Ms. Brown
School Counselor
Welcome to the home of School Counseling at Jenkins!
I look forward to sharing the school counseling program with you here!
Keep in touch to learn more about what we're up to, and please contact me with any questions or concerns. You can also access the videos from my Coffee with the Counselor events here!
Below, you can find information about who I am and what I do.
What does the School Counselor do?
This video was created by a fellow counselor to describe some of our typical roles in an elementary school.
Meet Ms. Brown!
I grew up in the Hampton Roads area, graduating from Grafton High School. I then attended the College of William and Mary for my undergrad in Psychology and M. Ed. in School Psychology. I earned my M.S.Ed. in School Counseling from Old Dominion University and worked with Norfolk Public Schools, York County Schools, and CHKD while I was there. Jenkins is my third school where I have worked as a counselor; I worked for two years at Occohannock Elementary on the Eastern Shore and one at Our Lady of Good Counsel in Northern Virginia. Other jobs I've held in education include working as a tutor and au pair, a special education assistant, and a substitute teacher.
I love to travel and was lucky enough to live overseas for about three years, in Amman, Jordan and Vienna, Austria. In my free time I love to dance, cook, and study languages (currently working on Spanish, Arabic, and Russian), and I am also taking a circus class! As your students most likely already know, I share my home with three cats, two of whom are active contributors to my Zoom lessons. I also spent ten years working for Busch Gardens Williamsburg, and while the only ride I knew how to run isn't there anymore, I still stop to give tourists directions when I visit.
I look forward to working with you and your students!
September Lessons
Our first round of classroom guidance lessons is all about my role and how I can help students! Grade 3-5 played the Counselor Game Show, and K-2 used Mr. Potato Head or the "School Counselor's First Aid Kit" to learn about the different parts of my role. Students learned about confidentiality and how to ask to meet with me.
October Lessons
In October all students learned the definition of bullying. We use POP (Power, Ongoing, and Purposeful) to identify situations that are bullying and to tell the difference between those and a mean moment, teasing, or conflict. Students learned what to do if they experience or witness bullying: tell the bully to stop, walk away, and tell an adult.
November Lessons
In November, students learned about some of their options after they graduate from high school. We heard "When I Grow Up" by Al Yankovic, and students played a "would you rather..." type game to begin thinking about some of their preferences. We discussed the importance of asking questions and learning about our own values and priorities.
Our new breathing strategy this month was called "Five Finger Breathing".
December Lessons
In December, our lessons focused on diversity and tolerance. Students discussed some of the things that make us the same and different, and how that makes the world a better and more interesting place. Students learned about some of the different holidays people celebrate during this time of year and discussed their similarities.
Our new breathing strategy this month was called "Balloon Breathing".