| Deborah A. Christie Newman, School Counselor |
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| Cartoon by Jerry King, Career Currents.com |
| My Favorite Links: |
| If you can read this - Thank a teacher |
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| Possibly the highest compliment a student can pay me is to tell me they want to do what I do when they grow-up. The reality for me is I have the best job in education. In my 13 years as a school counselor I have been both a Student Assistance Counselor and a Guidance Counselor. I have worked with students of every age from Kindergarten through High School Seniors and their parents. I have participated in retreats, campouts, hikes, adventure programs, individual and group counseling. I have taught classes concerning study skills, social skills, communication, drug education, parenting skills, career education and just about knowing yourself. I've helped develop services and programs for students at both ends of the learning spectrum and everywhere in between. My position allows me to identify student needs and do something about them. I like being a student advocate. Possibly one of my favorite activities is involving students in their communitities. Children and teenagers are basically very generous individuals. I've seen and/or participated in everything from toy drives to cancer walks. Even on the rare occasion a student must say no to me they always do it with some pain and regret. Yes, I definitely have the best job in education. |
| This website is what it is through the courtesy of amazing technical support by Rebeccah Christie Newman. Thanks Beccah - Loves ya, mommah. |
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| IT'S ALL IN HOW YOU FRAME IT!! Like many teachers I use the summer to take care of all those appointments that I put off during the school year, including my annual trip to the doctor. Being a basically healthy person this visit is not unpleasant and we generally spend a certain amount of time just talking. My doctor mentioned to me that as a kid he always had terrible handwriting (and still does). Because of this the adults in his life always told him he would have to be a doctor when he grew-up. In part due to this input (and the fact that he's very smart) when it came time to choose a career he had already determined that he was supposed to be a doctor. I pointed out to him that now he would get to visit with the occupational therapist and quite possibly miss out on some of those science classes he loved so much. The point being that, although there are many legitimate learning disabilities, often we disable ourselves or our children by how we view different abilities. Below is a chart from the book "Survival Strategies for Parenting your ADD Child" by George T. Lynn* that exemplifies how we can help our differently abled children by recognizing the upside of their abilities. FROM: TO: hyperactive explorative, a young scientist, avid for knowlege slow, delayed detail- orientedand careful, observant distractible creative, the artist archetype withdrawn a deep thinker, a careful thinker, critical minded oppositional purposeful, committed judgmental deeply committed to fairness and justice impulsive open to everything around him, aware, the hunter archetype emotionally fragile spiritually aware, deeply attuned to others "easily hurt? *Page 38 |