunch period as their friend?
• You suspect one of your students is abusing drugs/alcohol?
• One of your students admits to being sexually active?
• One of your students tells you he/she is gay?
• One of your student’s parents is terminally ill?
• Your student does not get into his/her top college choice?
• One of your students wants to drop out of school?One of your seniors is not going to graduate?
• A parent asks to meet with you at 5 p.m. because that is the only time he/she can get off of work?
• You see one of your students (or parents) in town?
• One of your students continues to fail math (or any subject) each quarter?
• You have a faculty member’s child in your caseload?

The American School Counselors Association publishes a lot of great information for Counselors. Here is a link to their post: https://www.schoolcounselor.org/About-School-Counseling/Careers-in-School-Counseling/Sample-Interview-Questions?fbclid=IwAR1Q5wH-mst62mxaJja7ln40THDWmJ4RL7mEsQ56bblA8CNP1OCoEnykOus

Many counselors believe students with disabilities or “differences” should have an IEP, or at least a 504 Plan, when transitioning to college. Prior to any further discussion on this topic, we must ask whether the submission of these documents is for admission to college or to receive accommodations.

For admission the simple answer is that no documentation is required, with a few exceptions. Out of approximately 4000 colleges in the US there are only about 250 with specific fee-for-service programs primarily for students with learning disabilities, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or with autism spectrum disorder. Less than a quarter of these colleges evaluate applicants applying to the college and the program simultaneously. These colleges must take the disability into consideration for admission to their special program, thus the college. There are two colleges in the US that are exclusively for students primarily with ASD, LD, ADHD and of course they must consider a student’s disability as detailed in the documentation.

For the vast majority of colleges documentation is not requested or expected at the time of application. In fact, if documentation is sent to an admissions office it is usually returned to the applicant, forwarded to the disability/accommodation office in event the student is accepted, enrolled and requests accommodations, or possibly deleted/shredded. Generally, college admissions counselors are not trained to interpret this information.

Many colleges do not consider disability information at the time of application to avoid potential lawsuits. If a college admissions office considers disability information and then decides to deny the applicant, the college runs the risk of being accused of discrimination. Attorneys representing these colleges advise them NOT to consider an applicant’s disability to avoid a lawsuit based on the claim the applicant was denied because of the disability.

Colleges walk a fine line. It is not illegal to use information about a student’s disability to accept an applicant; however, it is illegal to use the same information for the purpose of a denial.

Other colleges are willing to risk the chance of a lawsuit. As we know, and probably relate to our students and parents, colleges do not look for reasons to deny. They look for reasons to accept. In varying degrees, colleges may use a “holistic approach” when evaluating an applicant. Everything matters. Was there some disaster affecting the applicant’s living arrangements such as a fire, flood or hurricane? Was there a major family disruption such as a divorce or death? During the past couple of years, we have seen many colleges with an essay prompt as to how Covid 19 affected the applicant. These colleges are very interested in how the applicant has dealt with challenges and it is an important piece of making the admissions decision.

A holistic approach would include how a student with a disability handled the challenges of learning. Admissions counselors may want to know whether ACT/SAT scores accurately reflect a student’s academic ability. GPA and rigor of coursework could be considered from a different viewpoint. A student with a reading or language disorder may not have taken a foreign language and the reason should be disclosed to admissions.

Disclosure of a disability would help explain parts of a puzzle that are missing or just don’t fit in well with what a college is looking for. Disclosure can be done by the applicant, in their own words, without submitting an IEP, 504 Plan or reports. Colleges handle applications as they see fit and there are many varieties and exceptions to the preceding information. It is always best to check with each college as to their policies and procedures. However, that being said, my experience has been that not every college is forthright in providing this information. Publicly, a college admissions office may state, “We do not consider disability information in our admissions decision,” when in fact, they could be positively influenced by how a student has done well given their learning, social, sensory or physical challenges.

After a student with a disability is admitted the next step is to receive accommodations, such as extended time for tests. A high school IEP or 504 Plan does not dictate what a college should provide. Colleges (except for a very few) operate under the ADAAA (Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act), formerly and referred to as ADA and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. Section 504 has two sub-sections; one for K-12 and the other for post-secondary education. Therefore, IEPs and high school 504 Plans do not carry over to college. There is no question these documents may be helpful in deciding upon reasonable and justified accommodations and the manner in which they are provided.

As each college admissions office operates in its own fashion, so does the disability/accommodations office. IEPs and 504 Plans add information and credibility but they are far less important than students, parents, special education teachers, school counselors and independent educational consultants think they are.

Receiving accommodations does not depend on a document. It depends upon whether the disability affects a major life activity, such as learning. Here are seven scenarios whereby a college student has no IEP or 504 Plan, and yet receives accommodations:

• A mature parent and college drop-out sees the same behaviors in her children as she displayed as a child. She realizes she has an undiagnosed learning disability (or ADHD) and returns to college for a second attempt.

• A high school senior has attended a small private school since kindergarten. With extra support and tutoring she has done satisfactory work. It is suspected that she has a learning disability (or ADHD).  She is tested by a psychologist and is identified as having a disability.

• An intellectually gifted student does reasonably well in high school, although many feel he should be doing significant superior work. At college he begins to see greater challenges than he did in high school, is not able to manage his time properly, has difficulty passing some subjects and is being placed on probation. He gets tested and discovers he is ADHD and “gifted LD.”

• A college freshman with a medical issue affecting his eyesight becomes visually impaired during the year and requires accommodations to meet the academic requirements.

• During the summer a recent high school graduate develops an illness or medical condition, resulting in an acquired brain injury, which will seriously affect her work in college. 

• A student with epilepsy begins a new medication just prior to attending college. A side effect of the medication is slow processing speed, which will affect her work in college.

• A college freshman was home-schooled through the 12^th grade. While it appeared that she had academic challenges this student’s parents elected not to have her tested by the school district. She began college and experienced significant difficulty. A learning disability was identified after being tested.

All of the students described above are eligible to receive accommodations without having an IEP or 504 Plan. What is needed to obtain accommodations at college? An evaluation by a qualified professional, which states a disability exists and accommodations are needed. The college’s disability or accommodation office will decide if the disability is a substantial limitation of a major life activity (such as learning). It is not the disability, per se, that justifies an accommodation; it is the effect of the disability.

In conclusion, a student’s high school classification or status is not the deciding factor. Having a document such as an IEP or 504 Plan is not required. What is important is whether there is a disability and how the disability limits the student. The college then decides if they can provide accommodations to give the student equal access to an education and if the accommodations are reasonable and justified.

~

Allen Tinkler is the creator of the database book, “Colleges with Superior Services/Programs for Students with Special Needs.” More information is available about this unique resource by visiting his website,  www.CollegeBoundServices.com

You may have heard recently on the news that Joe Rogan has gotten in trouble with some of the controversial things he has said on his podcast. Others famous people such as Chrissy Tiegen and Roseanne Barr have gotten a lot of criticism after posts and Roseanne even was fired from her sitcom. Many unknown people have been arrested for dumb things they have posted on social media.

What does this have to do with your students? A new survey by Kaplan finds that 66 percent of college admissions officers think that applicants’ social media posts are “fair game” to help them determine who gets in.

Kaplan’s 2021 college admissions officers survey shows that a near record percentage of admissions officers think that applicants’ social media postings are “fair game” to help determine who gets in*. Of the hundreds of admissions officers surveyed, 66 percent (up 9 points since 2018) see no issue with social media being part of the admissions equation, a point of view that has gained support in recent years. In Kaplan’s 2020 survey, 65 percent reported they had a “fair game” view; in 2019, it was 59 percent, while the 2018 survey found it to only be 57 percent, and 68 percent in 2017, a high water mark. Taking the contrarian view, 34 percent of admissions officers consider viewing applicants’ social media “an invasion of privacy and shouldn’t be done.”

Among other findings:

• The survey found that 27 percent of admissions officers visit applicants’ social media profiles to learn more about them⁠—significantly down from 36 percent in Kaplan’s 2020 survey**.
• Of admissions officers who have checked out an applicant’s social media footprint, six percent say they do it “often,” a steep drop from the 17 percent who responded this way in Kaplan’s 2020 survey.
• Of the admissions officers who say they check applicants’ social media, 38 percent say that what they found has had a positive impact on prospective students, down from 42 percent in 2020. On the flip side, 57 percent say that what they found had a negative impact, down slightly from the 58 percent who answered this way in 2020.

“Kaplan has been tracking the role of social media in the college admissions process since 2008 and it’s clear that a strong majority of admissions officers have arrived at being philosophically comfortable with the idea of visiting applicants’ social media profiles. Most will continue to say that while social media profiles shouldn’t be off limits, they are much more focused on evaluating prospective students on the traditional admissions factors like GPA, standardized test scores, letters of recommendation, admissions essays, and extracurriculars,” says Isaac Botier, executive director of college admissions programs, Kaplan.

“What also struck us was that a far lower percentage of admissions officers are actually visiting applicants’ social media profiles, compared to the past few years. We believe that given COVID-related issues, admissions officers decided to take a step back and give applicants the benefit of the doubt.”

Share this information with your students and let them know that post they make today could come back to haunt them later so they should really think about what they are posting online.

CollegeWebLD is a comprehensive online resource for information about the disability support services at over 500 U.S. colleges and universities. Many students with learning differences who end up failing out of college within the first year do so because they did not choose a college that was a good fit for them.

The goal of this resource is to better the lives of students with learning differences by assisting them in finding a college where they can be happy and successful, and can become college graduates with meaningful, bright futures. Selecting the right college and starting with the right support are the keys to success. The website includes a College Success Profile tool for users to follow in the college planning process for students who learn differently. It is offered free for use by high school counselors, college counselors, transition coordinators, educational consultants, prospective students and parents, or anyone who needs to have a better understanding of the process of choosing colleges for students with learning differences.

Here is a link to the website: https://www.collegewebld.com/

National School Counseling Week 2022 (#NSCW22) is Feb. 7-11, 2022, to focus public attention on the unique contribution of school counselors within U.S. school systems. National School Counseling Week, sponsored by ASCA, highlights the tremendous impact school counselors can have in helping students achieve school success and plan for a career. National School Counseling Week is always celebrated the first full week in February.

The 2022 theme is School Counseling: Better Together.

Photo Challenge

Celebrate school counseling by taking part in the 2022 National School Counseling Week photo challenge. Simply download each day’s sign, write in your response and then take a picture with it to post to your social media channels. Be sure to tag ASCA and #NSCW22. 

• Monday, Feb. 7: School counselors and other school-based mental health professionals are better together because …
• Tuesday, Feb. 8: School counselors and administrators are better together because…
• Wednesday, Feb. 9: School counselors and teachers are better together because…
• Thursday, Feb. 10: School counselors and the community are better together because…
• Friday, Feb. 11: School counselors are better together because…

Downloads

Download templates and samples for press release, certificate of appreciation, proclamation and morning announcements. Also download a variety of National School Counseling Week logos; photo challenge signs; and images for Twitter, Facebook and other uses. 

Promotional Materials

Check out the selection of posters, stickers bookmarks and door hangers available from ASCA for purchase to help you promote school counseling.