Counselor update
First, a final note about non-violent communication… I met with some students this week who were frustrated with a friendship problem. When I asked them how they had tried to solve it, they described several comments and posts they had sent back and forth on Instagram. It occurred to me quickly that I have been lacking something in a metaphor I’ve been using recently, and this was a perfect example. I’ve been talking about communication as a “tube” where ideally when one person speaks, the other person listens, then has a turn when the former has finished. It occurred to me that there are some very small tubes, such as texting, where this is very much the case, and there is a lot of context to a message that gets left out (it is said that 93% or more of all communication is non-verbal). The chat with the small group of students led to a bit of my most recent lesson plan that grew and became very engaging quickly with the students in my classes. We talked about all the things that get left out when we use a smaller tube, and how even when we talk face-to-face (the biggest tube), if there isn’t time, communication isn’t ideal. I was impressed with how easily students attached themselves to the idea of choosing the right medium (tube) for certain problems, and how suggesting a face-to-face meeting instead of trying to solve a problem over Facebook can avoid making a problem bigger.
Okay, now on to my new favorite subject:
WOW!!! I am so excited to be only two months away from my first Career Fair at Ainsworth!!!
I want to update families about how that’s going. So far, I have 23 diverse presentations, expecting an easy five more (currently pending), and hope for two more last-minute additions between now and April 29. Who is coming? A dentist, a psychiatrist, acupuncturist, public health administrators & epidemiologists, a surgeon, a few people from Intel, a tax preparer, a civil engineer, a business owner, a contractor, a safety, health & environmental manager, a veterinarian, a park ranger, an international consultant, a personal trainer, a windmill technician (or other green-energy person from PGE), police officers, a pilot with Horizon Airlines, four social workers, an architect, an athletic manager, and an FBI agent! I expect to confirm a journalist, fire-fighters, a registered nurse, and a musician soon. I don’t understand how I still don’t have a lawyer, but I’m guessing someone reading this will help out (wink, wink!). I would love to have some help making this a success, so if you have ideas or enthusiasm, please let me know. I will also be trying to drum up volunteer support for the day of the fair, to run the show, serve as ambassadors to the presenters, and help students make it a meaningful experience. After the event, I would also love some support thanking participants.
In the meantime, I am ending my social/emotional and academic curriculum and pushing career awareness during my bi-weekly lessons in each class. The primary objective of these lessons is to get kids to consider dimensions of careers other than compensation. We will be exploring factors such as work values, skills, tools, atmosphere, opportunities for advancement, the purpose/mission of any given career, etc. Specifically, we will look at some dimensions of careers in social work, green-energy, health-care, and information security. For example, students will understand the prediction of BLS that new jobs in health care will “account for nearly one-third of the total projected increase in jobs” by 2022. We will also discuss how stereotypes affect career choices, how school relates to work, and some “power questions” for the presenters who visit us in April.
Thanks for reading! As always, I welcome ideas, questions & feedback. Send me an email any time!
Ben Hildner
Ainsworth School Counselor
First, a final note about non-violent communication… I met with some students this week who were frustrated with a friendship problem. When I asked them how they had tried to solve it, they described several comments and posts they had sent back and forth on Instagram. It occurred to me quickly that I have been lacking something in a metaphor I’ve been using recently, and this was a perfect example. I’ve been talking about communication as a “tube” where ideally when one person speaks, the other person listens, then has a turn when the former has finished. It occurred to me that there are some very small tubes, such as texting, where this is very much the case, and there is a lot of context to a message that gets left out (it is said that 93% or more of all communication is non-verbal). The chat with the small group of students led to a bit of my most recent lesson plan that grew and became very engaging quickly with the students in my classes. We talked about all the things that get left out when we use a smaller tube, and how even when we talk face-to-face (the biggest tube), if there isn’t time, communication isn’t ideal. I was impressed with how easily students attached themselves to the idea of choosing the right medium (tube) for certain problems, and how suggesting a face-to-face meeting instead of trying to solve a problem over Facebook can avoid making a problem bigger.
Okay, now on to my new favorite subject:
WOW!!! I am so excited to be only two months away from my first Career Fair at Ainsworth!!!
I want to update families about how that’s going. So far, I have 23 diverse presentations, expecting an easy five more (currently pending), and hope for two more last-minute additions between now and April 29. Who is coming? A dentist, a psychiatrist, acupuncturist, public health administrators & epidemiologists, a surgeon, a few people from Intel, a tax preparer, a civil engineer, a business owner, a contractor, a safety, health & environmental manager, a veterinarian, a park ranger, an international consultant, a personal trainer, a windmill technician (or other green-energy person from PGE), police officers, a pilot with Horizon Airlines, four social workers, an architect, an athletic manager, and an FBI agent! I expect to confirm a journalist, fire-fighters, a registered nurse, and a musician soon. I don’t understand how I still don’t have a lawyer, but I’m guessing someone reading this will help out (wink, wink!). I would love to have some help making this a success, so if you have ideas or enthusiasm, please let me know. I will also be trying to drum up volunteer support for the day of the fair, to run the show, serve as ambassadors to the presenters, and help students make it a meaningful experience. After the event, I would also love some support thanking participants.
In the meantime, I am ending my social/emotional and academic curriculum and pushing career awareness during my bi-weekly lessons in each class. The primary objective of these lessons is to get kids to consider dimensions of careers other than compensation. We will be exploring factors such as work values, skills, tools, atmosphere, opportunities for advancement, the purpose/mission of any given career, etc. Specifically, we will look at some dimensions of careers in social work, green-energy, health-care, and information security. For example, students will understand the prediction of BLS that new jobs in health care will “account for nearly one-third of the total projected increase in jobs” by 2022. We will also discuss how stereotypes affect career choices, how school relates to work, and some “power questions” for the presenters who visit us in April.
Thanks for reading! As always, I welcome ideas, questions & feedback. Send me an email any time!
Ben Hildner
Ainsworth School Counselor