Teachers and school counselors are often the first to notice when a student is struggling. Again and again, educators find themselves going beyond their assigned duties to care for children's mental and emotional needs.
As part of our series, , counselor Ashley Williams from Central Elementary School in Seagoville shares in her own words how she set up a unique way for students to share their feelings.
I was in Hobby Lobby one day 鈥� my favorite place 鈥� and I saw this mailbox and I thought, oh that鈥檚 really cool. I want to stick that outside my door so students can drop off notes. Then I started looking at it and I was like, well it doesn鈥檛 have a lock on it, so anybody could just get in and read that 鈥� and I don鈥檛 want anybody to do that.
Me and my principal got together. We started thinking about things, and we said, 鈥淲hy don鈥檛 we use a locker instead, and we鈥檒l put a lock on it, and the kids can slide their notes in the little slits?鈥� That way, even as they鈥檙e passing by, nobody even has to know that they鈥檝e just slid that note right in.
Being a brand new counselor and being brand new here, the kids don't know me, so I know that they鈥檙e not going to feel comfortable just walking up to me saying, 鈥淢s. Williams, can I talk to you?鈥� So I wanted to come up with something that they would be able to either ask their teacher or they can even grab a note 鈥� the teachers have notes that are located by the doors. So the kids know that they can just go get one, write down their information and then drop it off, so they don鈥檛 even have to ask a teacher for it.
I鈥檝e had about 20 letters dropped off so far. I鈥檝e had students that have talked about their home life and how it鈥檚 been very difficult for them, and I鈥檝e had students that just want to tell me how their day鈥檚 been and that some good news has happened.
This really has meant a lot to me. Coming into this brand new, I鈥檓 thinking, these kids don鈥檛 know who I am. They鈥檙e going to be very timid. I鈥檓 not going to get the response I wanted. But I knew that it鈥檚 all about building relationships with your students. When I see them every morning and I'm hugging them, and they know that I care about them, that鈥檚 when I'm getting that response and that鈥檚 when they're coming to me saying, "Hey, I need to talk."
