This is amazing, yeah?
Do you wanna know how amazing Mrs H is?
Yeah this is age is.
San Diego County counselor.
Every year. Present for you.
So we both like to announce that
you have been selected as San Diego
County's 2022 school middle school.
This is so cool. This is awesome.
Yeah, there's nothing like showing
appreciation for our local educators.
Two power unified counselors have
been named San Diego County's
school counselors of the year,
and they are joining us this morning
and the entire county.
These are the two best right here.
We welcome to Co.
Pablo Counselor at Twin Peaks
Middle School and Fran Hjalmarson
from Los Penasquitos Elementary.
Good morning to you both.
Thanks so much for joining us
and a big congratulations to you
both. Thank you,
thank you so much.
So yeah, tell us what does it
mean to be given this honor?
And Nicole let's let's start with you.
Normally I think the folks who know me
and work with me would say I'm chatty,
but every time I think about this honor,
I'm speechless. I'm speechless
to be in the same space as Fran.
She's amazing as you guys saw the kids
love her and just it's incredible.
I we know that there are so
many hardworking, dedicated,
passionate counselors out there
who are in the trenches with us.
And it's it's.
It's an incredible honor to be to
be there with them with everyone
friend. How are you feeling this morning?
Well, I was OK until you played
that video tape and I heard
all my kiddos about principles,
so I got a little.
The pump again for sure.
Yeah, I'm really overwhelmed
and honored it it really.
It's pretty special to be
recognized by our peers
and your jobs as counselors.
It's not easy.
You know kids are struggling.
They're turning to you and you
know the pandemic certainly shined
a light on mental health and
awareness of mental health needs.
So if you both could describe
will start with Nicole again.
How has this past year been as a counselor?
Oh wow, last year, as you all know it
was having to be had to speak out of
the box and really reach out to our
students and make sure our students and
families felt connected and had the
resources that they had and their social
emotional needs were being met with all
the anxiety and fear of the unknown.
I think this year we all thought OK.
Here we go.
We're getting back to normal,
but it's it's been just as
challenging if not more,
and seeing how the pandemic has impacted the
students and families and continuing to.
Be creative and making sure that all
students needs are met and that they
feel connected and transitioning back
to school and feeling good about it.
So it's been.
It's been a challenge, but definitely love.
Love, love,
reconnecting with everybody and
seeing the students and getting
them back to their norms
right? I'm sure that makes a
difference to see them now.
Fran tell us about it.
What's it been like for
the students to be back?
I mean, what kind of issues
are they coming to you with?
Well, our elementary age kids
developmentally tend to have a
tremendous amount of resilience and
they take a lot from their role models
and we have amazing teachers that
are welcoming kids back to school.
So while there was a lot of separation
anxiety and the very beginning
and the first couple of weeks,
mainly with our littlest ones,
who really hadn't ever been
on the school campus.
Most of the kids came back just
so excited to be at school and be
with their friends and be able to
socialize and see their teachers.
So being really,
really smooth adjustment for the most
part with our elementary kiddos.
You know franchise and I have a first grader,
third grader and 4th grader
in power unified and but yeah,
keeps us busy at home.
But I will say there's a big
difference between a kindergartner
and a fifth grader and you've got
to deal with all of those students.
How do you juggle the differences
between the ages and you know what they
can handle mentally and everything on
that water challenge that has to be.
And it it is.
And yet they're all still sweet,
little kiddos.
And you know, kindergarten.
Really, we have TK to 5th.
They're all very different developmentally,
but will be able to differentiate for
them and work with them in different ways.
You know, if I'm working with
a fifth grade student,
we might be able to sit and
visit in my office if I'm working
with a little first grader,
we might be outside playing
a game while we're visiting,
so it just kind of depends.
And all of them get class lessons.
TK through five in empathy.
Problem solving,
emotion management and it's
all geared towards their
particular developmental age
and it calls. I mean same thing for you boy,
those are some interesting years.
Let's just say for middle schoolers, right?
You got 6th graders that are coming
in the scrawny 12 year olds.
Then you got those 14 year olds that
think they kind of know it all, right?
So I mean, you've you've also run the
gamut with the with the age of the kids,
how have you been able to
kind of balance all of
that? Well, it's interesting.
I think with the gap of the
traditional school that they've had.
They're all coming into us as
kind of elementary students,
with the behaviors and all that,
so having to reteach those expectations,
having to reconnect them,
and just make sure that they're feeling
connected to school, they're used.
I think they became used to their schedules,
the shortened schedules,
and the different expectations,
and so having to retrain our
students of this is, you know,
not necessarily traditional,
but this is how we do school this.
How we do school together.
This is how we work together.
This is how we work with staff and teachers.
And collaborate so it's been interesting.
Middle schools always a fun crazy age.
So to add this extra challenge to them,
I think it's also very bonding
and connecting because we're
all going through it together
and still learning together.
I think is is really.
It's been fun.
You both are bringing out these emotions
in me 'cause I like hear from both of
you is how much you adore these children.
I mean, you're you appreciate them.
There's a huge amount of love that we're
hearing from you that's pouring out,
which is beautiful and I wanna
ask you to just, you know,
there are so many teachers counselors
who've had a rough ride, right?
They've gone through a lot during this,
just as many families have.
What is your advice?
You're the best in our county.
What do you want to share with
other educators that may be
watching this right now?
Let's start with you, Nicole.
First I want to say thank you.
I think we're all in the trenches
together as I'd mentioned,
and it's really inspiring to
work with such dedicated giving,
compassionate staff admin counselors,
teachers, classified staff.
So thank you and I think one of
the things that I've really taken
away in our counseling programs.
They've always taught us about self
care and you know, you hear that.
It's all good and great,
but then not until you.
Really, truly,
I think we've really started to practice
it and these last couple of years
we've really been able to do that,
so I want to reiterate to that or saffron.
Sure, you have healthy boundaries.
You know,
taking care of yourself and
your family first so that you
can take care of others and we
can make sure our kids are 10.
Fred, we do have a only 30 seconds.
I apologize, but if you could
also answer that question.
Yeah, I was gonna say similar stuff
as Nicole and Becca was going to
talk about how on an airplane.
They always tell you to be of the yourself.
The oxygen mask first and
we're all very guilty.
Parents, teachers, counselors,
educators were guilty of giving us
the oxygen last and so the self
care is really important thing.
I would say is that our elementary
chains thrived during the pandemic
because we worked together we
we are previously had been.
Meeting, you know,
maybe once a month every six weeks,
when the pandemic rolled around,
we were meeting every single
week and our teachers increased
their collaboration as well,
so that working together and that
collaboration leaning on each other
makes those tasks so much more manageable.
Makes the experience so much more
manageable and it's part of self care,
right?
Right? Counting on asking
for help. You both ladies,
are you guys are amazing?
Yes Nicole friend.
Thank you so much for your
time here this morning.
Thank you for everything you've done.
For our community,
our schools, our kids,
they need you and you guys have
delivered and thanks for sharing
your love with us here this morning.