Transcript
You're listening to the Counselor Chat podcast, a show for school counselors looking for easy to implement strategies, how to tips, collaboration, and a little spark of joy.
I'm Carol Miller, your host. I'm a full time school counselor and the face behind counseling essentials. I'm all about creating simplified systems, data driven practices, and using creative approaches to engage students.
If you're looking for a little inspiration to help you make a big impact on student growth and success, you're in the right place.
Because we're better together.
Ready to chat? Let's dive in.
Hey everyone,
this is Carol. Welcome back to another episode of Counselor Chat.
Today we're talking about something that I think a lot of school counselors are quietly struggling with.
How to actually choose a school counseling or SEL curriculum.
Because let's be honest,
most of us were never handed one.
Instead we were handed a schedule, a list of classrooms, and maybe can you teach something on kindness next week?
And somehow we're expected to just,
well, figure it out.
So today we're going to talk about what to look for in an SEL curriculum,
how to compare your options even if no one gives you a rubric,
and why this is important.
Because if you're expected to teach sel,
you should be given the tools to do it well.
And I want to start here because this matters.
If your role includes teaching sel,
then your school or district should be supporting you with a curriculum.
I mean, we would never say to a math teacher, just go figure out some math stuff for the year.
And we wouldn't tell an English teacher. Maybe just pull some random reading passages from the Internet or better yet, let ChatGPT just do it for you.
But school counselors were often expected to design lessons,
sequence skills, align to standards,
and somehow make it engaging all from scratch.
And here's the truth,
that's not sustainable.
And it's not the best support for students either.
Because when we're piecing things together week by week, we lose consistency,
skill progression and long term impact.
So if no one has said this to you lately,
you, my friends,
deserve a curriculum.
Now this decision of choosing a curriculum,
I know it can feel really overwhelming.
I mean, I think just about every other post that I see on Facebook includes a what's the best?
I'm looking for some insight from anyone who's using this program.
Have you used it in the past? Have you gotten teacher buy in?
What's it like to implement it?
I mean, these are questions over and over and over again that I keep saying because my friends there Are tons of options out there, whether it's free resources,
district purchased programs, subscription models, TPT resources,
or the DIY lesson plans.
And let's face it, they all look good at first glance.
But here's the tricky part.
Most SEL programs don't come with a clear comparison tool.
I mean, there's no, here's the best one for middle school counselors who have 30 minute classes and no prep time.
So instead we end up asking, will this actually work with my students?
Is this going to take me hours to prep?
Will I even use it consistently?
And sometimes we buy something and it just sits there.
I mean, we've all been there.
So what do we look for in an SEL curriculum?
Let's just simplify this. If you're evaluating a curriculum, here are the big things you need to look for.
One,
is it structured and is it sequenced?
You want something that answers what am I teaching?
And when?
So you need to look for a scope and sequence.
You need to look for skills that build on each other and that there's grade level progression.
Because SEL isn't just random topics and there is no one size fits all. You can't do a lesson for fifth grade that you would also do for kindergarten. I mean, developmentally they are miles and miles and miles apart.
So we have to have that progression.
We also have to ask,
is it actually doable?
And let me tell you, this one is huge.
You have to ask yourself, can I realistically prep this?
Some of those lessons?
Everything needs to be cut or put together or, or you have to make a million and one copies.
So do you have time to realistically prep everything?
Does it require materials that I don't have and will this work in a real classroom setting?
You also want to look at things like what does the cartoon images or clip art in the program look like?
I mean, does it look like the students that I have in my class?
Because some of them don't.
And the best curriculum in the world, my friends,
it doesn't matter if you have it or not, if it just lives in a binder on your shelf.
I mean, it really has to be doable.
We also have to ask, is it engaging for our students?
Because let's be honest, if it's boring,
it just won't work.
So you need to look for things like interactive elements,
movement or discussion,
real life connections.
Because engagement equals impact.
You also want to ask, is it aligned to standards?
This is where your ask of mindsets and behaviors and casel competencies come in.
You don't want to be guessing. Does this count?
I mean, it should be clear how lessons connect to self awareness, self management,
social awareness,
relationship skills, and responsible decision making.
And if you find a curriculum that says that they align to every competency and every ASCA mindset and behavior,
I really want you to question that because are they overdoing it on their alignment?
Because each lesson shouldn't be aligned to 100 different standards, it should be aligned to one or two.
You also want to ask, does it support tier one and beyond?
Because a strong curriculum doesn't just stop at classroom lessons.
I mean, it should help you reinforce skills in small groups,
connect to behavior supports,
and build consistency across settings.
Because SEL isn't just a one and done lesson.
And since no one gives us a rubric,
let's make one.
Here's a super simple way to compare.
You need to ask these five questions.
Will I actually use this consistently?
Does this save me time or does it create more work?
Does it build skills over time?
Will students connect with it?
And last but not least,
does it fit my setting and my schedule?
If the answer isn't a strong yes,
it's probably not the right fit.
Now, there are a lot of great resources out there,
and what works best really depends on your setting.
Some schools use district adopted programs,
some use package SEL curriculums,
and some use a mix of resources.
And there are also a lot of membership style resources,
just like Perks Counseling, Content club.
And I'm going to share this to you transparently.
What Brandy and I have tried to do with Perks is to solve the exact problem we've been talking about,
because I'm a counselor, Brandy's been a counselor,
and we've stayed up late planning lessons, we've pieced things together and we wondered if actually,
if anything was actually building over time.
So inside of Perks, the focus is on ready to use lessons,
grade level curriculum maps,
lessons and curriculum that are aligned to ASCA and Casel.
And it's designed to actually work in real school settings.
It's not just random lessons. I mean, we have spent forever really developing a scope and sequence and having lessons that are developmentally appropriate for different grade levels and that lessons build from year to year.
So if you're not looking for just random lessons and you want something that feels like you finally have a plan,
whether it's Perks or something else,
the goal is the same.
You should feel supported,
not overwhelmed by what you're using.
So if you're thinking about SEL curriculum,
I want you to remember this.
You are not supposed to build an entire program from scratch.
You are not supposed to do this alone.
And the right curriculum won't just check a box or fill time.
The right curriculum will make your job easier,
help your students build real skills,
and bring consistency to your program.
And if this episode got you thinking about your current curriculum, or maybe even lack of one,
you are not alone. This is one of the biggest gaps in school counseling programs,
but it's also one of your biggest opportunities because when you have the right tools,
everything starts to feel a little more manageable.
If you want to try out Perks,
we have a free week. You can just go to perkscontentclub.com and do our little demo for a week and see if it's the right one for you.
My friends, there are a lot of different curriculums out there and I know that there is one just right for you,
your school,
and your kiddos.
So until next time,
I hope you have a really great week.
You are doing amazing things.
Bye for now.
Thanks for listening to today's episode of Counselor Chat. All of the links I talked about can be found in the show notes and@counningessentials.org
be sure to hit follow or
subscribe on your favorite podcast player. And if you would be so kind to leave a review, I'd really appreciate it.
Want to connect? Send me a DM on Facebook or Instagram at counselingessentials. Until next time. Can't wait till we chat.
Bye for now.
