These students have very different experiences in their lives and many times just need to know that someone cares about them.

These are the students who may normally fly under the radar. Part of my job is to find these students and figure out how to help them be successful in school and life. The students come from a variety of backgrounds and home situations.

My students are 6th, 7th, and 8th grades. That need some extra help to reach their goals.

"Where words fail, music speaks." Hans Christian Andersen Being a middle school counselor my job is all about building relationships, building self-esteem, and getting kids to open up.

The key is to find a unique and creative ways to reach students.

The ukuleles will be used in a weekly counseling group where students have a chance to earn the opportunity to keep their ukulele at the end of the group. During the 1st group, students will set a goal, either for academic, behavior, or attendance. Weekly we will talk about their progress towards the goal they picked. After checking in each week they learn how to play the ukulele from me and sometimes each other.

When the 8 weeks are over students who met their goal get to take home their Uke. Those who did not meet their goals meet with me individually until the goal is met.

In the group, we saw a student's attendance rise from 50% to 75% and they didn't miss a class for months after the group was over. We saw 2 different students with very high anxiety find something positive and something that helped them stay calm. We also saw a student who had low grades turn it around and they were able to pass all of their classes.