Counselor Corner
September '19: Welcome Back to School
Dear Morehead Montessori Meerkats,
Welcome to the 2019-2020 school year! I am so excited to get to know you and your students. I have met many of you, but to reintroduce myself, my name is Ms. Jeannine Harrell, and I am the new school counselor. I graduated from Guilford College with a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education and Psychology. I completed my Master’s Degree and Education Specialization in School Counseling at UNC Greensboro. Although this is my first year working in Durham Public Schools, I have experience working with students of all ages, from pre-k to college. Elementary age is certainly my favorite!
This is going to be a great year! I am passionate about working with students, and I look forward to exploring interests with each student and supporting them socially, emotionally, academically, and in their future careers. I hope to work closely in partnership with each of you to help your student to meet their goals. In order to best support your student and your family, I would appreciate if you would complete this survey via Google Form, where you will be able to identify concerns, questions, and aspirations for your student and this school year.
https://forms.gle/Kvqq9ZJpcxrKbBSq5
Please reach out to me with any questions or concerns at Jeannine.Harrell@dpsnc.net.
Thank you,
Jeannine Harrell
Self-Discipline
At School
I am slowly but surely making my way into all classrooms to introduce myself and briefly meet individually with each student. Within the next couple of weeks, all students should know who I am, what I do, and how I can help them.
After I have completed all class introductions, I will be returning to lead a lesson on self-discipline, which is the DPS character trait for September. Self-discipline is especially important for students at the start of the school year as we (re)learn our school-wide PBIS expectations and the Montessori grace and courtesy model. The lesson style will vary depending on the grade level, but expect your student(s) to gain developmentally appropriate knowledge about self-discipline and how it applies to them personally. One of the most important concepts for students to learn about self-discipline is that they have to stop and think before they act. Without taking this extra time, it is difficult to do the right thing.
In the Home
Maria Montessori highlighted the importance of education within and outside the home. One of our many goals of Montessori education is crafting good citizens. Self-discipline is a primary component of this. To further student learning at home, please have conversations with your students about self-discipline and consider watching or reading material related to this character trait.
Some good conversation starters include:
· Asking about school expectations and how they are able to follow them.
· Find out if there any rules that feel particularly difficult to follow.
· What situations require them to stop and think, before acting?
· Are there students in their class that seem to struggle with self-discipline? How does that impact the class? What can the class do to help that student?
· Model for your students. Provide examples from your day when you really struggled with self-discipline, and how you overcame it or how you hope to do better tomorrow.
Recommended Books and Movies
Each month, I hope to recommend a few books and movies that could be used at home with your students as a follow-up to our social and emotional learning for the month. I recommend visiting a local library to see if you can check out books and movies related to our monthly character traits.
Unfortunately, it can be hard to find books and movies that model self-discipline from the start. This is because it is one of the most difficult traits for children (and adults) to grasp 100% of the time. My movie and book recommendations this month model characters who struggle with self-discipline and learn and grow throughout the story.
Even though you may have seen or read them many times, especially Frozen, re-reading these books and re-watching these movies with a focus on self-control and self-discipline may lead your student to think about these stories and topics differently. They can also be a jumping off point for conversations with your students.
My Mouth is a Volcano
A big way we use self-discipline in our classroom is by monitoring what and how we speak. Some students (and adults) struggle to control their words. What we say can sometimes seem to pour out without us having any control over it.
This is a book I frequently use with classes, and I would recommend most books by Julia Cook.
Sometimes I Like To Fight, But I Don't Do It Much Anymore
Cami Kangaroo Has Too Many Sweets
Frozen
Wreck-it-Ralph
Kung Fu Panda
About me:
Ms. Jeannine Harrell
- This is my first year at Morehead Montessori.
- I was born in Riverside, CA, and grew up in Raleigh, NC.
- I graduated from Guilford College and UNC Greensboro.
- I love reading, cooking, dancing, and watching movies.
- I am so excited to work with you and your students!
Please reach out to me with any questions and concerns, or to schedule a meeting.
Email: Jeannine.Harrell@dpsnc.net
Website: https://www.dpsnc.net/Morehead
Location: Morehead Montessori, Cobb Street, Durham, NC, USA
Phone: (919)560-3954