Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Welcome to the first posting of The Counselor’s Corner!! I’m so excited to be starting this blog for the parents of Milliken Middle School. My hope is that it will serve as a place where I can discuss some of the more prevalent problems and issues I see with our middle school students as well as post articles and websites I find that can also shed some light on important topics. Additionally, I would love if this blog became a place that parents could visit for support from other parents. Adolescents can be a tricky animal and we as adults aren’t always sure what to say or do to help them through this confusing, hormonal, and rebellious time of self-discovery and change. Middle school is a great time for kids to get to know more about their own identities and values, but can also be lonely and extremely challenging. I hope parents will be able to come to this blog to share their stories and receive support from others parents grappling with similar situations.

You may be wondering how The Counselor’s Corner will work. Every month I will pick one topic that I feel is a prevalent issue affecting our kids (i.e. bullying/relational aggression, lack of organization/motivation, low self esteem, etc). I will share some of my thoughts and observations on each month’s topic as well as provide additional articles and websites that I hope will serve as helpful resources. All parents are invited to read this blog and respond with questions, suggestions, and stories. In doing this, parents will hopefully see that they are not alone!

If you have suggestions for specific topics you’d like to know more about, please don’t hesitate to let me know! I want this blog to be a place that you, as parents, receive the most relevant and informative insight into your middle schoolers. For confidentiality purposes, I will never use any student's name or give specific details about a situation when writing my posts. Similarly, you don't need to use your or your child's full name when commenting. Also, if you read a blog post and would rather discuss your questions and concerns with me in person, please feel free to contact me at school via phone (587-6349) or email (
bhilgers@weldre5j.k12.co.us)

Have a great school year!