​​At Alhambra High School's Counseling Enriched Classroom, we believe that the connections you make and the emotions you feel can shape your behavior and your experience of the world. That's why we work hard to create a culture that values connections, inclusion, and positivity. Here are some of the specific things we do to uphold these values.

• Connection: The entire CEC team gathers daily to eat lunch together in the alternative/lunch classroom with students who choose to stay back from the larger campus or just want to access a comfortable and inviting space to eat their lunch. We open our door and welcome all students from the larger campus including friends/associates of the CEC students, school admin and teachers, and those that are interested in checking out the "Seneca" space (pictured). During this activity staff and students share laughter, stories, and connect on a human level outside of the rigors of a classroom setting.  

 

• Inclusion: We strive to always create an environment where every person, regardless of title, age, or gender, can be themselves. This means valuing the interactions that happen, modeling behaviors that we want and hope to see, using of gender-affirming pronouns or names, and creating an inviting space for self-expression, particularly in our therapy room (Check out the eclectic range of chair styles).

 

• Positivity: This is where we actively lean heavily into our Seneca's Equilibrium practices and training, with emphasis on Chapters 1 and 2 (familiarize yourself... if this statement sounds foreign to you 🙂). The underlying message of "working together" and being "here" for one another is more than just words but practices that we all take in our interactions as a team, in our exchanges with students and school partners, and how we continue to show up in all spaces. 

Our goal is for everyone who encounters the CEC program to have a positive experience and feel like they are part of the Bulldog community so that they may proudly repeat the school’s slogan of “Once a Bulldog, always a Bulldog!” 

​During the 23-24 school year, behavior strand leaders participate in a bi-weekly learning community. This space allows leaders from different programs to gather, share, and learn from one another in a free-flowing manner. This year we have focused our efforts on coaching and supervision. Our main resource is “The Art of Coaching” by Elena Aguilar.  The books states, “The Art of Coaching offers all the tools necessary for professionals who coach educators. It demystifies the process of coaching with easy-to-apply, immediately actionable ideas. Elena Aguilar offers a model for transformational coaching designed for new and veteran coaches, teacher leaders, mentors, principals, and other administrators.” The information below has helped guide my thinking as I support others with their beliefs around behaviors, academics, and the educational system.
 
In chapter 3 of the “Art of Coaching”, the author introduces a framework titled “The Ladder of Inference”. This framework provides a tool to see how our beliefs are formed and why we do what we do.  The “Ladder of Inference” is formed around 7 concepts.
Concept 1: Observable Data and Experiences
Concept 2: Selected Data      
Concept 3: Added Meaning
Concept 4: Assumptions
Concept 5: Conclusions
Concept 6: Beliefs
Concept 7: Actions
 
The role of a coach is to support others with moving through the steps listed above to form their belief system. As leaders,  we must actively explore our beliefs systems, to see transformational and sustained change within our school systems. Finally, “The ladder of Inference is a tool to help us delineate the cognitive steps that lead to our belief system, When we guide clients down the ladder, they can explore other ladders to climb up. This is how we dismantle racist belief systems, or beliefs systems about boys and education, or girls and math, and so on.”-Elena Aguilar

​Located in Hayward, California, Cherryland Elementary School is a vital part of the Hayward Unified School District, catering to 903 students from kindergarten to sixth grade. The UE HEART (Hayward Empowering Advocacy and Radical Transformation) program provides a classroom environment enriched with counseling services to support the academic and personal growth of its students.
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One student in Cherryland’s counseling enriched classroom has expressed a keen interest in pursuing the CEO position at Seneca as their future career goal. In January, Leticia Galyean Seneca’s CEO visited the Cherryland counseling enriched classroom. During her time at Cherryland, Leticia was given a tour by the students and they also took the opportunity to ask her questions about her job. As a special treat, Leticia was able to witness a piano performance by the same student who wants to be Seneca’s CEO. At the end of the visit the students gave Leticia thank you cards for visiting their classroom. 

As Team Berkeley, we have a renewed commitment to building connection throughout our program! 
 
In the recent months we have enjoyed opportunities for students and staff alike to enhance relationships by engaging in new and exciting experiences together. Here is a little bit about a couple of them 🙂.
 
Field Trip to Kirin-
In our Counseling Enriched Classroom program at Berkeley High School, our students took a field trip to Kirin Chinese restaurant in Berkeley. They shared a family-style meal connected to their recent lessons in their Ethnic Studies class. They all reported the food was delicious, they had a great time, and enjoyed each other's company!
 
Staff Outing to Game On-
For a recent staff outing we went to Game On in Berkeley where we engaged in some serious gaming challenges together! They have a variety of "gaming rooms" each consisting of "live action adventure" in which you have to work together to solve one or more puzzles. Here is the link for those who are interested- https://www.gameonberkeley.com/about. Our team had so much fun with lots of laughter throughout the experience!