The Durant Elementary Guidance Program

 Students K-4 receive twenty five minutes of in class guidance taught by the guidance counselor following the curriculums of the research based Second Step Violence Prevention program and Lion’s Quest Skills for Growing.  These programs meet the requirements set by the American School Counselor Academy in their National School Counseling framework. 

Each year, we begin with empathy training which focuses on recognizing other’s feelings and understanding our own emotions.  We discuss the idea that all feelings are ok and that we will go through many feelings in a single day.  Our students are learning to identify their emotions by their feeling scale.  Ask your child to show you where they are on their scale and have them explain it to you.  As we are beginning to move into our anger management, impulse control and problem solving units we practice our calming down techniques and analyze problems to determine how to keep them small or make them go away instead of making them bigger.  Ask your child to tell you what it means to “smell the soup”.   In each lesson we touch on treating others with respect, controlling our own words and actions, along with accepting and appreciating individual differences.

 In grades 6-8, guidance is delivered once a month during advisory.  This is an extension of the elementary curriculum and focuses on self esteem, peer relationships, and appropriately dealing with stress.  At the heart of the elementary and middle school guidance is the desire to create compassionate, empathetic, caring students capable of learning at their full potential.

 Bully prevention is addressed through these lessons, school wide activities, and as needed interventions.  Students are continuously reminded to report bullying to adults in order to get help.  We can only help if we know what is happening. 

We strive to make Durant a safe place where students feel comfortable to learn and grow.  We accept and appreciate individual differences and value each and every student.