President’s Letter: Eight Simple Words

It was wonderful to see everyone who made it into Anchorage for our Alaska School Counselor Association (AkSCA) Conference. Congratulations to those who attended the conference – you have met the beginning-of-the-year challenge: to attend a school counselor conference. If you did not get an opportunity to be with us, you can still meet the challenge by attending the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) Conference in Seattle, Washington, on June 27–30, 2020. I really hope to see everyone there.

At our November conference, I shared with everyone eight simple words.

The first two words are BE GOOD. If this is easy for you to do, then maybe you can substitute two other words like be nice, see good, or find good. Think about the two words you have chosen. Try to apply them every day in your place of work as a school counselor. It is amazing how two simple words can change your everyday outlook.

The next two words are WORK HARD. As school counselors, our work never seems to be done. I know each of you is working your hardest to help every one of your students. Keep up the good work! Your hard work will pay off.

The next two words are the most important to remember: HAVE FUN. In order for you to enjoy what you do, you need to have fun as a school counselor. This might look different for each one of us and sometimes we might need to create our own fun. Have fun and laugh often seem to go nicely together. I really hope that you can find or create laughter and fun in your place of employment. If not, practicing self-care it is very important.

The final two words are WIN ONE. This does not refer to a sporting event, but to making a difference. Are you familiar with “The Starfish Story” by Loren Eiseley? Google it, read the poem or watch the short video. Spoiler alert: A line at the end of the story says, “It made a difference for that one.” This is an example of what WIN ONE means. Another example of WIN ONE would be a quote from Maya Angelou: “Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud.”

Eight simple words to live by: Be good, work hard, have fun, win one!

Contact Natalie Kant, AkSCA president, at nkant@kpbsd.k12.ak.us.