Week 1- Aug 13-17
Discussed: 1) Naviance “Colleges I am thinking about”. If and when ready, move colleges to “Colleges I am applying to”. Once that happens we move forward with those schools. 2) Updating resume. Discussed the importance of giving teachers their updates resumes so they know how to “brag” about you in their letter.
Week 2- Aug 27-Sept 4
Follow up from last class. 1)Discussed more about cleaning out their “Colleges I am thinking about”. How do you do that? RESEARCH!!! The more you find out what school is a good fit, the more you can narrow down your search. 2) Went further into WUE, showed them the website and explained WUE is based on degree they are pursuing and some requirements for WUE eligibility. Some give aid off the bat, some you need to apply for. I told them again…RESEARCH RESEARCH!! Handed out a worksheet called, “What to do and when to do it” to help track due dates, SAT/GPA requirements, essay or LOR required? Gave time in class to work on it.
Week 3- Sept 10-14
This week we took a break from college discussion. September is National Suicide Prevention Month. Thus, the counselors are focusing at least one class session on this topic. We reviewed the things in life that can be stressful: romantic relationships, family issues, future worries, self-esteem and academic stresses. I showed them a YouTube video from Nick Vujicic- a man who was born with no limbs! He spoke about his struggle with depression and wanting to end his life. However, he made the choice to stick it out and to find his purpose in this world despite his circumstance. We processed the video. I also told them about the semi-colon project. The semi-colon (;) is a symbol of hope. Instead of ending things with a period (.), people are stating that they are choosing to take a pause and continue their story (;) They were asked to fill out a form with “What is your reason for hope? Why do you keep going despite your stressors in life?”
Week 4- Sept 24-28
How do you solve problems in your life? You and I know that life can come with very blissful and very challenging times. Recent research has shown that many students leave for college without enough practice with problem solving skills. Thus, some end up dropping out of college and find themselves struggling on their journey to adulthood. Thus, this week we focused on problems that CAN and highly likely will happen in college/adult life. Students were given 5 issues and on the worksheet, looked for ways to get around their roadblock. Some of the problems were: You lost your wallet at the party you attended on Friday night. What do you do? You heard your boy/girlfriend is seeing someone else while you are away at college. You are failing math class and your professor is always busy. What can you do. You are one month into college and feel VERY homesick. What can you do? We had great conversation and discussion around solutions to these problems.
After FALL break Week 5- October 15-19
During this class, our focus was on job searching!! I wanted them to see the connection between college or post-high education (vocational trade as well) and job selection. They were asked to go to a website that I provided (Monster Jobs, Career Builder, Zip Recruiter etc) and search a career based on a degree they MAY receive in the future. For instance, if they want to become a civil engineer, what jobs are out there? Are there any? What is the difference between the job market in Hawaii versus the continent US? What happens if you cannot find a job with your new degree? What options do you have? They were then asked to send me at least ONE job they found, including wages, duties etc.
Week 6- October 29-Nov. 2
Angst Video- All high school students watched the hour long video called Angst. This video touched on the ever growing anxiety disorders in youth and young adults. As a follow up, I used this guidance time to talk about the movie and looked at the difference between normal anxiety/worry and anxiety disorder symptoms. I then shared the parents “worries” to them. This was awesome as students were glued to the screen to see what your responses were. I then asked students to share with me their top 3 worries. Results were shared with parents via email. Thank you to those parents who participated in this activity! 🙂