Mrs. Heilman's Counselor Corner

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a disorder that is discussed in may schools and in many classrooms. Many parents and teachers wonder if a child, who can't seem to sit still or pay attention in class, has ADHD. It's a delicate topic between parents and their children's teachers, especially at the primary age because normal behaviors for these young children can look like behaviors seen with children who have an ADHD diagnosis. Honestly, it can be hard to tell the difference between normal social-emotional development, delayed social-emotional development, and ADHD. Today, I want to connect you  to information that will help you understand ADHD and the behaviors of the children who have it.  Because ADHD is such a complex disorder this blog entry will cover identifying ADHD and how it's diagnosed. Statistics from the Center of Disease Control (CDC) In 2016: Approximately 9.4% of children 2-17 years of age (6.1 million) had ever been diagnosed ...

For the past few years, Pekin Public School District 108 has been gradually implementing the practices of Responsive Classroom to bolster social-emotional skills and academic learning.  "Responsive Classroom  is a student-centered, social and emotional learning approach to teaching and discipline. It is comprised of a set of research, and evidence-based practices designed to create safe, joyful, and engaging classroom and school communities for both students and teachers." - from responsiveclassroom.org  You many not have heard of it because we often refer to the different parts of Responsive Classroom or we just work them into the day. The students probably won't hear us talk about Responsive Classroom directly. What you may hear about is Morning Meeting, Quiet Time, or Closing Circle, all things that we do to build community and transition to different parts of the school day. Each school and each classroom implements Responsive Classroom differently. Ther...

Hi Parents, Teachers, and Other Important Adults! Welcome back to a brand new year! I'm so excited to be back and see all the kids and teachers! It's going to be a good year! Last year, I started a blog to help inform you, parents, about the material I was covering in my SEL (Social-Emotional Learning) lessons in each classroom. I posted about once a month before my efforts fizzled out as my case load started to build. I did not meet my goal of posting at least once per month. BUT...I want to try again. My posts may be shorter, but I'm hoping giving myself permission to write shorter posts will keep me motivated to post more often. If you, the reader, find these posts helpful but want to see them more often, feel free to email me at erin.heilman@pekin108.org. I love it when others hold me accountable. (Seriously.) I will also take topic suggestions. What do you want to learn about? What issues is your kiddo having that I can help with? Email me or make a suggestion i...