33. Adding Fun To Your Counseling Lessons with Mallory Jacobs
Episode 33 • 1st November 2023 • Counselor Chat Podcast • Carol Miller, School Counselor
00:00:00 00:38:20

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In this episode, we are thrilled to have the dynamic Mallory Jacobs as our special guest. Mallory is the lead elementary school counselor at Whitson Elementary in Topeka Public Schools and serves as a school counseling consultant for the Kansas Department of Education. She's also known for her role as the bylaws and ethics co-chair for the Kansas School Counselor Association and has been recognized as the 2023 Kansas School Counselor of the Year. With her vibrant personality and a penchant for leopard and cheetah prints, Mallory is a powerhouse in the world of elementary school counseling.

Mallory and I delve into strategies for making counseling lessons not only effective but also incredibly fun and engaging for elementary school students.

Some fun things in this episode include:

  • Unique Breathing Techniques: Mallory introduces entertaining and imaginative breathing exercises like "Spider Man" and "soup" breathing. These techniques add an element of playfulness to relaxation exercises, making them enjoyable for elementary school students.
  • "Would You Rather" Game: Mallory shares the "Would You Rather" game as a way to prompt discussions and decision-making. This interactive game is not only fun but also encourages student participation and engagement within the classroom community.
  • "Color the Counselor" Activity: Mallory's "Color the Counselor" activity is a creative and unique way to connect with students. It's a fun and visual representation that fosters a sense of belonging and trust. The colored pictures proudly displayed in her office add a personal and enjoyable touch to her counseling sessions.
  • The "Awesome" Cheer: Mallory's "Awesome" cheer is a positive and uplifting way to conclude her counseling lessons. It promotes self-confidence and self-worth, and it's a fun and empowering ritual for students.
  • Heartwarming Story: We share a heartwarming story called "The Pup." This story emphasizes the power of kindness and empathy and is a delightful addition to any classroom. It's a touching and memorable moment that underscores the importance of teaching valuable life lessons to young students.

As we conclude this episode, we encourage you to watch Rita Pearson's TED Talk on being a champion for kids, emphasizing the importance of building positive relationships with students. Every day counts in the field of education, and creating a supportive and caring environment is key to nurturing the next generation.

As Mallory says, "As our world is changing, I am confident that we will create our path and encourage shape, and empower students, families, and staff. I am excited to give back to our profession which has given me so much. Thank you and I look forward to working with you! Don’t forget to be awesome!"! 

We'd like to extend our heartfelt thanks to our guest, Mallory Jacobs, for her invaluable insights into making counseling lessons fun and effective for elementary school students. If you'd like to connect with Mallory or learn more about her work, her contact information is provided below!

Join us as we talk and share fun tips and tricks for elementary lessons! 

Connect With Mallory:

mjacobs@tps501.org

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Grab the Show Notes: Counselingessentials.org/podcast


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Transcripts

Carol: You're listening to the Counselor Chat Podcast, a show for school counselors looking for easy to implement strategies, how to tips, collaboration, and a little spark of joy. I'm Carol Miller, your host. I'm a full time school counselor and the face behind counseling essentials. I'm all about creating simplified systems, data driven practices, and using creative approaches to age students. If you're looking for a little inspiration to help you make a big impact on student growth and success, you're in the right place, because we're better together. Ready to chat? Let's dive in. Hi, everyone, and welcome back to another episode of Counselor Chat. Thank you for joining me again this week. Before we dive in, I wanted to share a little review that I received recently for the podcast, and it's entitled So Helpful, and it says, hello. This is my third year as an elementary school counselor, and sometimes I still feel lost in what to do in certain situations. This podcast has made me think more outside the box, and I feel more confident in my skills and knowledge. Thank you for your ideas, support, and resources. Lauren from Baltimore, Maryland. Lauren, thank you so much for leaving that review and writing in. It means so much to me that you're listening sometimes. Lauren, I'm going to be honest. Sometimes I still feel lost. And this is your 32 for me, so you're not alone, my dear. We all feel that way. But if you're out there and you're listening, please write in and share your reviews and let me know what you're thinking. They really are awesome, and I love sharing them out as well. Well, are you guys ready? Because today we have a very, very special guest with us. We have with us today mallory Jacobs. Let me just set the stage a little bit. My first encounter with Mal was probably three years ago, I would think about three years ago at an Aska conference. And Mallory is really she is larger than life. When she comes into the room, she commands the room. She is just an awesome presence. She is so full of life and energy and just radiates this happiness from her. She is really, really a treat. And so you're going to see and she's going to share a little bit of that energy and sunshine with you today when we talk a little bit.

Mallory: But anyway, let me tell you a.

selor Association and was the:

Mallory: Hello, Carol. I am so excited to be here with you today. Thank you so much for this opportunity. I feel like I am with a star, someone who is so famous. So thank you.

Carol: That makes me laugh. Anyway, for our listeners, we have, I think, a treat, because if you haven't met Mallory, mallory is somebody mall is your pal. Let's just put it that way. Mal is your pal. And she is so much like I think I'm pretty peppy in classroom lessons and things, but I think you totally have me be. I really do.

Mallory: I love it.

Carol: So we are talking today about how to put the fun into classroom. So all right, so if you wanted to tell, like, a brand new counselor or give them some advice about how they can add some fun into their lessons, what's the first thing that comes to your mind?

Mallory: The first things that comes to my mind is meeting kids where they are. So I get to go into the classroom every week and do a 30 minutes lesson with pre K kindergarten, first and second graders. And my co counselor gets to go in once a week in third grade, fourth grade, and fifth grade. And a lot of times when we get the kiddos, they are coming from a transition of a special or recess where it's super fun and exciting, but then we need to come in and be in that space where we can learn and thinking about myself and the way that I learn. I need to be relaxed and chill and be in the mindset of that. So I think starting your lesson off with something fun and also, at the same time, very relaxing. So I always start off with deep breathing and maybe doing a mindful minute, whether that's on with a YouTube video or just with my own voice and having the kids close their eyes and doing some sort of fun breathing technique. I just got done presenting with our great friend Matthew McClain in Colorado. What's up, Matthew? You're awesome. And we were talking about our Spider Man. Spider Girl. Spider people breathing. We were also talking about, since it's starting to get cooler in some spots of the US. With fall, doing soup breathing and also butterfly breathing. So the kids absolutely love doing that. And then we talk to them about why we teach them that you can use this at any time, but especially when you're upset, when you're escalated. Because when you're upset, angry, mad, you forget to breathe. And that's why you get so hot and red. So if you take your deep breaths and you really do focus on that, then you're going to make yourself feel better. And nobody else can do that but yourself. So really starting with something like that, that's kind of soothing, relaxing, and getting them in the mind space of listening to the lesson. So that's what would be my first tip and trick for fun counseling lessons for a new counselor, and for those counselors that have been in it for twelve years or more like myself.

Carol: Well, I am happy to hear that I'm not the only person that has lessons right after kids get back from class, because it's like all the time.

Mallory: Yeah, which is great. And in a perfect world, we could all make our own schedules. But yeah, when we find that perfect world, you let me know.

Carol: Okay? I definitely will. Now, I have done the butterfly breathing and the suit breathing, but I don't think I know the superhero breathing. Tell me about that one.

Mallory: It's the best. So it's spiderman. Spider girl. Spider. People with whatever the students see themselves as. That's what we call it. And then what you do is you have your spiderman webs, so you have your pinky out, your ring finger and middle finger underneath, and then your pointer finger out and your thumb out. And so I always keep them start them down by your hips. And as you bring your webs up, you take a big deep breath in through your nose. And then as you let your webs go down, that's when you breathe out your mouth.

Carol: Hey, I love it.

Mallory: We do that a couple of times, and then of course, we have to take the webs to do the webs. Absolutely.

Carol: My kids would be all about shooting the webs.

Mallory: Yeah, I mean, it's a rule.

Carol: You just have to, oh, I love it, I totally love it.

Mallory: And then I also really love reading stories, and to this day, still fifth graders. The older kids love to be read to because a lot of times they don't get that anymore. So I use books a lot of times and lessons. And that's also a way to show kids, too, great speech, how you can do different dialects with your voice, how to show expression when you're reading, and also giving that time, too, where you can ask questions and kind of pause during the story. So I absolutely love using Bibliotherapy, and I know that most of us have a counseling library, but it's also so important to know that you don't have to buy your books. You can use your library at school. You can use your public library that's what they're there for. So if you don't have a book in your personal library, phone a friend, call the library, ask them if they could get it for you, or if they can enter library loan it for you. There are so many different resources out there to get your hands on books. So if you don't have the book, don't worry, you can always get it from somebody. Also having other school counseling pal maybe in your district, or if you're the only one and having somebody in your area that you can kind of swap with and of course, using that with also something tangible to take home. I always talk to my kids too, about how I love to color when I'm listening or drawing. When someone is talking to me, I'm still focused and listening, but I'm also doing something while I'm listening. So sometimes we'll color while I'm reading, or sometimes we'll all just sit at the carpet or they'll sit at their desks while I'm reading and we answer questions and talk about the different characters. The one that I absolutely love, I actually heard about from Aska not too long ago. And the book is called All Are welcome and it is a fantastic story. The pictures are fantastic and it has a great message of no matter what, all are welcome at our school. And what's really cool, Carol, is this book is also musical. So your music teachers might have also used it as well. But about every other page, it talks about how all are welcome here. And we've turned it into a little song where I read it and then they sing it back to me. So, for example, it says, all are welcome here. And then I tell the kids, Your turn, and they sing song back to me. All are welcome here. It's really cute because that is just another way that they can learn and that they can remember. I had a mom use my Google Voice number to text me the other evening and said, my kid keeps singing this song. I love it. So it's just another different way of learning and teaching and kind of getting some of that music in there as well. Because sometimes music can really help you learn too.

Carol: Yeah, it definitely can. And you know what? I just bought that book at book fair. I haven't used it in classes yet, but I have it now. And you're so right. Like, you don't have to buy every book. I mean, I bought this because it was the book fair and I'm supporting the book fair. Sure, I go to my library, our school library, and I'm always asking, hey, do you have this book? I want to read it. And if she can't get it, she can usually find it. But I've also done some sometimes I'm like, I want it and I want it now type things I'll do like a little all call, email, to the all staff and say, hey, does anyone have this book in their class? And that usually is quickest way to get the book that I want.

Mallory: That's a great idea. Absolutely. Another thing that I've done too. If I don't want to buy it and it's your birthday, or if you celebrate any sort of holiday where they exchange gifts, ask for it for that holiday. Or ask for it for your birthday. Ask your friends that aren't in education be like, hey, you want to donate to your bestie over here that doesn't make as much money as you. And usually people are very giving, so it's pretty cool to see what people will come up with. So doing the all call is a great idea. Carol, I'm actually going to borrow that too.

Carol: Go ahead.

Mallory: Another super fun thing that I love to do is actually at the beginning of the year when we go in and introduce ourselves as the school counselors, we do a color the counselor and we upload a photo of the co counselor and myself and can do that either on really Color.com or the Crayola coloring app. And the kids get to actually color a picture of you. And it's really fun to see the creations that they make. I have a couple hung up in my office and one of them gave me like DJ headphones and leopard print hair because I'm a leopard print lover.

Carol: Oh my gosh.

Mallory: We also have some really great artists that made us look exactly like the way that we look. That's just another fun way, too. And then the grown ups that have the kids or the parents that have the kids at home, they see a visual of who you are, especially if they're a new family and be like, oh, you're that person. It's another great way of getting yourself out there, literally with that picture. And then my co counselor and I take it to a next level and have our staff color it and they turn it in and we do some sort of gift card or prize or coffee or something just as a fun little pick me up. And it's funny to talk to the grown ups about it because they're like, I forgot how much coloring is so soothing. So that's something really fun too. So again, that website is really color.com or the app is the Crayola app. And that's another really great thing too, to use as motivation. Like if you have a kiddo that's really working on behavior or you need an idea to help with some motivation, you can turn the kids picture into a coloring page, which is super fun too.

Carol: That is cool. I'm going to ask you to send me those links when we're done talking so that I make sure I don't mess them up.

Mallory: Absolutely.

Carol: I got you. Awesome. Because that sounds fun. I haven't heard of that and doing that and I want to try it.

Mallory: Yeah, it's super fun. We have done it with different photos, we've done with different themes. Like last year my co counselor and I did a pirate theme and so they all made us pirates, which was super fun. You can just use them in different ways and you can line them up and down your hallway or you can use them in your office. So they're pretty fun. The kids get pretty creative.

Carol: Oh, I love that.

Mallory: Yeah. And then we have about 30 minutes. But I also really love getting them up and moving and doing some sort of icebreaker. So when they come in, we do the breathing, we read or watch some sort of video, talk about what the topic is for that day, do some sort of coloring sheet, but then also getting them up and moving. Love doing icebreakers. And the fan favorite here at Whitson elementary is called would You Rather? And you give them two options of something if they would rather have this or that. And then you can either have them move to either side of the classroom, front to back of the classroom, you can have them stand up or sit down if your kids are tired, that's a great way of getting their blood pumping and their oxygen moving. But for example, like would you rather have white milk or chocolate milk? And then you give them think time and then they can choose one or the other. And I also make a rule that you can't be in the middle or you can't say I don't know, you have to pick one. And so sometimes we get in pretty good discussions about which one you would pick and why. Another fan favorite is who has the better chicken nuggets, chick fil A or know would you rather go one of those places? Another one that's really great, especially here in Kansas is would you rather play football or soccer? So yeah, it's really interesting and then you can even take it a step farther and make groups out of those two groups and say, okay, now talk about whatever your topic is and then come up with an idea and then you can have some class conversation about that too. I think it's so important to hear voice and let the kids have some time to talk. We have so much to do during the school day and we have just a few times where it's kind of unstructured time for them. So having that time for them to talk, get up and move with their classmates is so important and I love doing that.

Carol: We also community absolutely.

Mallory: And making sure that they feel like all are welcome in their classroom or if there is a situation going on, we feel comfortable talking about it. Because you spend so much time together, it's important to have that community. Like you mentioned.

Carol: Now I do something similar to the would you rather? But I give them a third option that sometimes isn't like the one that I know a lot of kids will pick, but a couple will. And so we call that stand up, sit down, or cluck like a chicken.

Mallory: Tell us more about that one.

Carol: I'll give them three options. So we'll go with your first one where you said the milk. So it could be, do you like white milk, chocolate milk or strawberry milk? So stand up if you like white milk. Sit down if you like chocolate milk or cluck like a chicken if you like strawberry. And it's just so fun to see the kids cluck and they're, like, looking around and like, Should I cluck? Should I not cluck? It's hilarious.

Mallory: I love that. That's so fun. So much fun. And then doing the Would you rather like that? And having the three options or the two options? We talk about different decisions. You can be your own person, but be besties with somebody that drinks strawberry milk. If we were all the same, that would be so boring. So it's good to have different discussions like that and talk about the different things that we have. But we also have a lot of things in common. So that brings up really great conversation as well.

Carol: It does. By the time that this episode airs, I will actually have a couple of episodes that are kind of on the same theme for these brain breaks and community building activities. So this is like, perfect. This fits right along with all that.

Mallory: I love it.

Carol: Yeah.

Mallory: I love it. There's always a method to the madness, isn't there?

Carol: There is, totally. Now, do you have a favorite lesson?

Mallory: I do. I absolutely love the all are welcome. But I also love the book. The world needs more Purple People. Have you guys ever heard of that? It's by Kristen Bell. She's a famous actress.

Carol: I've heard of it. I haven't read that.

Mallory: It is so good. And so then she's also done a sequel called The World Needs More Purple Schools. And we talk about how you don't necessarily have to love the color purple. It's really not even about that. It's about what it means to be a purple person. Purple people make you feel good. They make people around them feel good. They do the right thing. Even when people aren't looking, they do the right thing for their community. They're kind to others, and it just goes all through that. And so then, of course, have a coloring sheet, and she actually has free ones online you can use. And I will also send that to you, Carol, as well. But it just talks about how to be a good human. And no matter how old you are, where you come from, you can always be a purple person. And talking about, too, how you can be a good person not just at school, but out in your community. So it gives different ideas. And my best friend actually bought that for me for my birthday, and it's just the best. And purple just so happens to be Miss Jacob's favorite color. So we talk know, if you were a purple person, what would that look like? And different ideas. And again, you can do that with the would you rather game or you can even take it a step farther. And you said that you did three options and you can even do four options and do four corners.

Carol: Corners, yes.

Mallory: Another fan fave. So it's just a great lesson and kids get really excited about it. And the reason I like that one so much, too, is I can do it across the board pre k through fifth grade. And I actually have kids that ask me, when are we going to do the purple lesson? When are we going to do the purple lesson? And that week I wear all purple outfits. So it's pretty fun. We like to get fashion involved, too.

Carol: Love it. I love it.

Mallory: Yes. So much fun. And then 30 minutes goes so fast. And so I always love to end with the cheer. And the cheer is something that I learned, oh so long ago. And it's actually my favorite word, is awesome. And we talk about how awesome days can be, and we also talk about how not so awesome days can be. Things are going to happen in our lives that aren't so awesome, but we can do awesome things to make it better. And we also talk about how sometimes we make mistakes, but we're still an awesome kid. And it goes a little something like this. So I tell everybody to put your hands together and then we do the cheer. And it goes like this, A-W-E-S-O-M-E awesome. Totally. Don't forget to be awesome. And we talk about how we have to be awesome every single day. Every day might not be awesome, but there's something awesome in every day. And you might have to look a little harder sometimes, but that's okay. And so talking about when you make mistakes, when maybe you get a test back and it's not the best you've ever done, how you can still learn from that. And so the first kids that I ever had are now seniors, and they come back to school and say, miss Jacobs, every time I see awesome, I think of the cheer. And I'm like, that's what I want to leave you with. If you didn't hear anything from what we talked about, I want you to remember how awesome you are. And even the little preschool, Carol, they all sing it. And it's so wonderful. And so really having one thing that they take away if they don't listen about the purple people, if they don't listen about the all are welcome. But listening about the awesome cheer and remembering how awesome you can be and that potential is so important to me. And how that can go with any topic in any situation. So if you have one thing that you want to be remembered by, what is that? And so my goal is to have anytime somebody sees the word awesome, they think back to Witson and their school counselors and Miss Jacobs and be like, all right, I can do this, I got that.

Carol: Love that. Yeah. I don't end with any type of cheer or anything like that. So that might be something else that I might need to steal and borrow.

Mallory: Absolutely. That's what we do as school counselors. We have to share our resources. So absolutely would love it.

Carol: That's right. There's so much out there, but yet there is so little time, I think, to go through things. And you want to be able to also build a program that's going to work best for your school, but you also want activities that people have tried before and done before that you know are going to work.

Mallory: Absolutely. You got it, my friend.

Carol: You have to talk to people. You have to find out what are they doing and share. You have to share. Absolutely.

Mallory: Another super fun one that I love to do is actually around time when the germs get really bad, when it gets really cold, no matter wherever you are. But in Kansas, it gets really cold, and we talk about being healthy. And so I go in in, like, sweatpants and maybe even pajamas, and I act sick, even though I'm not. And we talk about germs, and we talk about being healthy, and not only healthy physically, but with our minds and how we have to eat healthy food to have a healthy body, but also feed our mind healthy. And so we talk about that, and then as we talk about the healthy things that we can do, I start to feel better and look more myself. And it's really fun because the kids are like, what's wrong, Miss Jacobs? Why do you look like that? It's a little bit of acting, too. So that's really fun as well. But that's another really fun one that the kids get really involved in, especially at the younger grades. And there's a really cute Dr. Seuss book. It's called? Oh, all the things you can do that are healthy for you. And it talks about bathing and food and sleeping, all the great things, but just as a reminder to keep ourselves healthy and especially our mind, which sometimes can get not so healthy with some decisions and different things that we feed it. So that's another fan favorite as well.

Carol: And there's so many ways, I think, that you can take that lesson and incorporate it into maybe different units or things that you might be focusing on too.

Mallory: Absolutely. Yeah. How about you? Do you have a fan favorite that you like to do? Carol with your kiddos?

Carol: I do. I have this one. It's a story, and I have the story memorized, and it's called The Pup. And it's really about this little boy who's walking. And when I do it, I like, okay. And over here and so I have the kids really kind of visualize that they're in the scene with me, but it's about this little boy who's walking down the road, and he sees a sign, and the sign says, Puppies for Sale. And the little boy gets all excited. He's looking around, and he sees this huge barn and a farmer. And so he goes up to the farmer, and he was like, Excuse me, Mr. Do you have the puppies for sale? And the farmer takes, like, one look at this little kid and sizes them up and down, is like, yeah, but you can't afford my puppies. These are prized possessions. They're expensive, and I just don't think that you can afford any of my puppies. So the little boy is all discouraged and sad, and he starts to walk away. And then he has an idea. He goes back to the farmer and he says, excuse me, Mr. Can I at least look at the puppies? How much would it cost to look at the puppies? So the farmer looks at him again and is like, how much you got? So little boy puts his hand in his pocket. He pulls it out, and he's looking. He's like, Well, I got a dime, a penny, a paperclip, and some lint. So the farmer's like, yeah, okay, that'll be good. So the farmer calls the puppies, right? And from the barn coming down the ramp from this huge door is the mama pup. And so her name is Dolly. So Dolly comes right, and I make all the sounds like and then the little puppies are following Dolly, and the puppies come down the ramps. And then you get to the very last little pup who's, like, struggling to get down. And so finally, he's on the ramp, and the puppy just falls over on his back. Little puppy legs going up and down and, like, shaking all over the place. Little boy is in love with this puppy just at first sight. And he goes, oh, Mr. How much is that puppy? And the farmer just looks at him. He goes, oh, son, you don't want that puppy. There's something wrong with that puppy. That puppy can't walk. That puppy can't play. He'll never be able to do all the puppy things that little puppies should do with their boys. He's like, you don't want that. And the little boy is like, mesmerized in awe at this puppy who's still, like, struggling. And he's like, no, Mr. Really, how much is that puppy? And once again, the farmer is like, trying to convince him, like, no, not that puppy. That puppy can't run or jump or do all these things. He's not a normal puppy. And so finally, the little boy is like, but Mr, you don't understand. And then. Slowly, ever so slowly. And I exaggerate all this and sure start to roll up my pant leg. And the farmer looks down at the little boy who's rolling up his pant leg. And now the kids are all at their edge of their seats, like, what's going to happen? What's going to happen? They look down, and there the little boy has two braces on each side of his leg. And he goes, Mr. I know how that puppy feels. He's just like me, and he is the perfect puppy for me. And so then I stopped the story, and the kids are like, what happens? What happens? And I'm like, well, what do you think happens? Right? And so then we have this discussion about what might happen next. And so they're just, like, dying that I don't tell them what the story end is because there really isn't one. But then we talk about, well, what does it mean and how the words we say are really powerful. And do you think the farmer meant anything bad by saying, oh, no, look at these other puppies? Do you think he was thinking that in his mind? Like, I want the best for somebody, not like I'm hurting somebody by putting down this other little puppy? So we talk about the power of our words, and then I put just random words on the board, like okay. Or, I'm trying to think of some of the other words off the top of my head. Think about it. Or just like, random things. And so then we change the way we talk, like okay. Or, okay, right now, it means two different things. And so the power of our words and the power of our voice can really change a whole situation. And so then we talk about how do we want people to interpret what we say and what we think about them and the words that are coming out of our mouth. So it's a really powerful lesson, and it's just super cute.

Mallory: I love that. And it's called the pup.

Carol: The pup. The pup.

Mallory: That's so cool.

Carol: And then I usually do it right before winter break, so kids are all in the mindset, like, the holidays are coming. I'm going to get presents, or there's presents involved. And so then I also have this little template for a paper package that we make. So basically, it's just like an envelope that they're putting together, but it's decorated on the outside, like a present, and they have to color it. And so I make them all give a present with their kind words to another student, but they can't I'll tell them who they're making their present for, but they're not allowed to tell the person who they're making their present for. And so I give them a certain amount of time to complete their present and decorate their little package. Yeah. And then we go and we talk about how we then say thank you I have a present for you. Like I make them go up and say, I have a present for you. And then the other person says, well thank you for the present. And then they kind of all open them together. So it's really cute.

Mallory: That is so fun.

Carol: Yeah, so that's my favorite. I think it's absolutely my favorite.

Mallory: That is a great one. I'm actually looking on Amazon right now and my library to see if I have that book.

Carol: It's not a book, but it's not no, it's just like a little fable. Yeah. You know what I'm going to do? I'm going to drop that in the show notes and I will send you a copy of that lesson. It's so cute.

Mallory: I would love that. That's so fun.

Carol: Yeah.

Mallory: So I think taking away know all the great things that we do is I also always think about the Ted Talk from Rita Pearson, the champion. And if you haven't seen that on YouTube, please do that. It's the Ted Talk from Rita Pearson and it's all about being a champion for kids. And she is hysterical in the video as well, but also has a great message and she talks about how kids don't learn from people they don't like. And so it's so important for us to know that we are a champion for all kids and knowing the reason we got into this profession. And I always think about too when I'm dealing with situations especially difficult, tough, very high emotional situations that I see my nieces and my nephews faces, my best friends kids and how I would treat them and how I would want other people treating them. I always think about that in those difficult situations and I always try to be the champion for the kids. And yes, there are some days where I feel like a failure and feel like I'm not doing a great job. But then again, it also goes back to the awesome thing. Yes, every day might not be awesome and that's okay, but there is something awesome in every day and you have to focus on that because as we all know, education is stressful. School can be so stressful, but it can also be so amazing and so great and so just knowing that and then maybe sharing that with your team at school or your entire staff with that speech, it is so amazing and I think just being a champion for each other. So Carol, I think I can speak for everybody on this podcast, listening to this podcast is that you are a champion. So thank you for all that you do.

Carol: Thank you for that. I definitely think that we need to support each other. Yes we do.

Mallory: We have to support each other.

Carol: Have to support each other. And I totally get it. I've been doing this, this is my 32nd year, so a lot of people that are my age have retired already and I'm still bringing it. I'm not done yet. I am not done. I have more work to do. I have more kids to see. I have more of an impact to make. And I think we have to, as educators, a, you're right remember our why, but we have to remember that we need each other because we're not in isolation. I mean, it's so easy to be isolated because we have our classrooms and we close the doors and we do our thing. But at the end of the day, we have to celebrate with one another. We have to share our victories with one another. We have to share the tough times with each other and be the sunshine for when that person is having the bad day.

Mallory: Right? Absolutely. You are completely correct. So I think to knowing that and knowing that it's okay to find that help and get those resources and sometimes the counselor needs counseling too.

Carol: And that's is, you know, nothing breaks my heart more than when know on Facebook and I'm in the groups and I see all these counselors that just I mean, they're in their first year and they're like, I'm ready to quit. And I'm thinking, oh, honey, this is only like the second week of school or the second month of school. It's not time yet. You're not done yet. Right? This is hard. You're still learning. But there is more good times that are ahead. You just have to focus on that. You do.

Mallory: And what a great outlook to have. I love that, Carol, and I'm so proud of you. That is amazing. You're not done yet, girl. Get ready.

Carol: Not done yet. Show is going. We are we're doing stuff. We are making waves. I don't know.

Mallory: That's right. Look out, you all. We're coming through.

Carol: Some people like to say that I'm a force to be reckoned with and I'm a force to be reckoned with.

Mallory: That's right. I love it.

Carol: But this has been fun.

Mallory: This has been so fun. Thank you again so much for this opportunity and listeners out there, thank you for all that you do. You are so amazing. And if you like this podcast, my dear friend Hannah and I also do a podcast with Kansas School Counseling Association calling Kicking It with Casca.

Carol: Love it.

Mallory: It's been so much fun. Thank you so much, Carol.

Carol: Yeah, we're going to drop the link in the show notes too, so that if people are looking for school counseling podcasts because that's another popular question, like, hey, I want to follow some podcasts specifically for school counselors, so we got to rally together and share.

Mallory: That is correct. Well, thank you so much for this opportunity. Keep being awesome and doing great things. We got this.

Carol: All right. For our listeners out there, until next time, have a great week. Thanks for listening to today's episode of Counselor Chat. All of the links I talked about can be found in the show notes and at Slash Podcast. Be sure to hit, follow or subscribe on your favorite podcast player. And if you would be so kind to leave a review, I'd really appreciate it. Want to connect? Send me a DM on Facebook or Instagram at counseling essentials. Until next time. Can't wait till we chat. Bye for now. Bye.

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