Otherwise known as… The Day I Ate So Little, Because My Heart Was So Full…
The incorporation of technology into one’s life is absolutely related to one’s age. I was reminded of this today as I strolled through the airport, laptop bag securely on shoulder (on loan from roommate Chuck, truth be told), roll-on suitcase in one hand, favorite black pea coat in the other. Everyone that was under the age of thirty had ear buds in their ears. A few folks were sitting, with their iPod plugged into a power source, no doubt because they had drained the device of all of its juice in their adventures through the Biggish City near My Small Town. I felt like I missed the memo on the iPod as the ultimate travel accessory. I suppose it makes sense. If you have music in your ears no one will try to make conversation with you.
In today’s world, conversing with those actually in the same room with you (if you are twenty-five or under, that is) is a bad, bad thing.
It makes me very sad.
Then again, it’s always fun to have your favorite tunes in your ears when you are in complete and total misery. I know the airport can be this way for a lot of people, but I love the experience… really! Everyone is coming, and going, and they are hopefully happy with the experience they have just had wherever they’ve been, whether it’s for work or pleasure. If they’re not happy… at least they are perhaps going home. Unless they are unhappy to be leaving home., in which case the counselor in me feels empathy for them! (Except that I don’t know that, because they are listening to their music, and they aren’t talking to me.)
Anyway, the sight of all the young folk engaged with their musical devices reminded me of my age. And the technological gap.
This morning (and this afternoon) I was fortunate to present at My School District’s monthly counselor professional development workshop. It is offered once in the morning, and once in the afternoon, so that no school has to be without its entire counseling staff at once. I first wrote about this event last month, in I and Love and You. It’s good for the counselors, and the schools, but not so good for the presenters, since they present twice, which puts quite a crimp in the day.
In today’s world, conversing with those actually in the same room with you (if you are twenty-five or under, that is) is a bad, bad thing.
It makes me very sad.
Then again, it’s always fun to have your favorite tunes in your ears when you are in complete and total misery. I know the airport can be this way for a lot of people, but I love the experience… really! Everyone is coming, and going, and they are hopefully happy with the experience they have just had wherever they’ve been, whether it’s for work or pleasure. If they’re not happy… at least they are perhaps going home. Unless they are unhappy to be leaving home., in which case the counselor in me feels empathy for them! (Except that I don’t know that, because they are listening to their music, and they aren’t talking to me.)
Anyway, the sight of all the young folk engaged with their musical devices reminded me of my age. And the technological gap.
This morning (and this afternoon) I was fortunate to present at My School District’s monthly counselor professional development workshop. It is offered once in the morning, and once in the afternoon, so that no school has to be without its entire counseling staff at once. I first wrote about this event last month, in I and Love and You. It’s good for the counselors, and the schools, but not so good for the presenters, since they present twice, which puts quite a crimp in the day.
Today I was one of those presenters. My topic was Incorporating Technology into Your Comprehensive Guidance Program. Being in my second year of high school counseling, after being an elementary school counselor for six years, I am still very much learning my craft. That said, when I came on board at My Small Town High School, I was very pleased that I could contribute a valuable skill to our team. I’m a wee bit of a techie.
As an elementary school counselor, I utilized Excel to keep my professional notes, Publisher to make flyers for events, and mostly used Word’s Mail Merge feature for making honor roll and perfect attendance certificates—an incredible time-saver that truly saved me (or a parent volunteer) hours of writing student’s names by hand—among other varied correspondences. We won’t talk about the graphing… but ooooohhhhh…. know that there was way too much of the use of Excel’s graphing feature. (Sorry, it’s a private joke for the school counselors in the Ever-Growing School District who know exactly what I’m talking about… and it’s not pretty.)
Today, I showed the counselors a little tiny bit of what technology can do to make their programs more efficient. I completed the presentation by showing off our My Small Town High School’s guidance website— the MSTHS Counseling Connection. I’m very, very proud of the website. Our college and career specialist keeps the Scholarships and Upcoming Events pages updated, and I add useful links to other websites for our students. Everything from resources for handling teen dating violence (which unfortunately is a lot more prevalent than one would imagine) to the ACT Question of the Day to a chart showing admissions information for schools in the Florida State University System is on the MSTHS Counseling Connection website. It is, most assuredly, comprehensive.
As an elementary school counselor, I utilized Excel to keep my professional notes, Publisher to make flyers for events, and mostly used Word’s Mail Merge feature for making honor roll and perfect attendance certificates—an incredible time-saver that truly saved me (or a parent volunteer) hours of writing student’s names by hand—among other varied correspondences. We won’t talk about the graphing… but ooooohhhhh…. know that there was way too much of the use of Excel’s graphing feature. (Sorry, it’s a private joke for the school counselors in the Ever-Growing School District who know exactly what I’m talking about… and it’s not pretty.)
Today, I showed the counselors a little tiny bit of what technology can do to make their programs more efficient. I completed the presentation by showing off our My Small Town High School’s guidance website— the MSTHS Counseling Connection. I’m very, very proud of the website. Our college and career specialist keeps the Scholarships and Upcoming Events pages updated, and I add useful links to other websites for our students. Everything from resources for handling teen dating violence (which unfortunately is a lot more prevalent than one would imagine) to the ACT Question of the Day to a chart showing admissions information for schools in the Florida State University System is on the MSTHS Counseling Connection website. It is, most assuredly, comprehensive.
After my presentation’s conclusion, participants were given a brief break. One counselor, from our rival high school no less (which made the compliment even sweeter) told me, Jen, I have website envy.
I had encouraged everyone to “steal” what we had created. No need for the whole county to reinvent the wheel. I also told them by no means did the website, or the comfort with the many uses of technology, happen overnight. It’s a process. One that I persevered to master, and I must say, it was worth it.
I have been invited back next month to give even more thorough instruction on how to use Word’s mail merge feature. Mail merge really did change my life. And I can’t wait to help other counselors change their lives, too.
At the risk of sounding egotistical, at one time, as an elementary school counselor, I felt like a school counseling rock star. I was on top of my game, efficient and exceedingly proficient in my professional duties. With a new administration and a subsequent move up to high school, I lost my footing a bit. This morning when the first presentation was completed, I texted my team and my amazing assistant principal to let them know that the presentation had run over and there wouldn’t be time to return to the office between meetings, and by the way, I was now a counselor rock star.
I have been invited back next month to give even more thorough instruction on how to use Word’s mail merge feature. Mail merge really did change my life. And I can’t wait to help other counselors change their lives, too.
At the risk of sounding egotistical, at one time, as an elementary school counselor, I felt like a school counseling rock star. I was on top of my game, efficient and exceedingly proficient in my professional duties. With a new administration and a subsequent move up to high school, I lost my footing a bit. This morning when the first presentation was completed, I texted my team and my amazing assistant principal to let them know that the presentation had run over and there wouldn’t be time to return to the office between meetings, and by the way, I was now a counselor rock star.
My director texted me back… Jen, you already were!
I am… back.
Addendum: Today the author has consumed the following items:
1. One cup of frozen blackberries, thawed for one minute in the microwave. I am… back.
Addendum: Today the author has consumed the following items:
2. One half cup of vanilla Greek yogurt, mixed with the blackberries.
3. Three cups of coffee (two at home with the above items, and one at the training)
4. Half of a turkey sandwich from Panera, which was complimentary, thanks to Her Growing School District Counseling Association, and a bag of potato chips.
5. Another bag of potato chips, this time Jet Blue’s offering, Terra Blues.
6. A little tiny airplane bottle of Sauvignon Blanc. She is on vacation, after all.
The author is upset that she didn’t think to eat strategically during the wait at the gate. She was still on her post-presentation high. Now… however… she is most hungry. Most likely, she will wait until tomorrow to satiate her hunger. It’s almost 9 after all… and the plane is about to land.
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