Counselors Wear Many Hats!

Lesson One-Introduction to the School Counselor

Materials:

Coloring Sheet

Fire Hat

Graduation Hat

Chef Hat

Baseball Helmet

Winter Hat

Goals:

EQ: How can I be a good listener? What is a school counselor?

Activities:

Discuss what great listeners do.  Ask the students to explain what a good listener looks like.        ( The students will answer –watching eyes, listening ears, closed mouth, hands and feet are still.)  Tell the students they are so smart and tell them to kiss their brain.  Ask for volunteers. The students will dress in the many hats. Ask the students what the hats are used for.  If there is time, write them down on the board.  Explain that a counselor’s job is like all of these jobs put together.  Point to the child wearing the fire fighter hat.  Ask the students what the hat is used for.  Ask the students if they believe that counselors really put out real fires – (no-she helps people when they are having an emergency-maybe someone is very angry or really sad.  Sometimes she even helps sad grownups who are teachers and parents.)  Point to the chef hat and ask the students what type of hat it is.  Say that like a chef, the counselor helps people make recipes to solve their problems- say “Do you think I make real recipes?”-no I help people develop a plan so they can do better in school or make new friends or just help their feelings feel better.  Point to the baseball helmet.  Ask-what type of hat is this? Say “Do you think I am on a baseball team?” no-but I am like a baseball player because I have to work as a part of the team.  Point to the winter hat.  Ask the students what the hat is used for.  Explain that Counselors also help create a warm and caring school.  We have celebrations and we try to make students feel comfortable so they can feel happy in school.  Point to the graduation hat.  Ask the students what type of hat it is.  Explain that Counselors also promote academic success in school. 

Evaluation:

Ask the students to explain what a school counselor’s job is.  Give them the sheet to color and take home.