Lessons For A New School Counsellor Post #2

Published on September 17, 2013September 18, 2013 by SSpellmanCannLeave a comment

Every September I forget just how unbelievably busy a school can be and most school counsellors are not just counselling they have several other responsibilities. That is an important lesson for all school counsellors. Be aware of all that you may be asked to do.

Here are some new lessons. Lessons 1-6 are here.

Lesson #7

Be patient with yourself. It takes time to learn all the things you have to know as a school counsellor and often times you have several roles to play. You may be in a classroom part time teaching and attempting to do a full time job at counselling even though you are half time counselling /half time teaching. You can’t do and be everything for everybody.

Lesson #8

Lists help. Having lists will help you do and follow up on all the activities you are responsible for.

Lesson #9

Technology helps. This year we have a master calendar for all our counselling activities on Outlook. Each calendar is synched with our counselling Admin. Assistant and she makes sure it is coordinated. We discuss our monthly activities in our weekly Counselling team meetings. This keeps us all on track and aware of what is happening. We utilize technology in numerous ways in which I will discuss over the course of the school year.

This year in September we held three different seminars . One on Digital Citizenship, four on Counselling and one on scholarship information for students in grade 12 . Throughout the year we will offer several more.

The first was held at our grade 10 retreat with four hundred new grade 10’s and I will post more on that later.

The second was held in our computer room where we discussed :

What school counsellors do
What services we offer
Confidentiality and the limits
Resources we have available like our school counselling website, our counselling course that we offer on D2L, our school twitter site and our school facebook page

The third will be held in the computer lab with access to a fantastic livebinder.

Here are some links you may get some ideas from:

http://www.haikudeck.com/p/seBRTsh6wd/digital-citizenship-bchs

https://sspellmancann.jux.com

http://www.haikudeck.com/p/L1wGnD3MT0/what-high-school-students-need-to-know

Scholarships, Student Loans, Occupational Information livebinders.com/play/play/830830

Lesson #10

All school counsellors should be trained in suicide prevention and if they are not they should be trained in their Masters programs. School Counsellors often have to assess for the risk of suicide. Yes, even in the first few days of school when students are back in September. School Counsellors need to be prepared to ask for assistance if they are not trained. This is not something you should handle alone. It can be very scary when a student says they are thinking about suicide and you are not trained to know what to do. Even when you are trained well it can feel overwhelming and so it is important to debrief with another counsellor. In our district all school counselors have to train every two years as well as do a refresher course. This is so important for our students at risk. School counsellors can and do save lives.

As I reflect on the work we do, I think about what we do and how important our role as school counsellors are. Exhausting at times, but so worthwhile. To all new counsellors hang in there. It is and has been the most rewarding career for me. I still love what I do in year 33.

Marc’s reflection on his first weeks as a high school counsellor:

Starting a practicum placement is intimidating. I am fighting the presence of ‘imposter syndrome’, feeling somewhat ill-prepared and anxious, hoping that my lack of experience is not apparent to the students or staff in my words or behaviour. I am fortunate to be in a familiar environment with a supportive supervisor and colleagues, but it will take time to feel comfortable and confident.

It’s been a steep learning curve at my practicum placement. At first, I was frustrated because the established counsellors were busy with a full schedule of student clients, while I had a slow trickle.

While I recognized that some students may prefer a veteran counsellor, I soon realised this disparity in appointments was primarily due to the students’ unfamiliarity with me, rather than an indication of their perception of my competence or a sneak preview of my upcoming caseload. The number of students coming for appointments has picked up, but I have come to appreciate any opportunity I have to reflect, consult, complete documentation, or catch up on additional work. Further, after having an experience assessing an at-risk student, I’ve learned that a gradual immersion into client contact allows me to build competence and confidence at a comfortable pace. I was not ready to assess this particular client, and missed several key aspects of the necessary process. It was a good learning experience, helping me to remember the importance of policy and training, but also to pace myself and appreciate any lighter schedules.

World Suicide Prevention Day

Published on September 10, 2013September 10, 2013 by SSpellmanCannLeave a comment

Today is World Suicide Prevention Day. As School Counsellors we need to talk about this very important topic. We need to break down the stigma, one conversation or one assembly at a time. Our students could be at risk. Sadly, sometimes we can miss the warning signs.

In our opening school retreat we address this issue directly and let all students know we are there to assist them to provide HOPE and support.

We let students know that even if they are not at risk he/she may need to help a friend. Evidence suggests that youth are more likely to talk to their peers about their thoughts of suicide so we need to reinforce in students that they cannot keep suicidal thoughts a secret. We would much rather they had an angry friend than a dead friend.

Later this month we have every grade ten student take a manditory suicide prevention workshop through Canada Mental Health.

Our HOPE is that all students will reach out and get the help and supports they need. Our young people are precious and we want to keep them to understand they have a purpose and are meant to be here.

Digital Citizenship and the New School Year

Published on August 19, 2013August 19, 2013 by SSpellmanCann1 Comment

One of the most important topics I believe a school can cover is Digital Citizenship. So I went on a twitter search of the top two videos on this topic. If I am going to present to the students in my High School ( which I am ) I want the best of the best. Which videos rate as the top two I think our students should see? So I asked the question to my PLN “ If you had to choose the top two videos on Digital Citizenship for high school students what would you choose?”

You would think this would be easy to answer, but it is not! I am aware of lots of videos on Digital Citizenship, but which ones do I believe I should present to all our new grade 10’s? I’m not sure yet.

Some of the responses I received were:

great question let me know what you find?
try this for starters thanks Tom Whitby @tomwhitby
tough call, but here is a nice collection of digital citizenship videos thanks Eric Sheninger @NMHS_Principal
thinking on this one
I’ve been looking too … please share
Retweets and assistance because of @courosa. Thank you so much as always Alec for your help with this. I am continually inspired by you.
The search produced ideas , but no top videos people would choose to show to a large group of high school students and I understand why. There are so many to choose from and how to decide which one would be best is not easy and depends on the purpose. Fortunately I will be using several so no real need to find the absolute best.
I’ve added videos and ideas to my digital citizenship livebinder so thanks to all of you on twitter who contributed.

In the process of thinking about this important topic I had some insights that I thought were useful.

What about asking the students to watch five videos (of their own choosing) on the topic of Digital Citizenship) and pick the ones they think are the top two?
What about having students research and create their own videos? Challenge them to create one that other students would pick as their top two.
What do students think should be the criteria for picking a video as one that should be in the top two?
What do educators think should be the criteria for picking a video that should be in their top two?
What are the essential components of a great assembly on Digital Citizenship for high school students?
If you had an hour to present to all new grade 10’s on the topic of Digital Citizenship, what would you present?
What do I really want our students to be aware of?

What I do know is that I want our students to think a lot about this very important topic and as a counselling team we will be covering this topic throughout the school year.

I want to model positive digital citizenship
I want students to know that being online in a positive way can make a positive difference in their life. Students throughout the world are doing many great things online
I want students to learn all they can about being a good citizen online and off
I don’t want to scare students. I want to inform them and assist them to act with integrity on the web
I want students to be safe, responsible, and use good judgement online
I want students to be aware of their identity
I want students to learn and understand creative commons
I want to help prepare students for ” a society full of technology” Ribble
I want students to be able to be learn to create and be proud of what they create and learn and share on the net
I want students to be able to “understand how networks work ” Rheingold

Here is a past post that I wrote on the topic: Making A Difference On Line where you can find other resources on this very important topic.

As school counsellors this year we will be:

sending Digital Citizenship tweets to students on the school twitter account as well as through remind 101
posting articles and videos on the school facebook account
sending out @HaikuDecks on the topic to students
sharing information on the topic on our school counselling website
focusing on where we can add information on Digital Citizenship in our learning guides
posting information on bulletin boards (our students look at these) caught them many, many times

I especially want students to know as Seth Godin says, “Everything you do now ends up on your permanent record. The best plan is to overload google with a long tail of good stuff and always act as if you are on Candid Camera because you are”.

We need to be congruent on and of line and we need to model integrity and teach this to our students . This is a process and we will slip up along the way,but for today we will do and be the best we can.

I certainly recognize that helping students be more aware of digital citizenship is the responsibility of teachers, parents, educators and the society as a whole , but as school counsellors we can assist students in their understanding of this very important topic. I would love it if you would share your ideas and tell us what you think some of the best videos and ideas are around this topic. Please comment below if you have ideas. This is a work in progress.

Lessons for a New School Counsellor … an ongoing dialogue for this school year

Published on August 16, 2013June 5, 2014 by SSpellmanCann13 Comments

This year I will be supervising another first year school counsellor, the difference being this time I want to blog about it so that I can help him as well as learn new things myself. I also hope this will help other new school counsellors in the process.

I absolutely love being a school counsellor. It is a career that I have never regretted choosing. I registered as a psychologist in 2007, and tested out private practice part time. The decision to do this helped me realize just how much I love being in a school helping students and connecting with educators. The work of a school counsellor fulfills me and makes me very happy. I love going to work every day. It is extremely rewarding because I know I can make a huge difference in the life of students and their families. I believe as school counsellors we can change the path that a student’s life will take to a more positive one.

I know that school counsellors can save lives by what they do . They can be the first person to assess that a serious concern exists and connect the family with resources that can change the lives of the student and their family for the better.

When a student walks into my office the first question I often ask is “ how can I help you today” ? I always want to be helpful. I believe that if we are not being helpful then we are not meeting the needs of our students. At the end of the session I usually ask what did we discuss today that will be helpful to you and what will you use as a result of our spending time together today.

As a school counsellor I want to be able to replace despair with hope and sadness with joy not unlike the words in the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi.

I want the school counselling office to be a safe place for students to explore what isn’t working and find out how they can make things work in their lives. I like to focus on the strengths of the student. Often times students have told me they would not go to or do not like going to see counsellors. They say to me that being in my office is different ; meaning somehow I am different and that I don’t seem like the perception of what they think a “counsellor” is.

Now don’t get me wrong I have had students who did not like me. It is part of what happens as a school counsellor, teacher , educator or anyone in any profession and if that happens hopefully they will connect with the person who will be most helpful to them.

What do I believe are the important lessons a new school counsellor should know? These lessons will not be in order of importance, but are all lessons I feel are worthwhile being aware of. As the school year progresses I will continually add to this list.

Lesson #1: We can’t help everyone, but we can sure try to help the ones that come to us or are referred to us ( and sometimes we need to go to them).

Students will often disclose very serious issues that we as school counsellors need to address. Sometimes when we disclose to parents that their son or daughter is thinking of suicide or some other life threatening concern (the end result might be the student may never return to see you). Hopefully you have connected the student and their family to resources that can improve and indeed in some cases save their lives.

It is important for new school counsellors to not get discouraged if a student does not return to see you (don’t personalize it) it may just be that you have helped them a great deal, but are unaware of just how at that time. Students have stopped me in stores and other places years later to let me know what a difference I made. So hang in there knowing that you did what you needed to do. It is also important to be self aware, so also run by your concerns with another counsellor and see if indeed there was something else you could have done or ask what if anything could you have done differently. Remind yourself that you are in a process of learning. Consult… consult… consult… a lifelong lesson for ALL school counsellors.

It is also OK to recognize that you are NOT a match for every student. Hopefully there are other counsellors in your school or outside agencies that you can refer your student to if this happens. I let students know that they have a choice when it comes to counsellors and they need to see the person they feel most comfortable and safe with. Hopefully, that will be you ,but if not that is OK too.

Lesson # 2: We need to base what we do on theoretical perspectives that are useful and helpful. Humanists like Carl Rogers ,Victor Frankl have impacted me, but so to have others in the field of psychology like Albert Ellis, Irvin Yalom, Fritz Perls, Ed Jacobs, David Burns, Virginia Satir, Donald Meichenbaum, Claudia Black

and Mary Pipher to name a few. There is no one right approach. You need to discover what you believe and make sure it works for you and your students.

Each theorist has impacted the way I interact and help students. Along the way I have also worked with some amazing school counsellors , educators and supervisors who have also influenced me in a positive way. Thanks especially to Diane Williams, Deana Helton and Helen MacKinnon.

Lesson #3: Find great mentors and learn from them. One of my all time favorites is Ed Jacobs. Ed is a genuinely helpful man as well as being a great therapist. I love how he interacts and works with young and old people alike and makes a positive difference in the lives of others. Check him out on youtube here:

Lesson #4: There are so many people and resources you can learn from that can impact students in a positive way. I think Leo Buscaglia has the best lessons that can be used in counselling students. I can honestly say I loved Leo . He was and still is an inspiration to me. Which brings me to an extremely important lesson … lesson #5

Lesson #5: Continually professionally develop yourself. Keep learning and learning and learning. One of my new favorite ways to do this is to connect with other school counsellors worldwide on twitter. See my past post on amazing school counsellors and what they are doing. My twitter handle is @sspellmancann. If you are not on twitter sign up TODAY!

Lesson #6: Read great counselling books . A few I really like are : Impact Therapy by Ed. Jacobs, Creative Counselling Techniques by Ed. Jacobs, Group Counseling Strategies and Skills Jacobs, Masson, Harvill, Letters To A Young Therapist Mary Pipher, The Gift of Therapy Irvin Yalom, Mans Search for Meaning Victor Frankl

As I think about the lessons I believe a new counsellor should be thinking about I realize that there are some practical considerations that a new counsellor might want to implement. Here are a few:

What are some basics that could be helpful to you as a new school counsellor?

Write an introduction letter to parents letting them know who you are and what you do and post it on the school counselling and school website. (If by chance your school does not have a website design a letter introducing yourself and put it in the school newsletter ( put it in the newsletter anyway.)
Tweet this out to students on the school twitter account and post it to the school facebook account.
Introduce yourself to as many teachers as you possibly can. In a large school, this will take time.
Plan to meet with your administration team at THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR and least once a month. Celebrate what you do and how you are doing. Discuss what the expectations are of a Comprehensive School Counselling Plan and how you can work together to accomplish this.
My plan this year is to implement a joint admin. counseling blog post at least four times throughout the school year. Counsellors and admin should be joint leaders in any school.
Show initiative. Everyone in a school will benefit. If you have some great ideas don’t be afraid to share or try out your ideas.
Discuss limits of confidentiality with every student. You might want to put a poster of the limits on your office wall.
Visually make your office a space students want to be in.
Develop a monthly calendar of things to do and check off when you complete them.
Have a plan when meeting new students. It is helpful to get a cell phone number so that you can follow up especially in a self-directed High School.
It might be helpful to keep a notebook of all the things you need to know especially if you are in a new school or counselling a new age group.
You will want to find a simple and easy way to curate information. I use livebinders and pinterest. They can be extremely helpful tools for new counsellors as well as those that have been around for awhile.
You need to be a positive PR person for the school counseling program , so find many ways to connect with students. Brainstorm with your colleagues ways to make connections with students so that they know who you are and what you do.
Connect with parents. Let them know through parent council or other means what you do.
Ask for help. You are not expected to know everything. Utilize the professionals inside and outside of your building for support.
Learn as you go about the many community resources that are available and put them in a binder or livebinder
Don’t be afraid to share your innovative or creative ideas with your counselling team ( if you have one). They and you will benefit!
BALANCE we all benefit from taking care of ourselves. Don’t burn yourself out in the first year. Practice self-care.
You have a big learning curve. BE PATIENT WITH YOURSELF.

I am adding one of my live binders called school counsellor resources. Please as in all my livebinders take what you like and leave the rest.

As I learn along with my new school counsellor I will be sharing any insights that we both might have. For all of you who are new to school counselling have a wonderful experience and know that what you do absolutely matters.

Welcome to the best profession in the world school counselling.

What I Want My Children To Know…

Published on July 29, 2013August 3, 2013 by SSpellmanCannLeave a comment

This summer as in every summer for the past thirty-four years I have come home to Nova Scotia. As usual when I slow down I have time to reflect. This summer though I have a purpose to reflect because I am in an open educators vlogging group called openspokes.

In openspokes we pick topics to discuss and through vlogging we reflect on the topic of the week with each other. This summers topic is a big and tough one. What do I want my students and / or my own children to know before I die? Even saying that can be scary to me. There are so, so many things I want them to know before I die and I hope I will I have the time in life to tell them. I know they will learn so many lessons from others, but I want my legacy to be a positive one … so this question feels extremely important to me. It is different from what do I want to do before I die as that is easier. At least for me it is.

I have thought a lot about what I think my own purpose in life is. Being in Nova Scotia makes me understand how I became who I am as this is where I was born. So many things and people have shaped me into the person I am today. I grew up on a forces base and as a result I have great lifelong friends. We are still connected to this day. I want my children to know that it is important to nurture lifelong friendships. These friendships are amazing and bring so many gifts to your life. It is so fun to reminisce and remember things we did as kids and make new memories as adults. Our friendships have stood the test of time.”You become the average of the five people you hang out with says ” Drew Houston, CEO, Dropbox. and I have hung around the best of the best people throughout my life. I have wonderful friendships from coast to coast and beyond. I have made friendships in my adulthood that bring me great happiness and are life sustaining. They are a gift in my life that I am unbelievably grateful for.

In regards to my own purpose in life, I believe it is to help young people discover their gifts and talents and to help them navigate through the tough parts of their life ,so that they discover that they too have a purpose. I want young people to trust the process and not be afraid to ask for help if they get lost along the way. I chose to be a school counsellor which has helped me live every day what I believe to be my true calling in life. I also want to be able to help school counsellors and blogging makes it much easier to do so. I can help them with ideas and resources. If anything I write in my blog or say in a vlog that I do helps school counsellors, it will make me very happy.

I want my own children to choose a career they will love as I have . If they follow their passions I know they will be happy in life and meet fantatstic people who will enhance and enrich their lives. I am so grateful to go to work and absolutely love what I do each and every day since 1980.

What are some of the TOP things I want my own children to know:

You are and were wanted and loved
You make life better by being in it
You have a purpose
I am very grateful for all you have taught me
You keep me real
Find yourself … then find your own true love and be committed to enhancing your and their life
Enjoy every stage of your life
Life will have extremely difficult parts, but you can find the strength to get through all the tough times …a sk for help
Have faith
Make a difference
Help yourself … help others
Take care of yourself … take care of others
Hugs heal
Face your fears and take healthy risks
Live every day to the fullest
Never take anything for granted
You are never too old to learn
Celebrate the small stuff
Travel and get a better world view
Read, read, read
Learn. learn, learn
Connect, connect, connect
Connect with positive people. Make great memories together
Laugh often
Be active throughout your life
There is no place like home
Please forgive me for the crazy mistakes I made along the way… parenting is not easy

I want my own children to know that I have had an amazing life. Not a life without struggles, but a life I am grateful for . I am grateful for all that I have and all that I am able to do. I want my children to know that their dad has always treated me with respect and love. He has been a fantastic role model for them and a loving husband to me. He is an extremely good human being and that is what makes a great partner. They need to always remember that who they choose in life can be one of the biggest predictors of lifetime happiness. For me that has held true . I hope that it is true for them too.

I want my own children to always have HOPE. It will get them through the really tough times in life. I also want my children to understand that life is what you make it. Take responsibility for everything you do in life and if you really want to do something in life. … make it happen … it is up to you!

There is no way to put in words all the things I want my children to know, but I hope when they are old and grey they can look back at my vlogs with a little joy , laugh a little and recognize that part of the reason I did vlogs and blogs was to be a model for them , so that they could learn to take positive risks and become good citizens themselves.

I want so many things for my own children. I want them to know it is OK to make mistakes and fail.There is no shame in that. This blogging and vlogging experience has been full of mistakes and learning. I have mde several mistakes in life, but I feel I have always learned from them and as a result I have become a better person.

I want them to know that I have loved and lost and found a lifetime of love. I want them to know I treasure all our memories together and feel so blessed to enjoy each and every day that I live on this planet. I so look forward to the many memories that we we will create in the years to come. I love my children so very, very much. They mean everything to me. There are no words to describe how much I love them … I wish there were.

I want my children to have the best life possible one that they and their children can look back on and say they are proud of the life they had. I hope they will feel they were blessed because they were a part of a family that they could respect and most importantly know they that were fully loved beyond measure and treasured their whole life long.

There are just so many things I want my children to know…

There Are So Many Amazing School Counsellors Doing So Many Fabulous Things

Published on July 10, 2013August 17, 2013 by SSpellmanCann6 Comments

CC photo by Yanngarphoto.wordpress.com

School Counselling is so important in every school. It is an essential service that is often not paid enough attention to sadly. What I absolutely know is that school counsellors save lives every day in the world. Some might not think that to be true, but I know that when school counsellors are working with students who are at risk they make a difference. What they do in their offices is preventative work and may go unnoticed because school counsellors can’t tell you what happened because of confidentiality.They might have just saved the life of a child who otherwise would not be around to tell their story.

Social media is also assisting students and school counsellors in a positive way. The work of Dr. Erin Mason @ecmmason, who created SCOPE is helping school counsellors every day in every way . Dr. Erin Mason from SCOPE is fantastic. School Counsellors in Canada and the especially the US are on board with new developments in school counselling and are connecting to even make things better for students everywhere.

Danielle Schultz @sch_counselor ,the founder of School Counselor Blog is also a leader in the field. You can often find her leading #scchat or sharing great information on her blog.

Speaking of #scchat, it always amazes me that when educational chats are listed usually school counsellor chats are not posted. I know that will change as school counsellors become even more active in many spaces on social media.

Below I am going to list some of the great leaders in school counselling and if I miss anyone I appologize as I KNOW you are doing amazing work with students.

Erin Luong @eHordyskiLuong (Alberta,Canada)
Julia V. Taylor @juliavtayor (Richmond, VA,US)
Kaudri Auvaart @Kadriblaster (Australia)
Michelle Brown @Michelle0102197 (Canada)
Tamica Collard @TamicaCollard (Texas,US)
Chris Polley @Teaching_Intl (Shanghai, China)
Trent Langdon @TrentLangdonNL (Newfoundland, Canada)
Darrell Sampson @CnslrDarrell (Arlington Virginia,US)
Brian Zink @Brian_Zink (Guadalajara, Mexico)
Rebecca Lallier SchCounselingByHeart (Vermont, US)
Jeremy Goldman @MRJGoldman (Lutherville Maryland,US)
ABurston @jyjcounselor (US)
Rick Scheibner @rick_scheibner (Hermiston Oregon, US)
Marci Newman ARHSCounselor (UT,US)
Amy Sather @AmySatherBlair (Blair Nebraska, US)
Jeannine Jervis @CounselorELEM (Indiana,US)
Susan Langan @csfml (Cedar Falls Iowa, US)
Carol Miller @tmscounselor (US)
Randi Rosenberg @RandiCounsels (Northern Virginia,US)
SchCnslrsRock @SchCnslrsRock (US)
Fanciene Sabens @FSabens (US)
Marty Stevens@martylstevens (Shiremanstown, PA) who writes the Gratitude Journal
Jeff Ream @CounselingGeek (US)

This list would not be complete without the work of a fantastic school counsellor advocate Russell Sabella @rsabella who is a Professor at Florida Gulf Coast University , or Carli Segal @carlicounsels and Dr. Kevin Kelly @EmmausKevinK who are leading #sbmhchat School Based Mental Health Chat another excellent chat related to school counselling.

If you are a school counsellor from another part of the world please connect with us on twitter as we have so much to share and we can help each other grow professionally. It is an amazing opportunity for us to learn together. Please put that you are a school counsellor in your descriptor and if you feel comfortable please put where you are from.

TOP SCHOOL COUNSELLOR CHATS

#scchat

For more information about #SCCHAT (School Counselor Twitter Chats, montly school counsellor chats on Twitter, visit http://bit.ly/scchat-info. #SCCHAT Tweet Up!

#sbmhchat

I would so love to see more Canadian School Counsellors #cscchat to be active on twitter and I will do my best to encourage other educators to encourage their school counsellors to join. We are entering into a new way of connecting with each other that will only benefit our students and the educational systems even more.

Please click below to view the Haiku Deck on School Counselling:

http://www.haikudeck.com/p/wlK5Q1ceFG/why-school-counselling . Please feel free to edit and share.

What Is Really Important In Life

Published on July 6, 2013July 6, 2013 by SSpellmanCann6 Comments

Shouldn’t we teach all students as if they were Zach? In #openspokes we have been discussing what is important to teach our young people. I believe Zach’s message of hope is one all teachers as well as students can learn from. At the heart of teaching should be teaching from the heart and Zach tells us what is really important in life. As a school counsellor these are the lessons that really matter to me. Lessons like those from Zach that truly teach.

Zach is an amazing teacher. Here are some of his lessons:

you don’t have to find out you are dying to start living
most people live in the middle, but you don’t have to
be empathetic and compassionate
always look for the good in people
things are OK when you believe in something greater
what makes you happy is seeing someone else smile because you put it there
what’s awesome about living in this world is that you can help people
the structure of a family is great
to be in the same room with your siblings is enough
it is not the life in your years , but the years and passion you put into your life
spend time with the people you love
it’s ok to dream big
celebrate the life you have
you can communicate love through music
music can heal
releasing feelings through music is helpful
letting people know you love them is important
sticking together as a family is extremely important
be happy no matter what
treat people the same and everything will be fine
smile despite what is happening in your life
memories are essential…create positive ones
friendships help
fill your heart up with joy
it’s ok to have ultimate dreams
people we don’t really know can change our lives
the way you live matters
surround yourself with those people that lift you up
LOVE makes life BETTER

Zach says it alll better than I could ever do, his message is one that I will share again and again. Thanks Zach for giving us your gift of life.

My hope is that teachers will pay more attention to the students we teach than the content. The lessons we teach can make a difference.

There Are So Many Ways To Contribute

Published on July 1, 2013July 4, 2013 by SSpellmanCannLeave a comment

It is more than a week ago that schools were cancelled because of flooding in Calgary. Calgary would be in a state of emergency for many more days to come.

It is one of those days when you will never forget where you were and what you were doing. I was staying at my friend’s house and then off to our Bishop Carroll graduation ceremonies with my grade 12 students .We were celebrating their accomplishments and yet mindful of the devastation all around us, but not completely aware of just how Albertans would be impacted.

I knew that Calgarians would make a difference, but little did I know how amazing the role modelling would be for our students. Our students would have definitely risen to the challenge fundraising amongst other things, but it was the end of the school year. That will come in September, as I know our city will still need help then. Within the first day I received a tweet from the YMCA that one of our students was already helping … no surprise.

During the next week I would begin to see how much the city was impacted. I felt powerless in the beginning not knowing how I could help.

I recognized that I could give money to the Red Cross , that was easy. I could register with #yychelps, but not sure if I could do the heavy work.

Then came an email from our chief superintendant, Gary Strother, asking for volunteers to help with the cleanup efforts. I don’t usually look at my e-mail after school year ends, but this year I am more connected to my computer than ever before ,so I took it as a sign that I needed to act.

For two days I was up at 4 a.m. and to work by 5:15 because of the coordinating efforts of one of the organizers Ralph Strother along with some amazing people from Whissell Construction .

Being in the middle of a neighbourhood at East Elbow Park made everything real. I just kept imagining if this was my home and my family, how I would feel and how appreciative of the help I would be. I know the homeowners did, by the signs and the overwhelming thank you’s and gratitude that was displayed.

As Ralph Strother says, ”it was a huge step forward from unfathomable loss to rebuilding towards recovery… everyone worked shoulder to shoulder responding with no request too small and or seemingly too big dismantling garages, structures and even roofs, carefully, skillfully and even moving all the debris.”

Whissell construction donated dump trucks, front-end loaders, skidsters, trucks, barricades tools and amazing people who worked tirelessly to coordinate our efforts. It was amazing to see all the work being done around me. I am grateful for the small part that I would play to help out.

I have to admit it was hard work. It was back breaking work that some people do everyday (obviously something I am not cut out for on a daily basis) kudos to them, but for now they were adding to their week by volunteering. It made me very happy to be a part of it.

Ways I watched people help:

Driving the bus to get volunteers in and out of communities
Baking food for families and volunteers
First Aid responders
Organizing small clean up jobs for younger people
Lemonade stands
Raking, shoveling, hauling, demolishing, lifting, cleaning

The list goes on…

There are so many ways people can contribute . Many people cannot contribute physically, but it is just as valuable to contribute in any way you can … JUST CONTRIBUTE. We need to be grateful for what we have and what we can do, not to feel guilty for what we can’t do. All that we do matters and for today I am so grateful to live in a city of helpers. I do not have to look for them. They are everywhere.

Click here :

http://www.haikudeck.com/p/U1DekWUNVC/calgary-floods-2013

and then click on the pictures to move to the next picture in the haiku deck:

Thanks to all my fellow @CCSD_edu colleagues especially Andrew who helped out and a special thanks to Gary and Ralph for making this happen.

Here are some resources from Alberta Health Services that you may wish to check out: Flood updates and resources…

Alberta Government’s pamphlet Support for Albertan’s Affected by Flood: http://www.albertahealthservices.ca/Advisories/ne-pha-ahs-support.pdf

Dr. Michael Trew’s Blog (Alberta’s Chief Mental Health Officer): http://blogs.albertahealthservices.ca/floodcope/

Mental Health

Calgary Floods June 24th 2013 YES …Calgarians Care

Published on June 25, 2013June 25, 2013 by SSpellmanCannLeave a comment

Storify by
Susan Spellman Cann

Mon, Jun 24 2013 17:46:31

Calgarians Care

Calgarians are great helpers as can be seen all over the city. I am grateful to live in a city with so many people who care so much.

We will rebuild. CalgaryStrong! pic.twitter.com/17h9AOlCRC

Calgaryism @Calgaryism·Mon, Jun 24 2013 12:47:59

Mon, Jun 24 2013 12:47:59
Susan Spellman Cann @SSpellmanCann

I created “Calgary Floods 2013” with @HaikuDeck: haikudeck.com/p/U1DekWUNVC #etmooc #openspokes #cdnedchat thx to all who r helping

Mon, Jun 24 2013 15:26:03

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Macleod Trail underpass is no longer filled with water. Here’s a look at changes in water level there. #yyc pic.twitter.com/kHINADNNdw

Calgary Herald @calgaryherald

Sun, Jun 23 2013 11:54:38
Susan Spellman Cann @SSpellmanCann

Calgary … Coping with A Crisis: youtu.be/Mo4MSomTNBI via @youtube #scchat

Sun, Jun 23 2013 07:31:28

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Downtown Calgary is a ghost town in the events of the flood. No power. pic.twitter.com/pTjf24g3YX

Loremaster Ketchup @MisqueTsvahl

·Mon, Jun 24 2013 12:41:23
Distress Centre @Distress_Centre

Thank you so much to everyone who has been retweeting our crisis line # during this difficult time, 403.266.HELP(4357) #yycfloods

Sun, Jun 23 2013 20:35:47
Thank you for the generosity #yyc! 2 Timmy’s gift cards left tucked into a cruiser window 🙂 #WeAreCalgary pic.twitter.com/AqbiyTUYZW

Calgary Police @CalgaryPolice

Mon, Jun 24 2013 11:55:58

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Susan Spellman Cann @SSpellmanCann

Wanted to share my livebinder – Calgary Resources for families Responding to A Natural Disaster livebinders.com/play/play_or_e… #yycfloods #Calgary

Sun, Jun 23 2013 19:30:15

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XL 103 Calgary

@metrocalgary: Flood victims will receive $1,250 per adult and $500 per child. Eligibility and distribution plans are being finalized #abflood #yycflood

Mon, Jun 24 2013 12:05:15
Flooding goes to row 8 in the Scotiabank Saddledome #yycflood #yyc pic.twitter.com/ARd2yseLJO

Calgary Flames @NHLFlames

Sat, Jun 22 2013 16:01:31

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City of Calgary @cityofcalgary

Volunteers (18yrs old min) Please meet at McMahon Stadium at 10 a.m.on June 24. ow.ly/mjE5t #yyc #yycfloods

Mon, Jun 24 2013 00:48:01

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YYCFlood @YYCFlood

This ones for all the volunteers helping out with the #YYCFlood
#CALGARYSTRONG Song youtube.com/watch?feature=…

Mon, Jun 24 2013 12:11:43

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John Rieti @johnrieti

Nenshi-mania at McMahon. A line of volunteers forms to hug the mayor, who responds ‘this is re-energizing me’ #abfloods #yycfloods

Mon, Jun 24 2013 09:45:33

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Poor poor Harvey the Hound. #yyc #yycflood #abflood #saddledome pic.twitter.com/lZOQEMCxmC

AMP Radio Calgary @ampcalgary

Mon, Jun 24 2013 12:31:38

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Susan Spellman Cann @SSpellmanCann

Premier Alison Redford announces initial $1B in flood relief | Calgary | News | Calgary Sun calgarysun.com/2013/06/24/bui… #YYCFLOODS

Mon, Jun 24 2013 12:07:03

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Receding water reveals staggering toll of flood damage in Calgary and southern Alberta bit.ly/144qG4f #yyc pic.twitter.com/JjcNifZ03U

Calgary Herald @calgaryherald

Mon, Jun 24 2013 04:53:50
The #ctrain line north of #erlton looking all roller coastery. #yycflood #yycfloods #letsrebuild instagram.com/p/a87yduozIH/

Osh @saroshrizvi

Mon, Jun 24 2013 11:41:21

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“@JayCyyc: Calgary shows up. Thanks! #yycfloods pic.twitter.com/rqMUGU7xrE” #awesome #abfloods

Ian Foss @sarfoss

Mon, Jun 24 2013 11:02:09

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Naheed Nenshi

We have lots of news today, most of it good. The rivers are slowly returning to more normal flows, it is still very dangerous. Please stay away from the riverbank and river pathways. Perhaps the biggest news is that everyone in a single family home affected is allowed to return to do a self-assessment, with the exception of the 2200 block of 8th Ave SE in Inglewood. Please note that assessment of multi-family units (e.g. apartment complexes and condos) must be completed by the building owner or building superintendent. Individual occupants of multi-family units should confirm assessment has been completed and approved with their building contact.For important updates related to re-entry, transit, waste and recycling, and the situation downtown, please visit calgarycitynews.com/The federal and provincial governments have also made several announcements today regarding their plans to assist citizens and communities affected by flood relief. I want to thank Premier Redford and Prime Minister Harper and their ministers for their continuing support for rebuilding our city.

Mon, Jun 24 2013 12:17:37
VIRGIN Radio Calgary – Official Page

Be careful when returning to your flooded home:
calgary.ctvnews.ca/health-r… #yycflood #abflood #WeAreCalgary

Mon, Jun 24 2013 11:44:49
Wow. Just, wow. #yyc #abflood Photo courtesy J Dowd. pic.twitter.com/ydwpseoIEt

Erin Lawrence-CTV @tvchick13

Sun, Jun 23 2013 08:53:37

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More flood damage in the community of Mission. #yyc #yycfloods #yycflood #YYCFlood013 #globalyyc pic.twitter.com/27ltj9yPo4

Braden Latam @BradenLatam

Mon, Jun 24 2013 10:50:25

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J.A. Owen @JAOwen_Author

Our city is filled with kind, wonderful people. It will recover fast #yycfloods

Mon, Jun 24 2013 10:15:57

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Here’s what the flood did to 2 vehicles in Mission. (David Wakely photos) See more: bit.ly/10O2mFJ #yyc pic.twitter.com/fizvLy3SiF

Calgary Herald @calgaryherald

Mon, Jun 24 2013 10:47:59

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Dan Dromarsky @dandromarsky

If you want your faith in humanity restored, come out to #alberta. #yeg #yyc #yycflood #yychelps #yycfloods

Mon, Jun 24 2013 09:50:34

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Sarah Schultz @hellonurse182

The Alberta Floods 2013 – Pictures & how you can help! buff.ly/12dNiPZ #abflood #yycfloods

Mon, Jun 24 2013 08:55:08

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Deaf Hard of Hearing @DHHSCalgary

We are thinking of those affected by the floods. If you need a listening/accessible ear please do not hesitate to stop by. #yycfloods

Mon, Jun 24 2013 08:53:26

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KathrynGilkes @kathgilkes

No school today, why not go out and #volunteer nothing like some #realworldlifelearning #yycfloods

Mon, Jun 24 2013 08:15:03

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You can do your part to help…
Text 30333 to automatically donate $5 to help w flood relief or visit redcross.ca #yyc #yycfloods #abflood pic.twitter.com/17or6VsDIC

Healing Reflections @denelle3rs

·

Mon, Jun 24 2013 00:31:12IMPORTANT: Calgary Catholic School District and Calgary Board of Education schools to remain closed until Thursday #ABflood #yycflood
Sun, Jun 23 2013 18:08:24

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Susan Spellman Cann @SSpellmanCann

@buzzbishop @dadcamp Love thy neighbour Agree Calgarians are amazing. We don’t have to look for the helpers they are everywhere #yycflood

Sun, Jun 23 2013 20:11:38

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CCSD @CCSD_edu

Calgary Catholic employees will receive direct information via email regarding staffing. #CCSD

Sat, Jun 22 2013 20:48:23

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Military moves in to protect key Enmax substation in southeast bit.ly/1349cby #yyc #yycflood pic.twitter.com/KTF0f2DfTx

Calgary Herald @calgaryherald

·

Sun, Jun 23 2013 16:37:06

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Calgary Herald front page flood coverage. June, 1929. twitpic.com/cyv6co

David Gray @Graydio1

Sun, Jun 23 2013 20:27:33

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Red Cross to receive proceeds of artist’s Scuba Nenshi shirt sales #yycflood #yyc calgary.ctvnews.ca/red-cross-to-r… @CTVNews pic.twitter.com/DzfHYIFYEo

CTV Calgary @CTVCalgary

·

Mon, Jun 24 2013 12:46:46

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Refreshingly optimistic, as Calgary always is. #yycflood pic.twitter.com/YmeNddUqvZ

Calgary K @M_KWAD

·

Mon, Jun 24 2013 09:27:24

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In the end we will be better Calgary I can see it and I think they can too!
Photo of Calgary #YYC courtesy Keri. #ABflood pic.twitter.com/hV5SqjTM04

CTV Calgary @CTVCalgary

Sat, Jun 22 2013 09:40:50

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Calgary … Floods and A Hopeful Community 2013

Published on June 23, 2013June 23, 2013 by SSpellmanCannLeave a comment

Storify by
Susan Spellman Cann

Sun, Jun 23 2013 10:46:04

Calgary … An amazing community of people willing to

make a difference.

Calgary is experiencing as @CBC says one of the worst natural disasters in Canadian history. Social media has a positive part to play in helping inform and help in the days, weeks and months to come. I am so grateful. Calgarians are fantastic!