School Closed: Now What? The School Counselor’s Guide to School Closures

Across the nation many school counselors are uncertain of what to do next knowing their school closed early. This is a circumstance we have never faced before. Keep reading as we try to figure out how to do a face to face job without the benefit of being face to face with students. Make sure you listen or watch our podcast on the same topic.

Be Productive

Sitting around worrying about the unknown leads to sadness and… more worry. Use this time to reflect on the year you’ve had. Undoubtedly you did some great things. Write those down so you can repeat them next year! If you could have a redo of this year, what would you avoid? Write that down so you won’t repeat it.

Grab our school counselor’s guide to school closures. It is a free 13 page guide to walk you through reflecting on the past year and planning for your return to school.
It’s not often we get time, mid-year, to catch our breath, reflect, and plan. It’s not ideal, but let’s make the best of a bad situation.

My School Closed: What’s My Job Now?

I will always love the quote from Mr. Rogers, “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’ ” That’s us! Isn’t that the nature of a school counselor? It may feel like you are in a helpless situation right now. No students. You’re probably not allowed back at school for awhile. The phrase I keep saying to myself is, “I wasn’t ready.” Furthermore, this may have left some of you feeling overlooked at your school. Academic subjects have been worked into plans, but the social/emotional learning? It might have been overlooked, leaving you to wonder if your job is important.

Of course it’s important! The reality is your kids need to hear from you now more than ever! You’re the one who originally taught them coping skills, right? I recently ran across this quote from Bassam Tarazi, “The only thing you can really control is how you react to things out of your control.” This is definitely something we didn’t see coming. So let’s get creative. Can you use your school’s social media to share a daily social/emotional component? Maybe a breathing technique? Or maybe you could give them something to look forward to. A lot of children’s authors are doing read-alouds. Or illustrators are helping students learn to draw during this quarantine. Share a little bit of joy each day. The world needs that right now!

What Do You Wish You Had Time For?

Each year there are things that I think, “I don’t have time for that!” Things like updating my school counseling brochure, or updating my website. What are the things that you unintentionally put off every year? Get your marketing materials in order. Take this time to create an infograph of all the students you’ve seen this year through individual counseling. How many hours have you spent in small groups? It’s time to humble brag! And then make plans to outdo yourself next year!

Practice Self Care Since Your School Closed

This is one of those topics that we know we need to do, but again… Who has time for it? Well, we all do right now! Spend some time reading this post to get some great ideas on how a school counselor can practice self care. If you don’t have time to read, listen to our podcast on the same topic!

We are so inspired watching our community of school counselors come together during this time and share ideas and resources. We’ve seen you block off your day, just as you would fill out your ASCA schedule. Keep up the great work, and let us know how you’re making it through this unexpected time off.