February 8, 2024 • 29 mins
Welcome to this thrilling episode of the Affton Unplugged Podcast! Join Superintendent Travis Brach with our two special guests, Jane Bohn and Hannah Dreas, as we celebrate National School Counseling Week through an exploration of the significant roles school counselors play within the Affton School District.
In this episode, Jane from Affton High School and Hannah from Mesnier Primary School share insightful stories about their roles, responsibilities, and aspirations as school counselors. They uncover the multifaceted aspects of their work, that stretch beyond classroom schedules to crisis counseling, individual student planning, and career development programs.
As we delve deeper into the conversation, we highlight the unique facets of school counseling at different grade levels, illustrating the criticality of their roles throughout a student's educational journey. Our school counselors showcase their dedication to students’ wellbeing and their personal experiences that shape their efforts behind the scenes.
Wait until the end, as we hear from Harley, Blessed, and Lucas - some of our youngest learners at Mesnier Primary School, to gain an understanding of their experiences with their school counselors. They discuss the impact of counselor-led initiatives in developing their problem-solving abilities and emotional management skills.
This episode provides an in-depth view of the evolving landscape of school counseling in the Affton School District. Listen in, as we celebrate the accomplishments of our school counselors during National School Counselor Week and develop an appreciation for these unsung heroes of our educational system.
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(00:00):
Music.
(00:20):
Welcome to Afton Unplugged, a podcast by the Afton School District that highlights
the people and stories that make the district great.
I'm your host, Superintendent Travis Brock, and in the Afton School District,
education is the most important thing we do.
Music.
(00:50):
All right. Thanks for joining me for this episode of the Afton Unplugged podcast.
And this particular episode is meant to celebrate our school counselors.
National School Counseling Week is February 5th through the 9th.
And so certainly we want to give a shout out to all of our school counselors
across the Afton School District.
But specifically, I'm honored to have two of our counselors here with me as
(01:13):
guests. So we have Jane Bone, who's a school counselor at the high school,
and Hannah Dreyas, who's a school counselor at Mainier Primary School.
And I encourage you to stick with us because after we talk with them,
we're also going to hear from three of our youngest learners at Mainier Primary School,
and they're going to demonstrate for us what they learn from their school counselors
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throughout the year. Jane, Hannah, thanks for joining me.
Happy to be here. Happy to be here. All right. And let's do some introductions.
So tell us a little bit about yourself.
Maybe how long have you been in Afton? Did you do anything professionally before you came to Afton?
And maybe what keeps you busy outside of work? Do you have a family? Do you have hobbies?
What goes on outside of work? Just so people get to know you a little bit.
(01:56):
So who would like to start?
I can go first. Okay. So I'm Jane Bone. I am one of the counselors at the high
school. I have worked at Afton for 14 years.
I'm currently the junior counselor at the high school, and I also serve as the
lead counselor for the high school.
And I've also been coaching the girls' swim team the whole time I've been here.
Before Afton, I did a year as a study hall monitor and a year as a counselor
(02:19):
and test coordinator at Lafayette High School.
I am married and I have two girls
that are seven and nine and they keep me very busy outside of school.
But when I do have free time, I really like to crochet. That's been a passion of mine.
And I just recently started a crochet club at the high school.
That's been really fun. Yeah. I've seen pictures.
That's a whole nother episode. I'll get in contact with you because someone
(02:42):
did bring that attention, the crochet club.
So, yeah. Thanks for bringing that up. Absolutely. You reminded me of another
topic for another time. Great. Hannah, tell us a little bit about yourself.
So this is my fifth year in Afton. Before this, I was a school counselor over
at an elementary school in Independence, Missouri, and then moved back home.
My mom's the happiest she's ever been.
(03:04):
We're here with all the family. And outside of Afton, my husband and I,
we love going hiking and camping.
And in the summer, I volunteer with a camp called Midwest Children's Burn Camp.
This will be my 11th summer with them. And it's a camp for kids who've been
severely burned in fires or kitchen, that household accidents and stuff.
(03:25):
And it's really neat because I get to see the kids from when they were tiny
little babies grow up and be counselors in training and counselors at the camp, too.
And it's just a great place to be. Yeah, I think I have heard about that, too.
I don't know how that got it on my radar, but you working with that program
over the summer, I have heard about that, too. And you're recently married, right?
Yes, we got married over the summer. So kids at school have been getting used
(03:48):
to calling me Mrs. Dreyas instead of Ms. Weesey, but I always tell them both still work.
Good. Well, congratulations on that. Thank you.
All right. Let's kind of talk a little bit about roles, responsibilities,
and maybe some recognitions that have been received within Afton as it pertains
to our school counselors.
So maybe you start out with the basic. What does it take to become a school
(04:10):
counselor? I know what it took to become a classroom teacher.
A high school science teacher is what I used to do. too. But I kind of have
an idea of what it takes to be a school counselor, but I know you can enlighten
us even more. So let's start there.
So one of the big things is that you have to have a master's degree in counseling.
So that's one of the things that's different from teachers.
To even to start as a counselor, you have to have a master's.
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But a lot of the rest of it, we had to do internships. We had to take a practice test.
So it's similar to the teachers with their student teaching.
We each spent semesters shadowing another counselor.
The path to get to that master's is different for everybody. buddy.
I went, I got my undergrad in psychology and then went straight on to the grad
school to get my master's.
I know Heather Mayfield at the high school, she worked as an SSD teacher for
(04:55):
a while and then got her master's and moved on to counseling.
So those are kind of the different paths. Some people teach first,
some people go straight into counseling.
I think before you used to have to be a teacher before you could go into counseling,
but they've changed that in the past year.
So like Jane, I went straight from my undergrad into the master's program and
right into school counseling.
(05:15):
Yeah. There's different paths people take to get here. Right.
But I think you made a good point. Like I was able to start teaching science
with a bachelor's degree.
I did get my master's over several years, still continue to teach science.
And it really isn't set up that way for school counseling.
You got to have that master's. So even if you do start your career doing something
else, you you kind of have to have that master's degree in order to to to serve in that role.
(05:38):
So that that is a little bit different. And I'm glad you pointed that out.
Talk a little bit about what are some of the roles and responsibilities.
And I know they're wide and varied. So we can't cover everything,
you know, just like teachers get pulled into a number of things that maybe aren't
specifically in the job description. But maybe start with just a general framework.
(05:59):
In general, this is the framework of a school counselor. Here are the areas we try to serve.
And then certainly you can pivot into some of those other things that you get
involved with, even though they may not fit into those nice buckets or segments.
And so talk to us just a little bit about what makes sense when it comes to
roles and responsibilities and how to explain that to people. Yeah.
(06:20):
So everything we do as a school counselor kind of falls under three domains.
There's social-emotional, which a lot of people, oh, they think a counselor,
they're going to help with the social-emotional help, and we definitely do that.
But we're also helping kids with their academic growth and then their career development.
And I'm sure Jane over at the high school, she's doing a lot more with that
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career development than we're doing over here at Maine.
You're here, we're just doing some more exploration with that.
And then under those three domains, we're kind of trying to do things under
this guidance, counseling, and curriculum,
individual student planning, where we're helping kids with their plans that
they need to be successful.
We also do a bunch of responsive services, that counseling needs,
(07:04):
whether in groups, individuals, crisis response.
And we're also doing system support, where we're evaluating our program and
what we need to do to keep our program running as a counseling team.
Yeah. And the three categories, academic, social, emotional,
and college look very different across the four buildings.
Like Hannah said, there's not a whole lot of the college and career readiness
(07:27):
happening here, but that's a huge part of our program at the high school in
that we have a counselor dedicated to college or counseling, Mary Genta,
and now our senior counselor as well, because those kids are really doing their
final push towards that college and career plan.
So having her with her guidance on and just the knowledge she has with all the
different trades and schools and employment opportunities and military contacts,
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that's a big part of what we do at the high school. Gotcha.
Anything else? And again, those are broad categories.
And then certainly you have specific things that you do within those.
Anything you might like to highlight?
So when you think about those domains, those seem pretty big picture,
but I do know you definitely get into details and there's very specific either processes, programs,
(08:12):
anything come to mind that you'd like to maybe highlight that is very specific
to something that is executed, whether it's here at Manure or at the high school
that fits within some of those domains.
Yeah, I think what I really love about Main Year is we're spending a lot of
time in the guidance, counseling, and curriculum area.
We go into the classrooms at least three times a month, if not four times a
(08:33):
month. So the kids are seeing us frequently.
And we're doing short little lessons that hit their attention spans, 15 to 20 minutes.
And we're covering all sorts of topics for them. We're talking about our feelings,
how to handle our anger, what to do with tattling or kindness or how we can
(08:53):
handle worries, self-esteem.
And then we also do a little bit of career exploration. We're even talking about manners and honesty.
So all sorts of things that we
see kids in kindergarten, first and second grade that they need to learn.
And an added benefit besides the fact that it's fun to go in with puppets and
games and art activities.
(09:14):
Is that the kids see us out in the classroom setting. So they're getting to
see from a young age that the counselor is someone here in the building who
can support me and help me solve a problem.
So should they have a problem here or down the road, they've had this experience
where the counselor is someone safe and happy and that they're learning this
is a place that they can go to help solve their problems.
(09:36):
Gotcha. And so that's kind of what you described you can kind of think of as
a lesson plan that's connected to standards, It's connected to a bigger framework.
The state of Missouri or either nationally has put together.
So I think that's good to point out is that counselors do kind of have that
same framework of standards.
They try to connect their lesson plans or the things that they're doing to those
(09:58):
standards and framework school counseling.
Was it the comprehensive school counseling framework? So not so different than
what I think teachers are trying to do, but definitely the way that it's delivered
and how the students experience that may be a little bit different.
So, yeah, thanks for that example. Jane, maybe at the secondary level,
high school, maybe give us some examples of what that looks like to actually
(10:21):
dive really deep into a particular domain.
And how does that look and feel for you? Sure. So what we're working on right
now is our individual planning.
And that's a big part of the high school as well.
So we're planning for next year's classes already, January.
But we are looking at planning for next year.
So we have been, the kids in their advisory classroom have been reviewing all
(10:44):
of the course options and what they need to graduate, what classes make sense
for the careers they're interested in. And then this week, we started having individual meetings.
So across the next three weeks, we'll be having an individual meeting with every
freshman, sophomore, and junior in the high school to plan their classes for next year.
And that's something that is always really interesting for me because we get
to really talk about like their career plans and connect those with the high
(11:07):
school. And some kids kind of have trouble seeing that, like,
future goal that what they're taking next year really does connect with their career in the future.
So this is a chance for us to talk to them about why personal finance is going
to be really important if this is the career, well, in life in general,
but also in certain careers that they're looking for.
And it's fun to have those conversations with them. Okay.
(11:27):
When you think about some of those unique aspects, whether it's at Manure dealing
with kids in kindergarten through second grade or high school,
nine through 12, anything else come to mind that is it's in the it's in kind of a similar domain,
but it looks distinctly different. Anything else unique that comes to mind?
So over here at Manure, when we're doing responsive services,
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we do a lot of small groups because we have a lot of tiny humans here.
A lot of our small groups are focusing on social skills. So we're doing activities
where they're learning to take turns.
They're learning how to respond when they lose.
And we're doing them in games and play because that's how kids learn.
That's the natural setting.
So that's when we're taking the time to stop and talk about how can we respond
(12:13):
or what can we do to calm down when we realize we got really mad.
So we're helping them learn those social skills.
And we have usually between 12 or 13 small groups going at a time.
So there's a lot of kids who come in and out of the office and it looks like
fun and games to them, but there's a purpose behind it.
It's helping them learn those social skills and practice it in a smaller group setting.
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And it's also really nice when we have friends come in like mid-year who came
to a new school or when we have kids who come in from another country to help
them with that social development and making friends because sometimes it can
be overwhelming to come into a completely new setting.
So that's something we do here a lot with the kids that's.
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We see them really enjoying it, and it's also a great way for them to get some social skills. Gotcha.
Anything else, Jane, you might want to point out that's a little unique at the secondary level?
One of the things I think a lot of people have, like the notion that at the
high school, the counselors are just changing schedules and just helping you with your classes.
And we do so much more than that. And maybe not every kid needs to come down
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and talk to us about something other than their schedule.
But for the kids that do need it, being able to be there for them and form those relationships.
Partnerships and another thing is that we have a lot of resources that
we can refer kids to so we currently have counselors from four
different agencies that come into our building every week
to have individual counseling with students because we're
really more for like the crisis counseling to get through a situation and get
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back to class but we have for students that need more support we have counselors
that can come to school and work with them okay yeah that's a good point is
that certainly you guys cover a lot and at the same time sometimes here at the
at the elementary level.
But a lot of times at the high school level, we do have outside organizations
that are the reason they exist is to help.
We have an MOU with them and we know the type of support they're offering to
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our students. So that's a good point to bring out.
Anything else you want to touch on with roles and responsibilities?
I know we could go on and on about just every single thing and then we'll pivot
to recognitions here in just a minute.
But anything else come to mind or you might want to mention?
I think at the elementary level, a lot of what we're doing is just trying to get kids.
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We're trying to show them there's another adult here at school who can help
you be a problem solver. We're trying to show them that counselors are here to help.
They might seem like small problems now. They're homesick.
There's nothing they like at lunch. But when they see that the adults at school
are helping them with those small problems and talking to them and validating it,
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it helps them if they have a bigger problem down the line to realize that they
can seek out that adult help and assistance to figure out how to manage it.
We do a lot of relationship building where they're in the mornings as they're
getting out of the cars, where they're in the afternoons as they're getting
on the bus to go home or out at Car Riders.
And we also try and do lunch bunches once a week where every week two different
(15:08):
teachers get to pick some kids to come and have lunch with us.
And a lot of times it's just like a positive relationship building time.
And they think it's really cool because we get to ride up the elevator with
our trays so we don't drop them. Okay. Yeah. It's very special.
Yeah, just all sorts of little things we're doing to help build that positive
relationship with the kids. Yeah, I think that's the one thing I was going to
(15:30):
mention, although it looks a little bit different there.
You are trying to reach out to kids, you know, building a relationship through
either a curriculum lesson or in your case,
maybe talking about the schedule, but still trying to to build that relationship
through positive interactions so that whenever you do have to do a responsive
service, you know, they feel comfortable.
(15:52):
You've got that relationship built already.
What are kind of pivoting into recognitions or just maybe things you might want
to highlight, whether they're accomplishments throughout the whole department
or maybe individual schools?
What are some of those things you might like people to know that you feel is
kind of special and that the school counselors are kind of proud of?
(16:13):
So this year at the high school, we got well, we have a new counselor and she's been doing awesome.
So that's been really nice. It's kind of like revitalized our office area.
Just it's been fun. But we also have two new programs that we've been working with.
One is Character Strong, which is a curriculum for social emotional learning.
And that is something at the high school that is not hit the same way at main
(16:34):
year. Like we're supposed to focus more on the individual planning and college and career.
But it's still an important aspect, and we still have students that need these
social-emotional skills.
So this program has lessons that are made that I'm able to pull through and
create that our kids will watch in advisory.
And in the past, some of the lessons we've had have been kind of cheesy and,
(16:54):
like, not great for high school students.
But this curriculum was actually designed with and for high school students.
And I've been really happy with the lessons. one of the things I really loved
that we started the year with that we'll do again is our to be word.
So we always talk about what you want to do with your life, what you want to
be when you grow up, but we are what you want to do when you grow up,
but we don't talk about who you want to be.
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So instead of like, I want to, you know, go to med school, it's I want to be
a caring, helpful, kind person.
So at the beginning of the year, every student was asked to pick their to be word.
And then we've gone back to that a few times and worked on to be challenges.
Like today, Today, I want you to be grateful and say thank you to three people
who have helped you this past week.
And it's just been really cool, like a different kind of thing for the high
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school. We haven't had that curriculum in so long, and it's been really helpful.
And then we also got School Links, which is more on the college and career planning
track, which we've been using for course selection, which has been awesome.
And it has built-in interest inventories and things where kids can help start
exploring their careers.
And I think the goal is that they're going to be applying to colleges through
that in future years. So those two things have really had a big impact on what
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we're able to do because we're not starting from scratch.
We're able to use the stuff that's already been researched and vetted,
and then we can put it into use in our school.
Yeah, I think at your level, that's a good point to make. It's true of all levels.
There's always kind of this constant evolution of we don't just do things the
way they were done 20 years ago.
So we're not applying to college the same way. And even if we're not there yet,
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there's a vision for doing things differently.
Same way, as you mentioned, with character education lessons.
20 years ago, we probably weren't doing things this way, but we're trying to
be responsive to, you know, what what we think our kids need now and we'll set them up for success.
So, you know, what what else comes to mind with you with recognitions or things
that are going out that you think need to be mentioned?
(18:40):
So one program we're using here at Mainier is Second Steps. So in addition to
the counselor lessons that Mrs.
Smith and I do in the classrooms, every student every day is getting some Second Steps social skills.
So that's a program where we're pulling different lessons about what it means
to be a listener, what it means to be a learner, what does it look like to be
(19:02):
here in school, how can we handle arguments with friends, how can you solve problems.
So every class is getting that curriculum.
And then in addition, they're also getting the school counseling curriculum.
So we're really hitting those social emotional skills here, which I think is
really important for everyone, but especially when they're young like this.
In addition to reading, writing, and math and science, we also want them to
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learn how to solve problems and handle difficulties that will come up in their life.
And also at Main Year, we are a recognized Ask a Model program.
So a few years ago, former counselor Leah Laura Murr and I, we went through
the process where we had to, it's kind of like a program evaluation tool, which was really cool.
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So it shows that our school counseling program is aligned to the American School
Counselor Association standards for a program.
So that means we're doing direct and indirect services with the students.
We're doing the program planning.
And we also had to show that because of the school counseling program,
we've had some improved student outcomes.
So we got to do things like craft a mission and vision statement.
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And it also was a really good like self-check on our program.
Like, how is our calendaring going for how we're spending our time?
What do our lesson plans look like? Are we lining them up with the grade level
expectations that DESE has for school counseling? And what does our results
report look like from these small groups we're doing?
Are we helping kids actually gain these social skills that we're working for?
(20:36):
So it was a big process, but it was really neat to be able to see that,
yes, what we're doing here in Afton is aligning with the best practices from
the School Counselor Association. Yeah.
Well, thanks for mentioning that. I was I was aware of that.
And I think we did a special recognition maybe at a board meeting or something for that.
It's very cool. I know we've kind of looked at both ends of the spectrum here.
(20:58):
So I appreciate you guys joining me. We've gotten a good snapshot of what goes
on in grades K through two, some information on what's happening nine through 12.
And then our other buildings are similar, maybe not exactly the same,
but you know, in grades three through five, lots of similarities to what you
talked about, Hannah, six through eight, some similarities to what you talked
about, Jane, even though there definitely are probably some nuances in there.
(21:20):
So I do think that was good to give us kind of the tail ends,
if you will. And then there's a lot there's a lot in between.
Anything else as we wrap up that you want to mention?
We didn't cover? I don't think so. No, I don't think so.
All right. Well, again, thanks to both of you for joining me.
And again, a shout out and congratulations.
Thank you to all of our school counselors across the Afton School District.
(21:44):
National School Counselor Week is February 5th through 9th.
And so if you have a chance to interact with a school counselor,
make sure you say thank you to them or make sure you recognize them during that
week. I know they would appreciate it.
And again, Hannah, Jane, thanks for joining me. Thanks for having us.
All right. We have a student from Mainier Primary School who's joined us and
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is going to talk about some of the things that they work on with their school
counselor, Mrs. Dreyas.
And so you want to introduce yourself? What's your name?
My name's Harlaby and I'm in first grade and I'm seven years old.
All right. And then Mrs. Dreyas, you want to talk a little bit about what are
some of the things that you you have the pleasure of doing with all of the students,
(22:27):
and then Harley's going to help us with those.
So one of the things we do school-wide is Kelso's Choices.
Harley, what kind of animal is Kelso? A frog.
Yeah, and he comes to the classrooms and he helps kids learn about problem solving.
What kind of problems does he help us solve?
Small ones and big ones. Small ones and big ones.
(22:47):
If you have a big problem, someone's sick, they're hurt or in danger,
what should you do? Until a teacher.
Probably say, could you please stop?
Like to use...
Talk it out a lot. Talk it out. That's a great one.
(23:10):
And if you ever forget what Kelso's choices are, where can you find them in the school?
Outside, in the hallway, and in classroom. You sure can.
And then we also have those zones of regulation with the different colors.
What colors are our zones?
Blue, green, yellow, and red. How about that red zone? How do we feel then?
(23:32):
Angry. What about the yellow zone?
Nervous. And in the green zone? Happy. And the blue zone? Sad.
Sad, yeah. So if you're in like the red zone, you're feeling mad,
what's something you could do to help yourself get back to that green zone? I can do a belly breath.
Can do a belly breath. And where could you go in your classroom if you needed
(23:53):
a minute, if you're feeling kind of sad or nervous?
I could go to the calm down area. And what's in the calm down area? you?
Tools and a timer to set it and when the timer's out you go back to learn.
I went in plus and I'm in second grade.
Awesome. Bless, can you tell me a little bit what do you love about school counselor lessons?
(24:18):
I like that we get to learn about what we can do for big and small problems.
Awesome. What's something you can do if you have a small problem?
You could work it out I love it. What's been one of your favorite counselor lessons?
Oh,
(24:41):
and the Orbeez. That helped us learn about our social filter, right?
With our social filter, do we want to let all the words out that are in our brain?
Some of them? Say something bad you might get in trouble or you might hurt somebody's feelings.
Oh, you want to say kind words, right?
And we also talked about kindness. What are some things that you've done at school to be kind?
(25:05):
I have helped people when they got hurt. I've told a teacher.
I've said something nice. I'm
doing something for somebody, and I help somebody if they're in trouble.
I love that idea. And can you tell me a little bit about our zones of regulation there?
(25:26):
So there's some of them, and sometimes you can be upset, you can be hurt, you can be tired and sad.
Then you have to get back into the greens. And like one thing you could do is
go to the calm down corner or come to you or the Smiths and ask you to like
do things to calm us down. Wonderful.
What is your favorite thing to do to get back to the green zone,
(25:48):
Bless? I like going to the calm down corner or coming to you or Smiths.
And what are some things that you do at school to spread kindness to those around you?
I sometimes tell them this is not a good thing to do. You shouldn't do it.
Very good. Good. Is there anything else you want to tell us about your school counselors?
That they're nice, that they help us when we're hurt or when we are doing something not good.
(26:16):
Awesome. Bless, thank you so much for being here today. I really appreciate it.
My name is Lucas, and I'm in second grade.
All right. Well, thanks for joining us, and thanks for being willing to talk
to us a little bit about what you've learned during some of your counseling
lessons and when you spend time with Mrs.
Dreyas. So I'll turn it over to you to talk to us about what are some of the
(26:36):
things that you think Lucas has learned.
So, Lucas, can you tell me, what was a counselor lesson that you really remember and that you liked?
Soda pop head. Oh, where I brought in that bottle of orange soda,
right? Can you tell me what happened with Soda Pophead?
Whenever he got really mad, he got so angry that he exploded with soda.
(27:00):
Yeah, he blew his bottle cap.
We don't want to hurt people with our words or bodies when we're mad, do we, though?
No. So we want to find ways that we can let our anger out.
What are some ways you think that we could cope with our angry feelings that
we talked about? You could do like... You're doing great.
(27:22):
Maybe think about your Kelso's choices or the calm down area.
So I'll say the question again. Yeah. What can you do to handle those angry feelings?
You could go to the calm down quarter. Love that idea. That you wouldn't blow
your bottle cap there, would you?
No. We also talk about kindness in our counselor lessons. Why do you think it's
(27:44):
important that we're being kind to one another, Lucas?
Because if we weren't kind, the whole world would be miserable.
I think so. What are some ways that you could be kind to someone in your classroom?
If somebody trips over a chair, you could say, are you hurt?
(28:07):
I love that. What about at recess? If somebody doesn't have someone to play
with, what could you do? You could.
You could tell them they could join your game. I love that idea.
And Lucas, sometimes we also have a green frog named Kelso come to your class.
What does Kelso help us learn about?
(28:28):
About choices to do at recess, just in case somebody's being mean to you or
something, or they make you mad.
Yeah, can you tell us what's one or two of Kelso's choices we can use if we
have a small problem? them wait in cool law for just walk away.
(28:49):
Perfect. Well, thanks for explaining those things to me. That was very helpful.
And I enjoyed getting to meet you. And also, thanks, Mrs. Reyes. Thanks, Dr. Brock.
Music.
(29:10):
Thanks for listening to Afton Unplugged, a podcast by the Afton School District
that highlights the people and stories that make the district great.
In the Afton School District, education is the most important thing we do. We'll see you out there.
Music.
Music.
(00:20):
Welcome to Afton Unplugged, a podcast by the Afton School District that highlights
the people and stories that make the district great.
I'm your host, Superintendent Travis Brock, and in the Afton School District,
education is the most important thing we do.
Music.
(00:50):
All right. Thanks for joining me for this episode of the Afton Unplugged podcast.
And this particular episode is meant to celebrate our school counselors.
National School Counseling Week is February 5th through the 9th.
And so certainly we want to give a shout out to all of our school counselors
across the Afton School District.
But specifically, I'm honored to have two of our counselors here with me as
(01:13):
guests. So we have Jane Bone, who's a school counselor at the high school,
and Hannah Dreyas, who's a school counselor at Mainier Primary School.
And I encourage you to stick with us because after we talk with them,
we're also going to hear from three of our youngest learners at Mainier Primary School,
and they're going to demonstrate for us what they learn from their school counselors
(01:33):
throughout the year. Jane, Hannah, thanks for joining me.
Happy to be here. Happy to be here. All right. And let's do some introductions.
So tell us a little bit about yourself.
Maybe how long have you been in Afton? Did you do anything professionally before you came to Afton?
And maybe what keeps you busy outside of work? Do you have a family? Do you have hobbies?
What goes on outside of work? Just so people get to know you a little bit.
(01:56):
So who would like to start?
I can go first. Okay. So I'm Jane Bone. I am one of the counselors at the high
school. I have worked at Afton for 14 years.
I'm currently the junior counselor at the high school, and I also serve as the
lead counselor for the high school.
And I've also been coaching the girls' swim team the whole time I've been here.
Before Afton, I did a year as a study hall monitor and a year as a counselor
(02:19):
and test coordinator at Lafayette High School.
I am married and I have two girls
that are seven and nine and they keep me very busy outside of school.
But when I do have free time, I really like to crochet. That's been a passion of mine.
And I just recently started a crochet club at the high school.
That's been really fun. Yeah. I've seen pictures.
That's a whole nother episode. I'll get in contact with you because someone
(02:42):
did bring that attention, the crochet club.
So, yeah. Thanks for bringing that up. Absolutely. You reminded me of another
topic for another time. Great. Hannah, tell us a little bit about yourself.
So this is my fifth year in Afton. Before this, I was a school counselor over
at an elementary school in Independence, Missouri, and then moved back home.
My mom's the happiest she's ever been.
(03:04):
We're here with all the family. And outside of Afton, my husband and I,
we love going hiking and camping.
And in the summer, I volunteer with a camp called Midwest Children's Burn Camp.
This will be my 11th summer with them. And it's a camp for kids who've been
severely burned in fires or kitchen, that household accidents and stuff.
(03:25):
And it's really neat because I get to see the kids from when they were tiny
little babies grow up and be counselors in training and counselors at the camp, too.
And it's just a great place to be. Yeah, I think I have heard about that, too.
I don't know how that got it on my radar, but you working with that program
over the summer, I have heard about that, too. And you're recently married, right?
Yes, we got married over the summer. So kids at school have been getting used
(03:48):
to calling me Mrs. Dreyas instead of Ms. Weesey, but I always tell them both still work.
Good. Well, congratulations on that. Thank you.
All right. Let's kind of talk a little bit about roles, responsibilities,
and maybe some recognitions that have been received within Afton as it pertains
to our school counselors.
So maybe you start out with the basic. What does it take to become a school
(04:10):
counselor? I know what it took to become a classroom teacher.
A high school science teacher is what I used to do. too. But I kind of have
an idea of what it takes to be a school counselor, but I know you can enlighten
us even more. So let's start there.
So one of the big things is that you have to have a master's degree in counseling.
So that's one of the things that's different from teachers.
To even to start as a counselor, you have to have a master's.
(04:32):
But a lot of the rest of it, we had to do internships. We had to take a practice test.
So it's similar to the teachers with their student teaching.
We each spent semesters shadowing another counselor.
The path to get to that master's is different for everybody. buddy.
I went, I got my undergrad in psychology and then went straight on to the grad
school to get my master's.
I know Heather Mayfield at the high school, she worked as an SSD teacher for
(04:55):
a while and then got her master's and moved on to counseling.
So those are kind of the different paths. Some people teach first,
some people go straight into counseling.
I think before you used to have to be a teacher before you could go into counseling,
but they've changed that in the past year.
So like Jane, I went straight from my undergrad into the master's program and
right into school counseling.
(05:15):
Yeah. There's different paths people take to get here. Right.
But I think you made a good point. Like I was able to start teaching science
with a bachelor's degree.
I did get my master's over several years, still continue to teach science.
And it really isn't set up that way for school counseling.
You got to have that master's. So even if you do start your career doing something
else, you you kind of have to have that master's degree in order to to to serve in that role.
(05:38):
So that that is a little bit different. And I'm glad you pointed that out.
Talk a little bit about what are some of the roles and responsibilities.
And I know they're wide and varied. So we can't cover everything,
you know, just like teachers get pulled into a number of things that maybe aren't
specifically in the job description. But maybe start with just a general framework.
(05:59):
In general, this is the framework of a school counselor. Here are the areas we try to serve.
And then certainly you can pivot into some of those other things that you get
involved with, even though they may not fit into those nice buckets or segments.
And so talk to us just a little bit about what makes sense when it comes to
roles and responsibilities and how to explain that to people. Yeah.
(06:20):
So everything we do as a school counselor kind of falls under three domains.
There's social-emotional, which a lot of people, oh, they think a counselor,
they're going to help with the social-emotional help, and we definitely do that.
But we're also helping kids with their academic growth and then their career development.
And I'm sure Jane over at the high school, she's doing a lot more with that
(06:40):
career development than we're doing over here at Maine.
You're here, we're just doing some more exploration with that.
And then under those three domains, we're kind of trying to do things under
this guidance, counseling, and curriculum,
individual student planning, where we're helping kids with their plans that
they need to be successful.
We also do a bunch of responsive services, that counseling needs,
(07:04):
whether in groups, individuals, crisis response.
And we're also doing system support, where we're evaluating our program and
what we need to do to keep our program running as a counseling team.
Yeah. And the three categories, academic, social, emotional,
and college look very different across the four buildings.
Like Hannah said, there's not a whole lot of the college and career readiness
(07:27):
happening here, but that's a huge part of our program at the high school in
that we have a counselor dedicated to college or counseling, Mary Genta,
and now our senior counselor as well, because those kids are really doing their
final push towards that college and career plan.
So having her with her guidance on and just the knowledge she has with all the
different trades and schools and employment opportunities and military contacts,
(07:48):
that's a big part of what we do at the high school. Gotcha.
Anything else? And again, those are broad categories.
And then certainly you have specific things that you do within those.
Anything you might like to highlight?
So when you think about those domains, those seem pretty big picture,
but I do know you definitely get into details and there's very specific either processes, programs,
(08:12):
anything come to mind that you'd like to maybe highlight that is very specific
to something that is executed, whether it's here at Manure or at the high school
that fits within some of those domains.
Yeah, I think what I really love about Main Year is we're spending a lot of
time in the guidance, counseling, and curriculum area.
We go into the classrooms at least three times a month, if not four times a
(08:33):
month. So the kids are seeing us frequently.
And we're doing short little lessons that hit their attention spans, 15 to 20 minutes.
And we're covering all sorts of topics for them. We're talking about our feelings,
how to handle our anger, what to do with tattling or kindness or how we can
(08:53):
handle worries, self-esteem.
And then we also do a little bit of career exploration. We're even talking about manners and honesty.
So all sorts of things that we
see kids in kindergarten, first and second grade that they need to learn.
And an added benefit besides the fact that it's fun to go in with puppets and
games and art activities.
(09:14):
Is that the kids see us out in the classroom setting. So they're getting to
see from a young age that the counselor is someone here in the building who
can support me and help me solve a problem.
So should they have a problem here or down the road, they've had this experience
where the counselor is someone safe and happy and that they're learning this
is a place that they can go to help solve their problems.
(09:36):
Gotcha. And so that's kind of what you described you can kind of think of as
a lesson plan that's connected to standards, It's connected to a bigger framework.
The state of Missouri or either nationally has put together.
So I think that's good to point out is that counselors do kind of have that
same framework of standards.
They try to connect their lesson plans or the things that they're doing to those
(09:58):
standards and framework school counseling.
Was it the comprehensive school counseling framework? So not so different than
what I think teachers are trying to do, but definitely the way that it's delivered
and how the students experience that may be a little bit different.
So, yeah, thanks for that example. Jane, maybe at the secondary level,
high school, maybe give us some examples of what that looks like to actually
(10:21):
dive really deep into a particular domain.
And how does that look and feel for you? Sure. So what we're working on right
now is our individual planning.
And that's a big part of the high school as well.
So we're planning for next year's classes already, January.
But we are looking at planning for next year.
So we have been, the kids in their advisory classroom have been reviewing all
(10:44):
of the course options and what they need to graduate, what classes make sense
for the careers they're interested in. And then this week, we started having individual meetings.
So across the next three weeks, we'll be having an individual meeting with every
freshman, sophomore, and junior in the high school to plan their classes for next year.
And that's something that is always really interesting for me because we get
to really talk about like their career plans and connect those with the high
(11:07):
school. And some kids kind of have trouble seeing that, like,
future goal that what they're taking next year really does connect with their career in the future.
So this is a chance for us to talk to them about why personal finance is going
to be really important if this is the career, well, in life in general,
but also in certain careers that they're looking for.
And it's fun to have those conversations with them. Okay.
(11:27):
When you think about some of those unique aspects, whether it's at Manure dealing
with kids in kindergarten through second grade or high school,
nine through 12, anything else come to mind that is it's in the it's in kind of a similar domain,
but it looks distinctly different. Anything else unique that comes to mind?
So over here at Manure, when we're doing responsive services,
(11:48):
we do a lot of small groups because we have a lot of tiny humans here.
A lot of our small groups are focusing on social skills. So we're doing activities
where they're learning to take turns.
They're learning how to respond when they lose.
And we're doing them in games and play because that's how kids learn.
That's the natural setting.
So that's when we're taking the time to stop and talk about how can we respond
(12:13):
or what can we do to calm down when we realize we got really mad.
So we're helping them learn those social skills.
And we have usually between 12 or 13 small groups going at a time.
So there's a lot of kids who come in and out of the office and it looks like
fun and games to them, but there's a purpose behind it.
It's helping them learn those social skills and practice it in a smaller group setting.
(12:36):
And it's also really nice when we have friends come in like mid-year who came
to a new school or when we have kids who come in from another country to help
them with that social development and making friends because sometimes it can
be overwhelming to come into a completely new setting.
So that's something we do here a lot with the kids that's.
(12:56):
We see them really enjoying it, and it's also a great way for them to get some social skills. Gotcha.
Anything else, Jane, you might want to point out that's a little unique at the secondary level?
One of the things I think a lot of people have, like the notion that at the
high school, the counselors are just changing schedules and just helping you with your classes.
And we do so much more than that. And maybe not every kid needs to come down
(13:18):
and talk to us about something other than their schedule.
But for the kids that do need it, being able to be there for them and form those relationships.
Partnerships and another thing is that we have a lot of resources that
we can refer kids to so we currently have counselors from four
different agencies that come into our building every week
to have individual counseling with students because we're
really more for like the crisis counseling to get through a situation and get
(13:39):
back to class but we have for students that need more support we have counselors
that can come to school and work with them okay yeah that's a good point is
that certainly you guys cover a lot and at the same time sometimes here at the
at the elementary level.
But a lot of times at the high school level, we do have outside organizations
that are the reason they exist is to help.
We have an MOU with them and we know the type of support they're offering to
(14:04):
our students. So that's a good point to bring out.
Anything else you want to touch on with roles and responsibilities?
I know we could go on and on about just every single thing and then we'll pivot
to recognitions here in just a minute.
But anything else come to mind or you might want to mention?
I think at the elementary level, a lot of what we're doing is just trying to get kids.
(14:24):
We're trying to show them there's another adult here at school who can help
you be a problem solver. We're trying to show them that counselors are here to help.
They might seem like small problems now. They're homesick.
There's nothing they like at lunch. But when they see that the adults at school
are helping them with those small problems and talking to them and validating it,
(14:45):
it helps them if they have a bigger problem down the line to realize that they
can seek out that adult help and assistance to figure out how to manage it.
We do a lot of relationship building where they're in the mornings as they're
getting out of the cars, where they're in the afternoons as they're getting
on the bus to go home or out at Car Riders.
And we also try and do lunch bunches once a week where every week two different
(15:08):
teachers get to pick some kids to come and have lunch with us.
And a lot of times it's just like a positive relationship building time.
And they think it's really cool because we get to ride up the elevator with
our trays so we don't drop them. Okay. Yeah. It's very special.
Yeah, just all sorts of little things we're doing to help build that positive
relationship with the kids. Yeah, I think that's the one thing I was going to
(15:30):
mention, although it looks a little bit different there.
You are trying to reach out to kids, you know, building a relationship through
either a curriculum lesson or in your case,
maybe talking about the schedule, but still trying to to build that relationship
through positive interactions so that whenever you do have to do a responsive
service, you know, they feel comfortable.
(15:52):
You've got that relationship built already.
What are kind of pivoting into recognitions or just maybe things you might want
to highlight, whether they're accomplishments throughout the whole department
or maybe individual schools?
What are some of those things you might like people to know that you feel is
kind of special and that the school counselors are kind of proud of?
(16:13):
So this year at the high school, we got well, we have a new counselor and she's been doing awesome.
So that's been really nice. It's kind of like revitalized our office area.
Just it's been fun. But we also have two new programs that we've been working with.
One is Character Strong, which is a curriculum for social emotional learning.
And that is something at the high school that is not hit the same way at main
(16:34):
year. Like we're supposed to focus more on the individual planning and college and career.
But it's still an important aspect, and we still have students that need these
social-emotional skills.
So this program has lessons that are made that I'm able to pull through and
create that our kids will watch in advisory.
And in the past, some of the lessons we've had have been kind of cheesy and,
(16:54):
like, not great for high school students.
But this curriculum was actually designed with and for high school students.
And I've been really happy with the lessons. one of the things I really loved
that we started the year with that we'll do again is our to be word.
So we always talk about what you want to do with your life, what you want to
be when you grow up, but we are what you want to do when you grow up,
but we don't talk about who you want to be.
(17:14):
So instead of like, I want to, you know, go to med school, it's I want to be
a caring, helpful, kind person.
So at the beginning of the year, every student was asked to pick their to be word.
And then we've gone back to that a few times and worked on to be challenges.
Like today, Today, I want you to be grateful and say thank you to three people
who have helped you this past week.
And it's just been really cool, like a different kind of thing for the high
(17:35):
school. We haven't had that curriculum in so long, and it's been really helpful.
And then we also got School Links, which is more on the college and career planning
track, which we've been using for course selection, which has been awesome.
And it has built-in interest inventories and things where kids can help start
exploring their careers.
And I think the goal is that they're going to be applying to colleges through
that in future years. So those two things have really had a big impact on what
(17:58):
we're able to do because we're not starting from scratch.
We're able to use the stuff that's already been researched and vetted,
and then we can put it into use in our school.
Yeah, I think at your level, that's a good point to make. It's true of all levels.
There's always kind of this constant evolution of we don't just do things the
way they were done 20 years ago.
So we're not applying to college the same way. And even if we're not there yet,
(18:19):
there's a vision for doing things differently.
Same way, as you mentioned, with character education lessons.
20 years ago, we probably weren't doing things this way, but we're trying to
be responsive to, you know, what what we think our kids need now and we'll set them up for success.
So, you know, what what else comes to mind with you with recognitions or things
that are going out that you think need to be mentioned?
(18:40):
So one program we're using here at Mainier is Second Steps. So in addition to
the counselor lessons that Mrs.
Smith and I do in the classrooms, every student every day is getting some Second Steps social skills.
So that's a program where we're pulling different lessons about what it means
to be a listener, what it means to be a learner, what does it look like to be
(19:02):
here in school, how can we handle arguments with friends, how can you solve problems.
So every class is getting that curriculum.
And then in addition, they're also getting the school counseling curriculum.
So we're really hitting those social emotional skills here, which I think is
really important for everyone, but especially when they're young like this.
In addition to reading, writing, and math and science, we also want them to
(19:25):
learn how to solve problems and handle difficulties that will come up in their life.
And also at Main Year, we are a recognized Ask a Model program.
So a few years ago, former counselor Leah Laura Murr and I, we went through
the process where we had to, it's kind of like a program evaluation tool, which was really cool.
(19:48):
So it shows that our school counseling program is aligned to the American School
Counselor Association standards for a program.
So that means we're doing direct and indirect services with the students.
We're doing the program planning.
And we also had to show that because of the school counseling program,
we've had some improved student outcomes.
So we got to do things like craft a mission and vision statement.
(20:12):
And it also was a really good like self-check on our program.
Like, how is our calendaring going for how we're spending our time?
What do our lesson plans look like? Are we lining them up with the grade level
expectations that DESE has for school counseling? And what does our results
report look like from these small groups we're doing?
Are we helping kids actually gain these social skills that we're working for?
(20:36):
So it was a big process, but it was really neat to be able to see that,
yes, what we're doing here in Afton is aligning with the best practices from
the School Counselor Association. Yeah.
Well, thanks for mentioning that. I was I was aware of that.
And I think we did a special recognition maybe at a board meeting or something for that.
It's very cool. I know we've kind of looked at both ends of the spectrum here.
(20:58):
So I appreciate you guys joining me. We've gotten a good snapshot of what goes
on in grades K through two, some information on what's happening nine through 12.
And then our other buildings are similar, maybe not exactly the same,
but you know, in grades three through five, lots of similarities to what you
talked about, Hannah, six through eight, some similarities to what you talked
about, Jane, even though there definitely are probably some nuances in there.
(21:20):
So I do think that was good to give us kind of the tail ends,
if you will. And then there's a lot there's a lot in between.
Anything else as we wrap up that you want to mention?
We didn't cover? I don't think so. No, I don't think so.
All right. Well, again, thanks to both of you for joining me.
And again, a shout out and congratulations.
Thank you to all of our school counselors across the Afton School District.
(21:44):
National School Counselor Week is February 5th through 9th.
And so if you have a chance to interact with a school counselor,
make sure you say thank you to them or make sure you recognize them during that
week. I know they would appreciate it.
And again, Hannah, Jane, thanks for joining me. Thanks for having us.
All right. We have a student from Mainier Primary School who's joined us and
(22:06):
is going to talk about some of the things that they work on with their school
counselor, Mrs. Dreyas.
And so you want to introduce yourself? What's your name?
My name's Harlaby and I'm in first grade and I'm seven years old.
All right. And then Mrs. Dreyas, you want to talk a little bit about what are
some of the things that you you have the pleasure of doing with all of the students,
(22:27):
and then Harley's going to help us with those.
So one of the things we do school-wide is Kelso's Choices.
Harley, what kind of animal is Kelso? A frog.
Yeah, and he comes to the classrooms and he helps kids learn about problem solving.
What kind of problems does he help us solve?
Small ones and big ones. Small ones and big ones.
(22:47):
If you have a big problem, someone's sick, they're hurt or in danger,
what should you do? Until a teacher.
Probably say, could you please stop?
Like to use...
Talk it out a lot. Talk it out. That's a great one.
(23:10):
And if you ever forget what Kelso's choices are, where can you find them in the school?
Outside, in the hallway, and in classroom. You sure can.
And then we also have those zones of regulation with the different colors.
What colors are our zones?
Blue, green, yellow, and red. How about that red zone? How do we feel then?
(23:32):
Angry. What about the yellow zone?
Nervous. And in the green zone? Happy. And the blue zone? Sad.
Sad, yeah. So if you're in like the red zone, you're feeling mad,
what's something you could do to help yourself get back to that green zone? I can do a belly breath.
Can do a belly breath. And where could you go in your classroom if you needed
(23:53):
a minute, if you're feeling kind of sad or nervous?
I could go to the calm down area. And what's in the calm down area? you?
Tools and a timer to set it and when the timer's out you go back to learn.
I went in plus and I'm in second grade.
Awesome. Bless, can you tell me a little bit what do you love about school counselor lessons?
(24:18):
I like that we get to learn about what we can do for big and small problems.
Awesome. What's something you can do if you have a small problem?
You could work it out I love it. What's been one of your favorite counselor lessons?
Oh,
(24:41):
and the Orbeez. That helped us learn about our social filter, right?
With our social filter, do we want to let all the words out that are in our brain?
Some of them? Say something bad you might get in trouble or you might hurt somebody's feelings.
Oh, you want to say kind words, right?
And we also talked about kindness. What are some things that you've done at school to be kind?
(25:05):
I have helped people when they got hurt. I've told a teacher.
I've said something nice. I'm
doing something for somebody, and I help somebody if they're in trouble.
I love that idea. And can you tell me a little bit about our zones of regulation there?
(25:26):
So there's some of them, and sometimes you can be upset, you can be hurt, you can be tired and sad.
Then you have to get back into the greens. And like one thing you could do is
go to the calm down corner or come to you or the Smiths and ask you to like
do things to calm us down. Wonderful.
What is your favorite thing to do to get back to the green zone,
(25:48):
Bless? I like going to the calm down corner or coming to you or Smiths.
And what are some things that you do at school to spread kindness to those around you?
I sometimes tell them this is not a good thing to do. You shouldn't do it.
Very good. Good. Is there anything else you want to tell us about your school counselors?
That they're nice, that they help us when we're hurt or when we are doing something not good.
(26:16):
Awesome. Bless, thank you so much for being here today. I really appreciate it.
My name is Lucas, and I'm in second grade.
All right. Well, thanks for joining us, and thanks for being willing to talk
to us a little bit about what you've learned during some of your counseling
lessons and when you spend time with Mrs.
Dreyas. So I'll turn it over to you to talk to us about what are some of the
(26:36):
things that you think Lucas has learned.
So, Lucas, can you tell me, what was a counselor lesson that you really remember and that you liked?
Soda pop head. Oh, where I brought in that bottle of orange soda,
right? Can you tell me what happened with Soda Pophead?
Whenever he got really mad, he got so angry that he exploded with soda.
(27:00):
Yeah, he blew his bottle cap.
We don't want to hurt people with our words or bodies when we're mad, do we, though?
No. So we want to find ways that we can let our anger out.
What are some ways you think that we could cope with our angry feelings that
we talked about? You could do like... You're doing great.
(27:22):
Maybe think about your Kelso's choices or the calm down area.
So I'll say the question again. Yeah. What can you do to handle those angry feelings?
You could go to the calm down quarter. Love that idea. That you wouldn't blow
your bottle cap there, would you?
No. We also talk about kindness in our counselor lessons. Why do you think it's
(27:44):
important that we're being kind to one another, Lucas?
Because if we weren't kind, the whole world would be miserable.
I think so. What are some ways that you could be kind to someone in your classroom?
If somebody trips over a chair, you could say, are you hurt?
(28:07):
I love that. What about at recess? If somebody doesn't have someone to play
with, what could you do? You could.
You could tell them they could join your game. I love that idea.
And Lucas, sometimes we also have a green frog named Kelso come to your class.
What does Kelso help us learn about?
(28:28):
About choices to do at recess, just in case somebody's being mean to you or
something, or they make you mad.
Yeah, can you tell us what's one or two of Kelso's choices we can use if we
have a small problem? them wait in cool law for just walk away.
(28:49):
Perfect. Well, thanks for explaining those things to me. That was very helpful.
And I enjoyed getting to meet you. And also, thanks, Mrs. Reyes. Thanks, Dr. Brock.
Music.
(29:10):
Thanks for listening to Afton Unplugged, a podcast by the Afton School District
that highlights the people and stories that make the district great.
In the Afton School District, education is the most important thing we do. We'll see you out there.
Music.
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