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March is Social Work Month

Happy National Social Worker Month! National Social Work Month was first organized in the 1960s, and officially recognized by the White House in 1984, as a great way to bring attention and give thanks to professional social workers. Today, nearly 700,000 provide social work support and services nationwide — the demand for social services has never been greater.

Each year, the National Association of Social Workers chooses a theme to highlight during March. This year, that theme is “The Time is Right for Social Work.”

As the Illinois Chapter of NASW recently explained in a blog post, “The time is always right for social work. However more people are entering the field because the life-affirming services that social  workers provide are needed more than ever. This is especially true as our nation continues to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic, systemic racism, economic inequality, global warming, and other crises.”

As a way to celebrate this year’s National Social Worker Month, we wanted to highlight some free resources that might be of interest. These resources are designed for prospective and current social work degree program students and include:

  • A Guide to Social Worker Code of Ethics: Ethics is a key component of the social work profession. This guide covers social work ethics, how ethics guide social workers’ behaviors and actions, and how professionals build their knowledge and skills around ethical dilemmas. In addition, state requirements for ethics training are covered, as is a discussion around how social work ethics apply to our now largely remote-working world. 
  • A Guide to Social Work Field Instruction: Field instruction is a critical part of a social work education. While traditional coursework gives you an idea of the types of situations you may encounter in your work, there is no substitute for practical real world experience. In field placements, students have the opportunity to put the skills they are learning into practice while receiving guidance from an experienced supervisor.
  • MSW Online: This is the gateway into a number of other degree, career, and professional resources all geared towards prospective social work students and early career professionals. In addition to free guides and resources, degree pages contain “ask an expert” profiles, which are short interviews with social work professions from around the country. 

Free Webinar: Extracurricular Activities and College Planning

A free webinar is offered to all Counselors by Michele McAnaney of the College Spy on Extracurricular Activities and College Planning.

This presentation is for parents of students in grades 8 through 12. The webinar will cover extracurricular activities in great detail and answer the following questions:

  1. What are colleges REALLY looking for?
  2. How important are extracurricular activities in college admissions?
  3. What should my child do if he/she/they don’t have many activities to list on the application?
  4. How should my child fill out the activities section of the application to maximize chances of acceptance?

It will be held on March 22nd at 8:00 PM Eastern. Here is the link to register: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/1316473996093/WN_24YbiS0WT7iqsQvSonXzMg

Free Webinar: Your Neurodivergent Student and the Launch to College

Anticipating the shift from high school to college can feel overwhelming for many parents and teens; neurodivergent teens may face even more challenges in navigating this transition. This presentation will help parents approach the change as a gradual process, helping their child take charge of their academics and build the self-advocacy skills needed to become a successful college student. Parents will learn to pivot from the role of high school parent to the role of college parent by helping their student create an awareness and narrative of their specific learning needs; prepare for the important differences between high school and college academic expectations; understand what it means to seek learning accommodations and other support resources in college; and expand their teen’s ability to independently problem-solve.

The webinar will take place on April 12th at 8:00 pm Eastern Time. It is free to attend. Please share this with your parents that might have an interest. Here is the link –https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/3816469404416/WN_sfmVotc7Rxqfuy5FYtJyTw

We Love Your College Essay Questions

We get lots of questions from counselors, teachers, and consultants. In emails. During monthly pro chats. At professional conferences. In Facebook messenger. LinkedIn. And from readers of Link for Counselors. 

Questions range from how to know if a topic is good enough to handling sensitive essay topics and best practices for last-minute essay reviews.
 
We love answering your questions. As you know by now, we give the basics to everyone because we like to share what we know.

As you prepare for the Class of 2023, let’s talk about that myth of getting the students to dig really, really deep into their minds to write outstanding college essays. We get lots of questions focused on tips to help students reflect to go deeper.

They need to reflect, but they don’t need to wrack their brains out trying to dive deep. Meet them where they are. Help them reflect to the best of their ability.

Ask questions. Be curious. Ask follow-up questions. Focus on the why. What does the student want to write about? What trait does this story demonstrate? Why do they want to share it with admissions?

It’s not a great idea to push a student too far if they have trouble reflecting. And that’s not what colleges want in an application essay. The job is to answer the prompt with a genuine, meaningful, and reflective story focused on the applicant. They want to know who your student is, what makes them tick, how that student might fit in at a particular college. That’s it.

We also get a lot of questions about handling parents who overstep. In fact, recently,

a counselor posted this question in the Wow Community forum: How do you help students share essays with parents and others in a way that will help them?
 
Our response: We encourage students to share the prompt, the theme, and the essay together, along with instructions for how they want the reader to respond. Here are some key points to include when asking for feedback:

  • I am proud of the work I’ve done.
  • My essay [demonstrates these characteristics/will help readers see why I’m a good fit/etc.
  • If you find any typos or have questions about clarity, please let me know.
  • But I’m not asking if you like my topic! I like my topic.
  • Also, keep in mind that I’m a high school student, and that’s what I’m supposed to sound like.
  • So, if you have a “better” way to write something, please don’t ask me to revise.

Kim Lifton, of Farmington Hills, MI, is President and Co-founder of Wow Writing Workshop, which teaches students and educational professionals a simple, step-by-step process for writing effective college essays, so students can stand out and tell their stories. Kim leads a team of writers and teachers who understand the writing process inside and out. Since 2009, Wow has been leading the college admissions industry with our unique approach to communicating messages effectively through application essays, including personal statements, activity and short answer essays and supplements. Kim is also an executive board member of Michigan ACAC and a national delegate. When she is not teaching students or training professionals, Kim likes to write her own stuff, do yoga at her synagogue, drink coffee, and swim laps (slowly but steadily) a few mornings a week at the high school she attended a very, very long time ago.

What about those elite summer programs – “pay-to-play”– worth it?

Many students have probably been impressed with the fancy mailings they’ve been receiving notifying them that “You’ve been nominated” or “Congratulations, you’ve been identified as a strong candidate for our selective program.”

Hopefully your scam antennae is up. You’re probably asking yourself, why are they spending so much money on these fancy envelopes, the personalization, the multitude of enclosures, etc. Yes, you’re right, it is a marketing ploy. I often wish I could convince these companies to reduce their marketing costs and then cut the costs of these programs.

The programs are solid, students have great experiences, learn a lot, enjoy being in an academic environment on a college campus away from their family – those are all points in their favor. The downside is that they are very pricey, hence elite and are typically not very selective at all. I refer to them as the “pay-to-play” programs. I believe they carry little or no weight in the college admissions process.

The companies behind the programs are typically for-profit enterprises that often try to present themselves an non-profit organizations. They run elaborate marketing campaigns that make the programs look as if they are incredibly selective. That is usually not the case.

The big question is, “Will these programs help get me into college?”

I think colleges are happy to see these programs on a student’s resume but it mostly indicates that the student is from an upper-middle-class background and can afford a $3,000 – $10,000 summer experience.

So, if the biggest reason you’re considering attending one of these programs is because you think it will seal the deal to gain acceptance at your dream college, think again. These programs won’t hurt you and if your family can afford it, they can provide great learning experiences and exposure to professors and other motivated students.

Another motivation might be to “test-drive” a college campus or a city to see if it represents a good fit; if that’s the case, then these programs can be incredibly valuable on a variety of levels. You may have assumed you wanted the hustle-bustle of a city, but the reality of noisy streets and a more impersonal campus and student body, doesn’t jibe with what you anticipated for your college experience. How wonderful to learn that now, while you’re still in high school, instead of finding that out freshman year.

The most important thing to do this summer is do something that matters to you; show a college what you care about, what you’re curious about, what motivates you, what makes you different. Use your summer wisely.

Lee Bierer, Bierer College Consulting, has been an independent educational consultant since 2006. www.leebierer.com; leesbierer@gmail.com, 704-907-5685.

Top 20 Must-Have Skills to Put on a Resume

Top 10 Soft Skills:

  1. Problem Solving 
  2. Critical Thinking 
  3. Flexibility
  4. Communication 
  5. Teamwork
  6. Organization 
  7. Creativity
  8. Emotional Intelligence
  9. Attention to Detail
  10. Responsibility

Top 10 Hard Skills: 

  1. Computer Software and Application Knowledge
  2. Design
  3. Data Analysis
  4. Negotiation
  5. Mathematics
  6. Project Management
  7. Marketing
  8. Administrative
  9. Writing Skills
  10. Foreign Languages


More details and examples of how to effectively organize both soft and hard skills on a resume can be found in the blog post here.

Some Social Rules that May Help Your Students

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.

Sample Interview Questions for School Counselors

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

How to Manage Anxious Parents?

A couple of years ago, a friend took his son, a talented member of his school’s rowing team, on a tour of elite East Coast colleges and universities.

When he returned home, he was excited to tell me what he heard from MIT’s admissions team about college essays. TheMIT rep said that beyond grades and test scores (which are now optional),the match between the applicant and the school drives their final selection process.

The rep then suggested students put their time and effort into answering the school’s five short essay prompts. Because beyond everything else, they want applicants to share through thoughtful, honest and authentic answers to MIT’s questions.

My friend, who had been “helping” his child way too much with his Common App essay (we got him on track with a new one!), finally got the message after hearing the MIT rep speak. Phew!

But he is not the only parent who comes to this college admissions journey with unrealistic expectations about the essay’s role in college admissions. Let’s face it: Parents who overstep their role and have unrealistic expectations can suck the life out of us and prevent any of us from doing our job effectively, whether you are a high school counselor or an independent educational consultant.

We ask parents to fill out a “fit form” before scheduling an informational meeting; we communicate our process and their expected role in emails before the student starts writing. This is something you may want to consider in helping your students.

What do you do to help set parent expectations? I’d love to hear. You can email me your best tips at kim@wowwritingworkshop.com.

Kim Lifton, of Farmington Hills, MI, is President and Co-founder of Wow Writing Workshop, which teaches students and educational professionals a simple, step-by-step process for writing effective college essays, so students can stand out and tell their stories. Kim leads a team of writers and teachers who understand the writing process inside and out. Since 2009, Wow has been leading the college admissions industry with our unique approach to communicating messages effectively through application essays, including personal statements, activity and short answer essays and supplements. Kim is also a board member of MACAC. When she is not teaching students or training professionals, Kim likes to write her own stuff, do yoga at her synagogue, drink coffee, and swim laps (slowly but steadily) a few mornings a week at the high school she attended a very, very long time ago. Check them out at www.wowwritingworkshop.com

How to Avoid These 7 Student Loan Mistakes

It makes financial sense to invest in a decent education. On average, college graduates earn more than those with merely a high school education. They are also less likely to be unemployed. These are excellent reasons to attend college, but paying for it with own funds might be tough. Many students rely on loans to make ends meet, putting themselves at danger of making major financial blunders.

“It is crucial to make sure that you are cautious when incurring any form of debt, and to always understand or review the terms of that loan upfront,” Jayson Matlock, a financial aid counselor at Southern Utah University, recommended. Debt, on the other hand, should not be feared because it may assist you in overcoming many challenges in life. All you have to do now is make sure you’re financially capable of paying off your debt while keeping a good standard of living.”

SUU, a fellow Education of Distinction, has put up a list of major blunders to avoid when it comes to paying for college.

Ignoring the availability of free money
Taking out a loan has a cost associated with it. The money must not only be repaid, but it must also include interest, which increases the total cost. Grants and scholarships are non-repayable kinds of financial aid, making them excellent options for helping students pay for education. Active service and honorably discharged military personnel can benefit from military benefits. Employees may be eligible for tuition help or reimbursement from their employers.

Excessive Spending
While many students manage their student loans properly, there is always the temptation to spend money on things that aren’t necessary. Avoid taking trips and vacations with your loan money, as well as occasional shopping sprees. These sorts of hasty decisions can cost you a lot of money, but they can simply be avoided with a little self-control.

Taking out a larger loan than necessary
Loans can assist bridge the gap between your financial resources and the expense of your education, but you should only take on as much debt as you need. To cover your day-to-day expenditures, seek part-time employment. The concept is straightforward: the less money you borrow now, the less money and interest you will have to repay later. It’s also crucial to plan ahead and figure out what the typical wage in your chosen sector is in order to estimate how much you’ll be able to afford in monthly loan payments.

Uncertainty about your repayment options
Benjamin Franklin once said, “What you can achieve now, you don’t have to put off to tomorrow.” This is true for student loan refinance as well. You can save time and money if you understand the intricacies of repayment. Inquire about repayment choices with your loan servicer to see which plan is best for you. Depending on your circumstances, you have a variety of alternatives, including income-based repayment arrangements. To prevent defaulting on your loan and damaging your credit, it’s critical to keep in touch with your loan servicer.

For Fixed Rates, Variable Interest Rates Can Be Confusing
While this is required for all loans, not all interest is created equal. The two forms of debt levels are fixed and variable interest rates. A fixed-rate is one that does not change during the period of the loan. A variable rate is one that fluctuates throughout the course of a new loan life. Whereas lending rates may appear to be less expensive at first than fixed rates, they can soon escalate, requiring you to spend much more. Try to ask your mortgage servicer about how interest capitalizes over time.

Getting a private loan before applying for a federal loan
Always pick federal student loans first when borrowing money for education. These loans have more favorable repayment conditions, are more readily available, and are less costly than private loans. These loans have set interest rates and do not need a credit check. Private loans should only be considered if you are no longer qualified for government loans or if your federal loan maximum has been surpassed.

Failing To Consult With A Financial Aid Counselor
Financial aid counselors are a valuable resource that can assist you in making the best decisions possible when it comes to paying for college. They have years of knowledge and can answer any concerns you may have, as well as assist you in applying for scholarships and grants and determining the best financing for you. Once you’ve decided on an institution, make sure to inquire about the financial assistance options available. If you schedule an interview with a financial aid expert, you may discover wonderful opportunities that will make paying for college much easier!

Livia Neistat has eight years of experience as an international instructor. To support student conduct and progress, she attempts to employ positive reinforcement teaching approaches. She feels that teaching overseas boosts one’s self-assurance.

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