Issuu

MASCA

MASSACHUSETTS SCHOOL COUNSELORS ASSOCIATION

MASCA loses a leader

ohn (Jack) Walsh, MASCA Life Trustee, has died at the age of 94. Jack was of the early founders of MASCA, serving two terms as its president. He also served as president and secretary-treasurer of the Greater Boston Guidance Association, and he was a delegate to the American Personnel and Guidance Association. Jack earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Boston University and spent a lifetime serving young people. The Duxbury Clipper wrote about Jack: He served as a physical fitness officer in the United States Army Air Corps during World War II, attaining the rank of Captain. After the war, he taught and coached at several New England private schools until 1952 when he took a job at Melrose High School. Walsh was also a head football coach, track and baseball coach, but when his wife was diagnosed with severe emphysema, he had to minimize his time away from home. He finished his Master’s degree at Boston University and became a guidance counselor, then director of guidance and head counselor until his retirement. Walsh also spent more than twenty years directing various summer camps in Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts accompanied and assisted by his wife and children. He retired from Melrose School System in 1981 but soon took another job spending the next ten years as an admissions counselor for Merrimack College. Following his second retirement he was a life coach to many, including those with Alpha1 Antitrypsin Deficiency, the genetic lung disease from which his late wife died in 1965, and with which three of his four children have been diagnosed. ■

VOL. 46, NO. 3

NOVEMBER 2009

The Essential Question: What is MASCA? By CHRISTINE EVANS MASCA President

ne of the things I enjoy most about serving as a leader in our professional association is the opportunity for conversations with school counselors from many different schools. Since taking on a leadership role in MASCA in July of 2008, I have been lucky enough to talk with school counselors from all over the country— in person, by phone, through e-mail, and via social media sites. The conversations range from answering simple questions and sharing resources and best practices to making referrals to programs for students. We talk about a variety of things that touch on our daily practice as professional school counselors, and I find all of it to be exciting and informative. During a conversation in a meeting last week, I had an “aha” moment. I realized that some things those of us on the Governing Board take for granted are not common knowledge and need to be explained. A perfect example of this is the answer to the question, “What is MASCA?” MASCA is the professional association for school counselors in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and we are an affiliate group of ASCA, the national organization. We are made up of practicing school counselors, graduate student interns, counselor educators, school counseling administrators, and retired school counselors. My point is: MASCA is not a “they.” It is a “we.” And when we follow the ASCA tradition to speak with “one vision, one voice,” we are speaking for all professional school counselors. That is why we are involved in efforts such as promoting the MA Model Curriculum, development of curriculum frameworks, and advocacy efforts in public policy and gov-

CHRISTINE EVANS ernment relations. I remember hearing former Commissioner of Education David Driscoll speak at a MASCA conference several years ago. The point he made has stayed with me and still inspires me. He said that in the past, school counselors did not have a voice in influencing public policy and DOE initiatives that directly affect their daily practice. He also said that if we do not step up and speak out to define our roles in the schools, those who do not know or understand what we do will define our roles for us. MASCA’s effort in pushing for legislation, developing frameworks, and working for DESE endorsement of the MA Model stems from our conviction that the work we do in schools is essential to student success and no one is better equipped to speak to that than school counselors (that is, you and me, the “we” making up MASCA). If you are not satisfied with letting others outside our field tell us how to do our job, I urge you to become more involved in our professional association and our advocacy efforts. Contact me at cevans@ebps.net and I will gladly sign you up to work on the committee of your choice. There is plenty to do, and all are welcome! ■

COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK

MASCA

2009 – 2010 MASCA OFFICERS PRESIDENT CHRISTINE A. EVANS East Bridgewater High School 11 Plymouth Street, East Bridgewater, MA 02333 Tel. 508-378-5851 • Fax 508-378-8236 E-mail: cevans@ebps.net PRESIDENT-ELECT CAROLYN RICHARDS Somerville High School 81 Highland Avenue, Somerville, MA 02143 Tel. 617-625-6600 x 6120 • Fax 617-628-8413 E-mail: crichards@k12.somerville.ma.us PAST PRESIDENT KAREN M. D’AMOUR Manchester Essex Regional High School 36 Lincoln Street, Manchester, MA 01944 Tel. 978-526-7641 • Fax 978-526-2044 E-mail: damourk@mersd.org VICE PRESIDENT ELEMENTARY TBA VICE PRESIDENT MIDDLE / JUNIOR HIGH RICHARD WHITE Gateway Regional Middle School 12 Littleville Road, Huntington, MA 01050 E-mail: RWhite@GRSD.org VICE PRESIDENT SECONDARY JENNIFER LISK Medway High School, Medway, MA 02053 E-mail: lisk@medway.k12.ma.us VICE PRESIDENT POSTSECONDARY JAY LEIENDECKER Vice President Enrollment Services, Dean College Tel. 508-541-1509 • Fax 508-541-8726 E-mail: jleiendecker@dean.edu

November 2009

inside 4 6 8 10

School Lunch: Fit for Consumption? By Sally Ann Connolly Connecting Counselors to Resources By Donna Brown Celebrating National Career Development Month Preparing Students for Success By Karen D’Amour

VICE PRESIDENT ADMINISTRATORS RUTH CARRIGAN Whitman-Hanson Regional High School 600 Franklin Street, Whitman, MA 02382 Tel. 781-618-7434 • Fax 781-618-7098 E-mail: carrigan.ruth@whrsd.org

VICE PRESIDENT COUNSELOR EDUCATORS THERESA A. COOGAN, Ph.D. Bridgewater State College, Bridgewater, MA 02325 Tel. 508-531-2640 E-mail: theresa.coogan@bridgew.edu

MASCA Membership

Mind-Sets, Learning, and Leadership

VICE PRESIDENT RETIREES RALPH SENNOTT P.O. Box 1391, Westford, MA 01886 Tel. 978-692-8244 E-mail: ralphsennott@hotmail.com EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR DONNA M. BROWN Adjunct Professor, UMass Boston P.O. Box 366, 779 Center Street Bryantville, MA 02327 Tel. 781-293-2835 E-mail: dbrownmasca@gmail.com TREASURER TINA KARIDOYANES P.O. Box 1007, Monument Beach, MA 02553 Tel. 508-759-3986 E-mail: tkaridoyanes@gmail.com SECRETARY CARRIE KULICK-CLARK Braintree High School, Braintree, MA 02184 Tel. 781-848-4000 x 2273 E-mail: Jd02375@aol.com MEMBERSHIP COORDINATOR DEBORAH CLEMENCE P.O. Box 805, East Dennis, MA 02641 E-mail: DeborahClemence@verizon.net COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK EDITOR SALLY ANN CONNOLLY 19 Bayberry Road, Danvers, MA 01923 Tel. 978-774-8158 • Fax 978-750-8154 E-mail: sallyconnolly@att.net

NOVEMBER 2009

15 16

Notes from the Left Coast By Thom Hughart

The Time Is Now By Ruth Carrigan Free Resources at Prevention Networking Coffee

Published by: Massachusetts School Counselors Association 10 issues per year, September through June. The yearly subscription rate is $30.00. Individual copies are $3.00. Opinions expressed in the articles published herein represent the ideas and/or beliefs of those who write them and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Massachusetts School Counselors Association, Inc. The acceptance of an advertisement for publication does not imply MASCA endorsement of the advertiser’s programs, services, or views expressed. Questions concerning submission of articles, publication deadlines, advertising rates, etc., should be addressed to Sally Ann Connolly, Editor.

www.masca.org

School Lunch: Fit for Consumption? By SALLY ANN CONNOLLY MASCA Counselor’s Notebook Editor

hot dog for lunch, two days in a row. That’s how my granddaughter started kindergarten this year in Danvers. And it’s the same way my first grandchild began her own school career four years ago in Newburyport. Then, however, weeks had passed before her mother made the discovery. Hot dogs, unfortunately, are possibly the worst food we can offer our children. Although they are cheap to buy, easy to prepare, and delicious to eat, hot dogs are loaded with salt, saturated fat, and sodium nitrite. They pose a health risk similar to that of other cured food products such as sausage, bacon, and deli meats.

The American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) says that “research on processed meat shows cancer risk starts to increase with any portion. . . . When meat is preserved by smoking, curing or salting, or by the addition of preservatives, cancer-causing substances (carcinogens) can be formed. These substances can damage cells in the body, leading to the development of cancer.” The AICR says that its “2007 expert report compiled and analyzed over 7000 studies on all aspects of diet, physical activity, body weight and cancer. The AICR/WCRF expert panel weighed the evidence on all potential associations and

Improving Adolescent Diets “The lunches students get at school, either through the NSLP [National School Lunch Program] or competitive foods, are associated with worse overall dietary behaviors compared with lunches students bring from home.” — Hastert, T.A. and Babey, S.H., “School Lunch Source and Adolescent Dietary Behavior,” Preventing Chronic Disease: Public Health Research, Practice, and Policy, 10/8/2006, www.cdc.gov.

concluded that the link between diets high in red and processed meat and colorectal cancer is convincing.” As a result, the AICR recommends that processed meat be avoided: “There is no amount of processed meat that can be confidently shown not to increase risk.” The Cancer Project, an independent affiliate of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, maintains that hot dogs also increase the risk of childhood leukemia. One study of children up to the age of 10, they say, shows a higher than normal risk among children whose fathers had eaten 12 or more hot dogs per month. And for those children who had eaten 12 hot dogs per month, the risk of developing leukemia was nine times greater. Another study cited by the Cancer Project points to a higher than normal incidence of brain tumors in children whose mothers had eaten hot dogs once or twice per week during pregnancy. From watching my own daughters progress through their pregnancies, I know that doctors set very specific guidelines for their mothers-to-be. No smoking, no unpasteurized cheese and drinks, little or no alcohol, and no uncooked deli meats. I have long suspected that hot dogs played a role in the death of my friend. She was only in her twenties when she contracted and died from cancer. Her mother had imposed a restricted-calorie diet; and for years my friend sated her hunger by secretly cooking hot dogs over an open flame on her kitchen stove. The World Cancer Research Fund says that “the everyday choices people make can reduce their chances of getting cancer.” In New Jersey, three individuals — along with the Cancer Project — chose to file a class-action lawsuit against several hot dog makers including Sara Lee and Kraft Foods. The complainants seek to have warning labels placed on packages of hot dogs, thereby alerting consumers to the cancer risk. We can choose to promote our children’s health. We can instruct them about good nutrition, serve them only wholesome, nutritious foods, and restrict unhealthy food choices. We can insist: “In our schools, no dogs allowed.” ■ COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK

NOVEMBER 2009

Connecting Counselors to Resources By DONNA BROWN, MASCA Executive Director

ear Friends, Over the last few years, I’ve had the opportunity to chat with many of you about the MA Model, Career Plans, and how to start to use them. Beginning with the Work Readiness Domain is one of the easiest ways to start. There are lots of resources (many with lesson plans) available on the Internet for free. Because this is National Career Development Month, it would be a natural tie-in to focus on career planning. The following list is just a beginning. Several are gigantic reference sites, which will offer dozens of career development possibilities including lesson plans and curriculum guides. These sites provide multiple links to places like Mass DESE, so I encourage you to think of them as one-stop shopping and use them to launch your research. Others include scholarly articles or research raw materials. All are worthy of at least a quick look, and some may become favorites. National Career Development Association (NCDA), according to its website, “promotes career development through its annual celebration of National Career Development Month. Every November, career development professionals are encouraged to celebrate with career related activities.” During this time, NCDA sponsors a poetry and poster contest. The

National Career Development Month is celebrated in November National Career Development Week November 16-20 National Career Development Day November 18

ment program. Wages, research, and occupational information are all found on the BLS pages. www.bls.gov

DONNA BROWN theme this year is “Bridges to a Brighter Future: Inspire Your Career — Empower Your Lives.” NCDA’s website contains some very useful information and links. www.ncda.org Massachusetts Career Information System (MASSCIS) is sponsored by the Division of Employment and Training (DET). Developed at the University of Oregon, this workhorse provides occupational, academic, and vocational information as well as assessments, financial aid hints, and classroom applications. It is a free alternative to many of the very pricey, comprehensive planning programs. www.masscis.intocareers.org America’s Career Resource Network (ACRN) consists of state and federal organizations that provide information, resources, and training on career and education exploration. The network’s national activities are funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education. For counselors, ACRN provides guides and curricula that help them incorporate career development into a high-quality academic program. www.acrnetwork.org Vocational Information Center is loaded with information for career development. Of particular use is the section entitled “Career Activities and Vocational Lesson Plans.” www.khake.com Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is home to virtually any statistic you might ever need to bolster your career develop-

Sloan Career Cornerstone Center is a non-profit resource center for those exploring career paths in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, computing, and medicine. Support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation has made the resources on this site possible. www. careercornerstone.org America’s CAREER InfoNet is a resource for making informed career decisions to support a demand-driven workforce investment system. Very good links are provided for both the professional counselor and the student. www.acinet.org Career Planning is a quirky little site in the About.com collection. There are some interesting articles that don’t seem to be on other sites. Much of the material is geared towards parents and students. http://careerplanning.about.com There are thousands of other sites, but this group will help form a good career information base.

Newsletters for counselors Additionally, there are several free newsletters that can provide additional information: Career Pro Weekly is a free weekly career information newsletter from Bridges .com. http://careerpronews.bridges.com High School Counselor Week – Northeast is a weekly newsletter of information taken from a variety of news sources of interest to counselors. www. HSCounselorWeek.com SchoolCounselor is a newsletter created by Russ Sabella, former ASCA president and techno guru. www.school counselor.com ■ COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK

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Celebrating National Career Development Month “Professional tradeswomen offer handson workshop experiences in their trade or technology and participate in a fashion show demonstrating their work gear. The girls learn about career options, salary ranges, and get to try out the work.” — Annual Conference for High School Girls and their Guidance Counselors: Women, Work, and Community, ME: Submitted by Susan Russell, Coordinator

“We gave out popcorn to students with helpful career development tips on each cup such as choosing a major, networking, writing a resume, and goal setting.” They held on-the-spot resume critiquing and career testing (using Holland’s Codes) — University of Cincinnati, OH: Submitted by Carly Dennis, Career Counselor

“Students had to create a bi-fold board for their career of interest, illustrate what the job might look like or involve, what colleges offer the program needed, what academic skills are needed, and list community service activities, summer jobs, or volunteer work related to the career.” — Cleveland Early College High School, OH: Submitted by Karen Sweezy. Create a Career Vision Board “We had a “Dress for Success” day where students who dress for a job interview are given a raffle ticket and we had drawings for prizes. We had another day for “Dress for Your Favorite Occupation Day.” Winners for the school’s poetry and poster contest were announced and awarded prizes.” — Horry County Schools, SC: Submitted by Kathryn Hilgenkamp Activities for students included job shadowing and interviews with entrepreneurs. — Greenville Technical College, SC: Submitted by Phyllis Utley “7th grade students dressed up in a career of their choice on career day. As they went around to classrooms other students were able to push a button and then they would reiterate information about their career. The knowledge they needed to remember included job description, salary & outlook, education, interests and similar occupations. Students chose various jobs from veterinarians, bakers, fighter pilots to stunt performers.” — Sargent Central School, ND: Submitted by Rachel Olsen ––––––––––––––––––––

Reprinted from the National Career Development Association, “Creative Ways to Celebrate,” http://associationdatabase .com/aws/NCDA/pt/sd/news_article/54 15/blank/blank/true ■

For career development ideas, go to www.ncda.org 8

COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK

ED’S VIEWS By ED BRYANT, MASCA Life Trustee Don’t forget my Academies/ROTC Night to be held on November 4 at Danversport Yacht Club. MASCA members may not need keys to happiness, but here are some from the Reader’s Digest (March 2004): wealth, desire, intelligence, genetics, beauty, friendship, marriage, faith, charity, and age. What do you think is a key to happiness?

ED BRYANT

Did you read Tony Dungy’s book, Quiet Strength? His son, Jamie, died at age sixteen. My daughter, Diane, also died at age sixteen. There are many teen deaths. How does one handle grief? Counselors, a reminder from Dungy: “We all can change the course of our nation and world, one life at a time, for the rest of our lives.” Keep up your good work. ■

ften “Ed’s Views” will deal with MASCA retirees. It is my opinion that our affiliates have many retirees in their membership. Do we know the numbers? If so, how are they contributing to MASCA? How is MASCA serving them? The following information on lifestyle is from T. Bernier. It can apply to all members. 1. Quit smoking 2. Maintain healthy weight 3. Exercise 4. Eat healthy 5. Get regular wellness exams 6. Stimulate your brain 7. Maintain caution (such as preventing falls) Speaking of falling. A serious fall in my driveway led to a painful shoulder injury and treatment at Lahey Clinic in Burlington. For the MASCA 50th Anniversary Committee: Here is an historic moment. On May 29, 1991, MASCA voted to increase dues: Professional, $25 to $28; Retiree, $8 to $10; Affiliate, to $20; and Associate, to $25. At that time what did members receive for their dues? To help increase our membership, after reading your copy of CN, share it with a non-member. Counselors, do you give students tips for attending a college fair? For example, what to wear, what to bring, how to introduce yourself to admission counselors, kinds of questions to ask, how to be prepared, getting your name on mailing lists, etc. The college fair is a good way to start.

NOVEMBER 2009

Preparing Students for Success By KAREN D’AMOUR, MASCA Past President

he Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education (MBAE) is an organization that was formed in 1988 in part to address employer concerns about the skill sets of high school graduates. You may be familiar with their efforts on behalf of employers and the workforce skills needed for the 21st Century. Today, MBAE is engaged with the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) in the development of a work readiness curriculum for Massachusetts public schools. MBAE seeks to shape and define how

KAREN D’AMOUR our schools successfully prepare students for postsecondary education and /or the workforce.

MASCA 2009 DIRECTORY OF MASSACHUSETTS SCHOOL COUNSELORS

As counselors working in the public school system, we need to be aware of the MBAE recommendations. The MBAE recommends that the graduation standards being developed and implemented by the MA-DESE address several components. These are listed in the document, Preparing For The Future: Employer Perspectives on Work Readiness Skills (October 2006). You may find that your school is already addressing these areas or that you could use more effort in a specific area. When considering these tasks, I hope you will think of new ways to help all of your students gain these skill sets — for their benefit and the benefit of others. The recommendations include:

PLEASE USE THE ORDER FORM BELOW to order more copies. Download the form at www.masca.org or order online and use your credit card.

• Require work experience through internships, paid employment, or community service for all high school graduates. These opportunities can both engage students in learning (with potential for reducing the dropout rate) and give them valuable skills for future success.

1-5 copies @ $30.00 each . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. ____

$ _________

• Incorporate public speaking into the high school curriculum.

Additional Copies 6 or more @ $25.00 each . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. ____

$ _________

Shipping / Handling @$3.50 each copy . . . . . . . . No. ____

$ _________

The Directory lists school counselors in K-12 public, private, parochial, and regional and technical high schools. Phone, fax, and e-mail information is included. Each MASCA member will receive one (1) complimentary copy.

5.00 P. O. Processing Fee (per order) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ _________ Make checks payable to: MASCA

TOTAL: . . $ __________

If mailing this form, send to: Ms. Marla Schay, Weston High School, 444 Wellesley St., Weston, MA 02493

Questions? E-mail SchayM@mail.weston.org

Your name and contact information: Name: ______________________________________________________________ School District/Business: _______________________________________________ Mailing Address: _____________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________ E-mail Address: ______________________________________________________ Phone: _____________________________________________________________

• Support activities that impose deadlines, enforce tardiness rules, and include team projects. • Support schools in developing, maintaining, and adding co-curricular opportunities for acquiring skills. Local companies can become actively involved with their local schools as financial supporters, volunteers, and providers of services. Because school counselors work with all students, we are positioned well to help implement the services, training, and research findings that will help our students become high-functioning adults who complete high school and pursue further education and successful careers. If you have a best-practice exercise that contributes to areas mentioned above and you would be willing to share it with other Massachusetts school counselors, please e-mail it to me at damourk@mersd.org, and thank you. ■ COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK

NOVEMBER 2009

Notes from the Left Coast By THOM HUGHART, MASCA Past Executive Director

K. So I didn’t actually make it all the way to the West Coast, but Phoenix is pretty close. I thought I would take advantage of my past position in MASCA and write about my experiences and reflections here in the Valley of the Sun. Let’s dispense with the obvious first. Yes, it is hot. The highest I experienced so far was about 116º, but I refuse to play golf if it’s over 105º. Is there a difference between 105º with 5% humidity and 88º with 70% humidity? Absolutely! I will trade a day of 116º for the twenty-seven inches of snow I had on one weekend in February that required three separate shovelings to clear my driveway so I could get to work on Monday. But what about school counseling in the state of paradise? I am working at a small charter school. It is only in its second year of existence, meaning there are only ninth and tenth graders currently. Oh, did I mention that

THOM HUGHART there are only seventy students in the high school, with seven teachers, eleven staff, and about eight or nine courses? Currently, there are more than 320 charter high schools in Arizona. In the traditional high schools the student to counselor ratios tend to be between 400 and 1200 students per counselor. There are some serious caseload issues here. In light of these numbers, the ASCA Model is very strong here. The state department of education has endorsed the Model, and classroom guidance curricu-

lum presentations are a requirement. An interesting note: In Massachusetts the DESE has a staff person assigned to work with school counselors eight hours per week. Here the State Guidance Counselors Supervisor is a full-time position. I have been spending quite a bit of time getting up to speed on the important state requirements that seem to fall on the counselors. The first is ECAPs (Educational and Career Action Plans) for all students beginning with the class of 2013. These are comparable to the Massachusetts Career Plans (see the model on the DESE website). Here, this is a major statewide effort, and I have already attended three presentations on them. The ECAPs can be developed electronically by using the CIS system (which is AzCIS here and MASSCIS for you) or the Naviance program. The other hot topic for guidance / school counselors is the transition process for students on IEPs. I attended a two and a half day conference just on transitions. This state has a real commitment to Measurable Postsecondary Goals that are realistic and attainable. Consequently, a huge percentage of the public school population plans on attending community college and then finishing at a fouryear school, thus saving somewhere between $15,000 and $30,000. Beginning this year, schools (i.e., counselors) will be required to contact all graduated seniors one year after graduation to see if they completed their Measurable Postsecondary Goal. It’s different here, period. In terms of which side of the fence the grass is greener on, I couldn’t say. I do find the student loads indefensible. I will continue at my little Paradise Honors High School. Have a great school year. Stay informed through MASCA. Support each other. Take care of yourself. Be well and safe. ■

MASCA 2009-2010 Connecting Counselors in the 21st Century 12

COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK

MASCA Membership The Massachusetts School Counselors Association (MASCA) is dedicated to providing information and services that will support the counseling profession. Joining MASCA not only keeps counselors connected and informed but also strengthens the guidance profession as a whole.

MASCA Membership Benefits: • Your support of MASCA initiatives, which include professional development and advocacy for all counselors • Subscription to the Counselor’s Notebook, mailed to you monthly when school is in session and available online • Reduced rates at fall and spring conferences • Subscription to the MASCA e-mail list for timely updates and information • Access to online database of all MASCA members • Opportunities to participate on a variety of MASCA committees Our membership application is now online. You can choose to pay by credit card or by check. If you pay by credit card, your membership application can be approved in a timely manner. To renew or to join, go to the MASCA website:

www.masca.org/masca/memberships/htm

NOVEMBER 2009

Mind-Sets, Learning, and Leadership

hy do some students thrive on challenges while others, just as bright and competent, withdraw or deteriorate under the same circumstances? Carol Dweck, Ph.D., developmental psychologist and author of the book MINDSET: The New Psychology of Success, has spent over two decades researching this very topic, and her discoveries are changing the way schools view learning and businesses regard leadership. She finds that the answers to the questions in the Mind-Set quiz do indeed influence approaches to learning, reactions to failure, and even the bottom line. Dweck presents research showing that many succeed or fail based on how they think about intelligence, talents and abilities. Dweck finds that people have one of two mind-sets on the subject: fixed and growth. People with a FIXED mind-set believe that intelligence (along with talents and abilities) is fixed and can’t be changed. People with GROWTH mindsets believe our brains — intelligence — can be developed, like a muscle. The realworld implications of these two mindsets are enormous. The two groups differ in three significant ways—their goals, their beliefs about effort, and their reaction to failure.

Mind-Sets in Education GOALS • Growth mind-set students view learning as the most important goal. While they care about grades, they think it is more important to learn the material than to test well. • Fixed mind-set students think the most important thing is to look good and avoid mistakes. EFFORT • Growth mind-set students believe that the harder they work at something, the better they will get. While not everyone can be an Einstein, they think that even geniuses have to work hard to reach their goals. • Fixed mind-set students, many of whom have gone through years of school with high grades and little effort, believe that if you have ability, you don’t need effort. In fact, these students viewed the need for effort as a condemnation of their intelligence. REACTION TO FAILURE • Growth mind-set students are resilient in response to failure. They develop strategies to improve. • Fixed mind-set students believe that if you have ability, you don’t need effort.

SAVE THE DATES! Leadership Forum on Beacon Hill March 10, 2010 ___________

MASCA Annual Spring Conference April 11-13, 2010 Sheraton Ferncroft, Danvers ___________

ASCA Annual Conference July 3 - 6, 2010 Boston Sheraton 14

Working hard implies a lack of intelligence, so when things get harder as they move through school, they have a choice. They can work hard and feel dumb, risking their special status and easy perfection, or they can retire, finding it more acceptable to fail through lack of effort rather than revealing a less than optimal intelligence. Some students, and even parents, pull themselves out of challenging classes rather than risk a lower grade point average.

Mind-Sets in Business According to Dweck, when business leaders have a growth mind-set, companies thrive. The type of leader who continually ask questions, is always trying to improve, and believes that mistakes help people learn, lead companies into greatness. When CEOs believe the company is only a platform for their brilliance, the organization frequently ends up being sacrificed. Leaders with a growth mind-set encourage their employees to look at, not hide their mistakes, and to use feedback to alter their strategies. These companies have extensive mentoring and employee development programs. Dweck uses contemporary examples to illustrate her findings. The leaders of Enron, for example, thought of themselves as the “smartest guys in the room.” They became obsessed with talent and didn’t cultivate a culture of learning and growth. With this fixed mind-set, the Enron environment discouraged people from admitting or correcting mistakes. On the other hand, Jack Welch, the CEO of GE and one of the most highly regarded executives in business, had a growth mind-set. He was devoted to staff growth and made a point of seeking out insights from front-line workers. Do you work in a growth mind-set or fixed mind-set organization? What is YOUR mind-set? ––––––––––––––––––––

Reprinted from Laughter Works, www. laughways.com. Laurie Young of Laughter Works will be a keynote speaker at the MASCA Annual Spring Conference. ■ COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK

The Time Is Now By RUTH CARRIGAN MASCA VP Guidance Administrators

reetings. I hope that your start to the school year has been a good one and that by the time this issue of the Notebook reaches you, the hectic pace of the start of school has settled down. In my office we are already in the midst of a busy year, and we are focused on our students and our guidance curriculum. In case you are wondering about the new name and picture for the VP Guidance Administrators, I have been appointed by the MASCA Executive Board to fill the role that was left vacant when Carolyn Richards made the decision to take on the challenge of president-elect. I wish her much success in this new leadership role. For me, this is a return trip to the MASCA Governing Board after a long hiatus. I started my career in the mid1980s in the world of higher education and served as MASCA VP Postsecondary for a number of years. After spending about fifteen years on the college level, I transitioned to high school guidance, and for the last five years I’ve held the role of Director of Guidance for the WhitmanHanson Regional School District. I am excited to be back on the MASCA Board to help promote school counselor advocacy and to recognize the value of the important work that counselors do every day.

RUTH CARRIGAN of our professional development time to put together lessons, and we were approved for some summer stipend curriculum work. We worked together as a team and found that implementing the Model helped shape a common goal for the work we do as a department. You should also remember that there is no “one best way” to implement the Model and a school counseling curriculum. You need to find a way to make it work within your district, with your schedule, and with the administrators in your

building. Although the challenges can be great, the payoff for your students can be tremendous. At my school, after implementation of our guidance curriculum, we increased the college-going rate of our students by 16% in one year, and we’ve maintained that increase for the past four years. Although our guidance curriculum may not be perfect, it is one that works for our school and our students. Most importantly, it helps keep our department focused on the important work that we need to do. My goal for upcoming articles is to share with you some best practices. If you have some proven strategies for success regarding the implementation of your guidance curriculum, I hope you will also share them with colleagues. Please feel free to contact me at Ruth. Carrigan@whrsd.org if you have any questions or success stories. And remember, if you are waiting until you finally have time to implement a guidance curriculum, now is the time to make the commitment. ■

Implementing the MA Model One of the most important things we can do for our students is work with all of them via a comprehensive guidance curriculum using the Massachusetts Model for School Counseling as a guide. Some of you have probably been thinking about implementing the Model but are waiting until you have some extra time to do some research and develop lessons. My advice (like that of a past NIKE marketing campaign) is JUST DO IT! If your office is anything like mine, there is always much more work to do than I have time for. Waiting until you have time probably means that it will never happen. My advice is to embrace the Model, make it a priority, and get your staff on board to help. When my school was first developing our guidance curriculum, we used some NOVEMBER 2009

2011

YEARS

Golden Past, Platinum Future:

1961

MASCA 50th Birthday Celebration The MASCA 50th Birthday Committee has been meeting regularly to make plans for a celebratory luncheon at the MASCA Annual Spring Conference 2011, which will be held at the Ferncroft in Danvers. Invited guests will be past presidents, executive directors, and OSCAR recipients. Committee members include Co-chairs Oscar Krichmar and Mary Westcott, Lillie Davis, Ed Bryant, Carol Ryan Tarka, Andy Tarka, Donna Brown, Ralph Sennott, Sally Connolly, Larry West, Fred Laire, Manny Manolopoulos, Helen O’Donnell, Judi Masters, Maureen Martin and John Gould.

Free Resources at Prevention Networking Coffee Date:

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Time:

8:30 a.m. – 10:20 a.m.

Where: Essex District Attorney’s Office Ten Federal Street Salem, MA 01970 Please join the Essex District Attorney’s Juvenile Justice Unit for coffee. All professionals who work in prevention, intervention, and those who work with juveniles are invited and welcome to take prevention materials. Available for the first time will be our newest prevention program, The Truth About Drugs and Alcohol. This PowerPoint presentation is designed to educate students about the serious impact that drugs and alcohol can have on their lives. This program covers the social, physical, and legal consequences of drug and alcohol use through slides and videos and may be facilitated by educators, policies, counselors and other professionals. In addition, you can take back to your schools and agencies:

MASCA PDP SIGNUP FORM I want to sign up for MASCA PDPs.

• Underage Drinking Middle School Version • Underage Drinking High School Version • Underage Drinking for Adults

Name: __________________________________________________________

• Drugs 101 for Adults

Address: ________________________________________________________

• Choose 2 Refuse • Choose to Keep Your Freedom

________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ E-mail: _________________________________________________________ Send a check for $25 made payable to MASCA along with your stamped MASCA conferences’ Certificates of Attendance and completed Evidence of Learning Forms documenting AT LEAST 10 HOURS of professional development training to: Helen O’Donnell, Ed.D. 10 Maplewood Terrace Hadley, MA 01035

Please feel free to bring any materials you may want to share with others. Coffee and muffins will be served. Come and network with others in the prevention field. Share materials, programs, and ideas over a cup of coffee. For more information, call 978-745-6610 Ruth Budelmann Ext. 5086 Mariellen Fidrych Ext. 5085 Meghan Meagher Ext. 5055 Carrie Kimball-Monahan Ext. 5079 ■

COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK

NOVEMBER 2009

Affiliate News Correction In the September issue of CN, the name of a MASCA Emerging Leader was misspelled. We apologize and extend our congratulations to John Steere, counselor at Wellesley High School.

Reminder from MASCA Check your membership expiration date on the mailing label of this issue of CN. Renew your membership at www.masca.org.

SSGA plans meetings South Shore Guidance Association has planned its calendar for the coming year. Members will be hosted by the following schools: September 29, 2009 Monmouth University October 19, 2009 Nichols College November 17, 2009 Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology Candles to Crayons donations December 2009 Stony Brook University January 2010 Mitchell College February 2010 Florida Southern College (tentative) March 2010 Fisher College April 2010 Universal Technical Institute May 2010 University of Maine / Fort Kent (tentative)

WMCA announces calendar Western Massachusetts Counselors Association has set the following dates for its meetings: October 20, 2009 Delaney House hosted by Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology December 3, 2009 Holyoke Community College January 25, 2010 TBA hosted by Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts MARC Presentation March 9, 2010 at American International College Counselor of the Year Presentations May 19, 2010 Springfield Marriott Scholarship Presentations and Secretary’s Night hosted by Cazenovia College ■

COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK

NOVEMBER 2009

Massachusetts School Counselors Association, Inc. COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK Sally Ann Connolly, Editor

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Send this form to: Deborah Clemence P.O. Box 805 East Dennis, MA 02641

YOUR MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL DATE IS INDICATED BY YEAR AND MONTH ON YOUR ADDRESS LABEL ABOVE. To renew your membership, go to MASCA’s website, www.masca.org.

SAVE THE DATE! Massachusetts Coalition for School Counseling Advocacy Day March 10, 2010 • State House, Boston Advocate for our students, our schools, and our profession MASCA, NEACAC, and The College Board have joined together to sponsor the 2010 Advocacy Day on Beacon Hill. School counselors and others who believe in quality school counseling programs in our schools will spend a day at the State House advocating for issues that are important to school counselors and the young people we serve. Participants will receive training on legislative issues and advocacy and will talk in person with our elected legislators and other policymakers to inform them about who we are and what we do, and about the importance of quality school counseling in our students’ education and lives.

YOUR PARTICIPATION IS CRUCIAL FOR THIS TO WORK! All of our voices are needed for this effort to be effective.

WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE! Please mark your calendars now. More details are forthcoming. Questions? Please contact Bob Bardwell at BardwellR@monsonschools.com.