Hello Traineeship!

It's happening and I am so very excited to see you all embark on some big adventure this coming school year (but let's focus on the fall semester first). It's going to be hard work, but I trust that we will all show up to make this a supportive space to learn and grown. Please use this Ackie board whenever you want to appreciate, reflect back or simply ACKnowledge one another!

Here's to an AMAZING fall semester!

Ling

I appreciate you all as we figure out all of the CW stuff (I will do better on this front!). It was refreshing to be sharing space with you all - felt like a productive struggle but also very supportive when we were able to break out in our smaller class. I loved hearing all the amazing ideas that were exchanged! Alex, big kudos to you for sharing your My Why - you exude so much passion, care and creativity! In the meantime, please take care and if you are able - add an ACKIE or two and show some love to our class!

To Aura: the FIRST one to present AND you brought us Hidden Figures?! Talk about setting the bar high! You reminded us why teaching history through film isn't just engaging – it's essential. Especially now, when it feels like we're in some weird time-travel movie where progress keeps rewinding. Your focus on intersectionality and representation showed us how one film can open so many doors for student learning. Our future students are lucky you'll be there to guide them through these stories!

To ALL: I feel so grateful for the warm and supportive energy you all bring to every class. Sheesh, I am so very lucky!

Shreya, Freedom Writers a classic that is still so relevant today, great choice. The way you connected it to advocacy, creating space for stories, working across difference, and showing what happens when someone actually believes in a young person... you nailed it.

To the whole crew: thank you. I know you're running on fumes, this class meets at not the best time slot, and you've got 47 tabs open in your brain. But you still showed up for each other. That says everything about the kind of counselors you are. Please hit me up if you have questions or need anything!

To Brooke: From navigating transitions and finding yourself through therapy, to being inspired by your own school counselor, to building a life with your girlfriend of 5 years - you've walked the path of self-discovery and resilience. Now you're ready to be that person for someone else. That's the full circle moment right there.

Thank you both for your vulnerability and authenticity tonight. Your "whys" are powerful, and your future students will feel that.

You brought your family's lived experience into the conversation while also acknowledging your privilege, that balance is something we all need to practice more. The role of school counselor keeps evolving, and counselors like you who can hold both personal connection and critical awareness? That's exactly what our students need.

Alex - The connections you made with Sinners were incredibly thoughtful. Linking it to broaching, grounding ourselves and our students in their personal identities while understanding the communities and contexts they exist in - you could write a whole dissertation on this (and honestly, maybe you should!).

We got a powerful glimpse tonight, and I'm excited to dig deeper into these ideas in supervision. Great food for thought moving forward.

-Shreya

It’s really fun to get to see how you interact with your students and also inspired me to come up with more ideas for how to navigate my sessions :)

Cassia