MASSACHUSETTS SCHOOL COUNSELORS ASSOCIATION FEBRUARY 2014VOL. 50, NO. 6

MASCA

Shedding Light on CounselingBy JOHN STEERE

MASCA VP Secondary

When I think about why I starteddoing it, I can remember exactly

what I was thinking: “I NEED to see thesun!” At first, my need was a selfish one,mainly not wanting to work late hours,but now my experience of needing to seethe sun has come to mean much more inmy school counseling practice. It is moreabout finding the positive than seeingthe daylight.

By nature I am a morning person, soI tend to arrive early to Wellesley HighSchool, and usually my arrival timedoesn’t correspond with the sun’s rising.I maintain this arrival time because ofthe feeling I have of being the most awakeand ready to respond to the number ofe-mails I have waiting for me and for thepreparations that I need to make. Usually,once I dive into my e-mails and othercounseling duties, time flies; and before Irealize it, three hours have passed. Also,because my office is on the interior sideof the school, I do not have windows tolook out to know if the sun has come upyet or what the weather is like. For exam-ple, I had a student walk into my officeone morning totally drenched and I asked,“Is it raining out?” Needless to say, thestudent looked down at himself and saidsarcastically, “Duh, Mr. Steere!”

At 9:38 a.m. the bell reminds me towalk out of my office to Advisory, but itis what happens after that eight-minuteblock that has come to be part of the day

that I most look forward to. Every dayfor a grand total of five minutes, I standin the middle of the fourth floor “hub”(an intersection of two main hallwaysconveniently located under a skylight)and attempt to say hello or interact withas many students, administrators, andfaculty members as possible. During thistime, I just want the chance to interactand hold as many conversations as pos-sible. Nothing about these conversationsis formal. It is just a time to interact and,especially, to remember the reason whyI got into counseling in the first place. Asa school counseling mentor of mine stated,“It is counseling in the hallways.”

A few days ago I showed a TED talkto a group of freshman students, whichwas given by Andy Putticombe. His mes-sage was that all it takes is ten mindfulminutes. I hoped that it would make thestudents think about how they deal withthe stresses of high school life. Basically,Putticombe stated that many people areso distracted by thinking about otherthings that they do not take the time tostop and be in the present moment. Schoolcounseling is a job of constant interrup-tions and reactive moments where we ascounselors can get very caught up in thenegative stress that comes across ourplate on a daily basis. I know that I havebeen guilty of this. These five minutes inthe naturally-lit hub are my way of cen-tering myself to be in the present.

My goal in writing this article is tochallenge each of you as counselors tofind your moments out away from youroffice where you can feel the sun andremember why we do the kind of workwe do as school counselors. Take time tocenter yourself in the present moment.Find those hidden opportunities whereyou can truly make a small impact witha student who may not be expecting youto enter into their lives. ■

National SchoolCounseling Week

celebrated in FebruaryNational School Counseling Week

2014, “School Counseling: Building Mag-ical Futures,” will be celebrated fromFebruary 3-7 to focus public attention onthe unique contribution of professionalschool counselors within U.S. school sys-tems. NSCW, sponsored by ASCA, high-lights the tremendous impact school coun -selors can have in helping students achieveschool success and plan for a career.

ASCA has developed many materialsand documents, a number of which arefree, to help celebrate during this week.Counselors will be celebrating the weekwith one or more of the following:

• Press releases • Proclamations • Morning school announcements• Certificates of Appreciation for fac-

ulty members, parents, and other stake-holders who help the school counselingprogram throughout the year

• Posters • Pencils and bookmarks that remind

students where to turn for help• Stickers that say “I heart my school

counselor.” ■

Random Actsof Kindness Weekheld in February

Random Acts of Kindness Week willbe held February 10-16. For ideas to usein your school, go to the Random Actsof Kindness Foundation website, www.randomactsofkindess.org/educators.There you will find free lesson plans, pro-ject ideas, resources, clubs, and research.

Research shows “that being kind canmake a real difference to the well-beingand health of individuals who both prac-tice and receive it.” Make a difference inyour school. Start your kindness projectnow. ■

2 COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK

Advocating for Child SafetyBy SALLY ANN CONNOLLY

MASCA Counselor’s Notebook Editor

Dangerous Toys Stillfor Sale

By SALLY ANN CONNOLLY

Would you shop in a store that know-ingly and willingly sells toys that

kill? A.C. Moore Arts & Crafts at theLiberty Tree Mall is doing just that.

This week I went shopping for giftsfor my granddaughter’s fifth birthday.A.C. Moore seemed to be a good choice.Sommerlyn likes nothing better thancreative projects.

To my horror a whole section of thestore is stocked with construction sets byMagnetix. Last year, the U.S. ConsumerProduct Safety Commission issued arecall, warning consumers:

“Tiny magnets inside the plastic build-ing pieces and rods can fall out. Magnetsfound by young children can be swal-lowed or aspirated. If more than onemagnet is swallowed, the magnets canattract to each other and cause intestinalperforation or blockage, which can befatal. This product is unsuitable for youngchildren . . . . [The] CPSC is aware of 34incidents involving small magnets, in clud -ing one death and four serious injuries.A 20-month-old boy died after he swal-lowed magnets that twisted his smallintestine and created a blockage. Threechildren ages ranging from 3 to 8 hadintestinal perforations that required sur -gery and hospitalization in intensive care.A 5-year-old child aspirated two mag-nets that were surgically removed fromhis lung.”

Naively, I brought the recall to theattention of the store’s management. Theyknew all about it. “Oh, that’s an old re -call,” said the assistant manager.

Does that mean the same toys are lessdangerous now, a year later?

“That’s a voluntary recall,” she con-tinued. Retailers, in other words, arenot required to pull the dangerous itemsoff the shelves. Rather, consumers whohave bought the product are urged tostop using it and return the product tothe retailer for a suitable replacement orrefund.

But what if the consumer did not hap-pen to learn about the recall? Shouldn’ta warning be posted in the store near theitem? Certainly, customers have a rightto know that the product on the shelf ishazardous.

I say to A.C. Moore and the otherretailers still stocking Magnetix: Protect

An article in The Journal of Pediatrics(January 2014) describes the advo-

cacy role played by the North AmericanSociety for Pediatric Gastroenterology,Hepatology, and Nutrition in its fightagainst high-powered magnets. Thesemagnets can cause serious injury andeven death if they are ingested.

Gastroenterologists throughout thecountry responded to a physician’s queryon its bulletin board in April 2012, indi-cating that most of the magnetic inges-tions had occurred within the past year.NASPGHAN then set out on an aggres-sive campaign to educate pediatric gastro -enterologists, other pediatric physicians,and the general public. The organizationalso began working to remove the haz-ar dous toys from sale. In the process,NASPGHAN partnered with organiza-tions such as the American Academy ofPediatrics and American Pediatric Surgi-cal Association.

The authors of the journal articleconclude by saying:

“One year after our society becameaware of the public health implications

of high powered magnets, we have helpedreduce sales of these products and in formthe public. However, we still have workto do. Many families remain unaware ofthe danger, and just recently anothertoddler went to surgery for fistulae at ourinstitution following magnet ingestion.Although the CPSC works to finalize itsproposed magnet safety regulations, high-powered toy magnets are still for sale onthe internet. In fact, one new company isadvertising these magnets as ‘do-it-your-self fashion jewelry.’ We need to continueto educate our policymakers and ourpatients about the hazards of high-pow-ered magnets, or our patients will con-tinue to suffer the consequences of theiravailability for years to come.”

I am reprinting my reaction to discov-ering that toys with the possibly lethalmagnets were being sold in my commu-nity. (Never Better: All Things Consid-ered, 2007) More information is avail-able at “Dangerous Toys Still for Sale,”www.neverbetter.net or www.issuu.com/sallyconnolly. ■

2013– 2014 OFFICERS

PRESIDENTTHERESA A. COOGAN, Ph.D.Bridgewater State UniversityBridgewater, MA 02325Tel. 508-531-2640E-mail: theresa.coogan@bridgew.edu

PAST PRESIDENTJENNIFER LISKMedway High School, Medway, MA 02053Tel. 508-533-3228 x5107 • Fax 508-533-3246E-mail: jlisk@medway.k12.ma.us

PRESIDENT-ELECTTINA KARIDOYANESMansfield High School250 East Street, Mansfield, MA 02048Tel. 508-261-7540 x3122 • Fax 508-339-0259E-mail: presidentelect@masca.org

VICE PRESIDENT ELEMENTARYVERONICA KNIGHTLowell Elementary School175 Orchard Street, Watertown, MA 02472Tel. 617-926-2666E-mail: veronica.knight@watertown.k12.ma.us

VICE PRESIDENT MIDDLE / JUNIOR HIGHMARISA CASTELLOE-mail: castelloma@sps.springfield.ma.usKATHLEEN SCOTTE-mail: scottk@amesburyma.gov

VICE PRESIDENT SECONDARYJOHN S. STEEREWellesley High School50 Rice Street, Wellesley, MA 02481Tel. 781-446-6290 x4653 • Fax 781-446-6308E-mail: john_steere@wellesley.k12.ma.us

VICE PRESIDENT ADMINISTRATORSTBA

VICE PRESIDENT POSTSECONDARYJOHN MARCUSDean College99 Main Street, Franklin, MA 02038Tel. 508-541-1509 • Fax 508-541-8726E-mail: jmarcus@dean.edu

VICE PRESIDENT COUNSELOR EDUCATORSMEGAN KRELL, Ph.D.E-mail: mkrell@fitchburgstate.edu

VICE PRESIDENT RETIREESJoseph D. FitzGerald, Ed.D.5 Progress Street, Weymouth, MA 02188Tel. 781-264-3426E-mail: jdfitz1831@gmail.com

EXECUTIVE DIRECTORDONNA M. BROWNAdjunct Professor, UMass BostonP.O. Box 366, 779 Center StreetBryantville, MA 02327Tel. 781-293-2835E-mail: executivedirector@masca.org

TREASURERASHLEY CARON25 Belmont Ave., Stoughton, MA 02072Tel. 508-212-0676E-mail: ashcicero@hotmail.com

SECRETARYASHLEY J. GUBA30 Brezner Lane, Centerville, MA 02632Tel. 508-367-7774E-mail: secretary@masca.org

MEMBERSHIP COORDINATORTBA

COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK EDITORSALLY ANN CONNOLLY19 Bayberry Road, Danvers, MA 01923Tel. 978-774-8158 • Fax 978-750-8154E-mail: sallyconnolly@att.net

FEBRUARY 2014 3

our children. Step up and voluntarily re -move these sets from your shelves. Donot let unsuspecting parents and grand-parents buy toys that will seriously harmor kill their loved ones. Do we have towait until another child dies before you,corporate headquarters, and the manu-facturer will deem a child’s life more im -

portant than a profit margin?Before stopping at A.C. Moore, I had

bought a few items for Sommerlyn at alocal drugstore: a pad of detachable, whitepaper, a pad of construction paper, glitterpens, washable markers, and stickers.She will be thrilled with these safe gifts.I am. ■

In July 2007, the Consumer Product Safety Commission namedmagnets the number one unrecognized house hold danger.

4 COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK

I’ve Been ReadingBy DONNA BROWN

MASCA Executive Director

C hristmas break means many thingsto people. It’s a time to connect and

re-connect with friends and family; itprovides an opportunity to explore thoseparts of the house better left undisturbed;it allows us to play catch up with ourreading. This past vacation found mecoughing to the point most people pre-ferred to avoid contact with me andwould have happily provided me with aleper bell to warn off others. As a result,reading became my primary activity.Usually I am the consummate trashreader—detective stories and mysteriestop my list. This time, however, I readseveral books that might be of interestto other counselors.

Most of us have heard Elizabeth Eng-lander of the Massachusetts AggressionReduction Center at Bridgewater StateUniversity speak. This past fall, HarvardUniversity Press published her new book,BULLYING AND CYBERBULLYING:What Every Educator Needs to Know.In it Englander writes, “Bullying is a termthat’s being, well, bullied. It’s been ren-dered essentially powerless by being con-stantly kicked around.” She expands onthis idea by citing recent research, includ-ing her own, and presenting educatorswith the concept of “gateway behaviors.”

Among the practical how-to’s pre-sented are identifying students who maybe at risk, helping students (and theirparents) become more resilient, and devel-oping an understanding of bystanderroles. The challenges presented by variouselectronic devices are addressed as are thevery subtle ways children have learnedto be cruel and cause pain. She also dis-cusses how students view both theirown behaviors and those of their peers.

Deleterious effects of bullying noted

“A growing body of research suggests how detrimental bully ingcan be, raising a teen’s likelihood for depression, anxiety, suicidal ten-dencies, and, in rare cases, violent acts. Psychologists have found thatrelentless teasing that occurs over years can cause children to sufferfrom post traumatic stress disorder that lingers well into adulthood.”

— Deborah Kotz, “Health-related bullying of kids: what parents can do,”The Boston Globe, December 31, 2012, G10.

FEBRUARY 2014 5

Another former MASCA keynoter,Rosa lind Wiseman, published a bookabout the condition of boys in 2013. Bestknown for her books dealing with rela-tional aggression in girls (Queen Bees &Wannabes), Wiseman, the mother oftwo tween boys (10 & 12), interviewednearly 200 boys in grades 4 to 12 togather the in formation which becameMASTERMINDS & WINGMEN: Help-ing Our Boys Cope with SchoolyardPower, Locker-Room Tests, Girlfriendsand the New Rules of Boy World. Thebook is eye-opening.

Many of the stereotypes we have ofboys are far from the truth. The imageof the strong, stoic, silent hero is far fromthe reality that Wiseman found. She states,“The most common misconceptions aboutboys are that things don’t matter to them,that their friendships are just about play-ing and hanging out.” She explodes thismyth as well as many others using the

boys’ own voices. She looks at topics rang-ing from teasing to sexting, offering sug-gestions to parents about how to under-stand and communicate with their sons.Although written primarily for parents,the book is valuable for anyone work-ing with boys.

RELAX.calm: Helping Teens ManageStress Using Relaxation and GuidedImagery was the third book I read.Written by Jeffrey S. Allen and Roger J.Klein, the authors provide over fiftyscripts to help teens learn to deal withanxiety and make positive decisions. Intheir first book, Allen and Klein presentedthe Responsibility, Empowerment, Learn-ing, Attitudes, and X-pand program. Inthe current one, the authors offer practicalstrategies for “empowering adolescentsto become a part of their own emotionalgrowth.” Through well-researched scripts,young people can develop self-soothingand muscle-relaxation techniques. Usedwith students anxious about upcomingtests or tasks, this book can be a greataddition to any counselor’s tool kit.

Happy reading! ■

Books I’ve been reading holdsurprising insights that canenrich a counselor’s tool kit.

6 COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK

ArtAthletic Training

BiologyBusiness Management

ChemistryCommunication

Computer Information SystemsCompute Science

Criminal JusticeEconomicsEducation

EnglishEnvironmental Science

Ethnic and Gender Studies General Science

HistoryLiberal Studies

MathematicsMovement Science

MusicNursing

Political SciencePsychology

Regional PlanningSocial Work

SociologySpanish

Theatre Arts (413) 572-5218 ·

Discover more by visiting us online at westfield.ma.edu.

Lighting Up the FutureBy JOE FITZGERALD, Ed.D.

MASCA VP Retirees

This past Christ mas Eve I received agift of a wonderful little book. In the

Dark Streets Shineth by David McCul-lough recounts the story of the 1941Christmas Eve meeting in Washington ofFrank lin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill,which was being held just weeks afterthe bombing of Pearl Harbor.

At first I didn’t pay too much attentionto the book. A DVD came with it, and aweek later I played it. David McCulloughnarrated the book with the MormonTabernacle Choir behind him, and I wasgreatly moved by the experience. Theemphasis on music and lyrics (poetry)really hit home.

The title of the book comes from thelyric in the Christmas carol “O Little Townof Bethlehem”: “Yet in thy dark streetsshineth the everlasting Light.” Churchillused this lyric as the theme of his speech,and it rings as true today as it did in thatvery dark period of war for America andEngland. As McCullough points out:

Music is a part of our history. It is anexpression of who we are and the timeswe’ve known, our highs and our lows,and so much that we love. Take away

American music from the American storyand you take away a good part of thesoul of the story.

Impossible to imagine life in Americawithout it – without “Shenandoah,” or“Amazing Grace,” or the “Battle Hymnof the Republic.” Or Gershwin or Cop-land or Scott Joplin. Or the music ofChristmas in America.

The two leaders lifted the spirits ofthose attending the tree lighting ceremonyand, by radio broadcast, people aroundthe world with their message that the lightwill shine and overcome the darkness.

Technology and MASCAAt the MASCA Fall Conference technol-ogy session, many ideas were put forththat are being developed for members inthe coming year. For want of better words,“digital meetings” will take place. Theywill keep members updated about whatis happening in their professional orga-nization and its affiliates. As TechnologyCoor dinator Ron Miller says: MASCAwill be exploring various social mediatools to enable counselors to communi-cate and share ideas.

Although conferences and meetings willcontinue to be held, social media such asTwitter and Facebook and online meet-ing programs such as GoToMeeting willbe used. Part of the thrust is cost savings,but it is also meant to make it easier forfolks from distant parts of the state toparticipate without the need for longdistance travel.

The committee is also trying out meet-ings with counselors around the countryonce or twice a month to share ideas.And we are looking to have the springconference be more interactive, encour-aging participants to interact with oneanother during the conference usingsocial media like Twitter. This will helpus to get near real-time feedback.

The theme that is emerging is connect-ing practioners with one another in waysthat they are already using to link withfamily and friends: mobile phones, e-mail,social media, photos, video, etc. Connectwith MASCA as it shines its light on thefuture of school counseling in Massachu-setts: www.masca.org. ■

FEBRUARY 2014 7

PRSRT STDU.S. POSTAGE PAIDNEWBURYPORT, MA

PERMIT NO. 96

Massachusetts School Counselors Association, Inc.COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK

Sally Ann Connolly, Editor

IN CASE OF NON-DELIVERY, RETURN TO:Donna M. BrownP.O. Box 366Bryantville, MA 02327

Conference Newsfor

Graduate Studentsand

Counselor Educators

MASCA will sponsor severalgraduate student opportunitiesfor the upcoming Spring 2014Conference on Tuesday, April 8,2014, in Leominster. Opportuni-ties include:

• An evening networkingreception on Monday, April 7.

• A panel Q&A conferencesession for graduate studentsto ask pertinent questionsabout getting a job and whatthose first years in the fieldreally entail.

• Graduate student postersessions.

• $75 Graduate studentscholarships.

Please see the MASCA websitefor more information.

Send your inquiries to mkrell@fitchburgstate.edu.

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.