I am here for you, and consider myself blessed to get to serve as your Professional School Counselor once again.

Email: irelandb@lisd.net
Location: B14
Phone: 972-350-8652

This is year 14 for me in education. I received my undergraduate degree from Texas A&M University at College Station, and I am the proudest member of the Fightin' Texas Aggie Class of 2011! I began my education career in the Fall following my graduation, and I spent seven years (five in LISD) teaching middle school English Language Arts / Reading. After earning my Masters in Counseling from University of North Texas in December of 2017, I became a counselor in the eating disorder field. I loved every moment of my brief experience in the ED world; however, I am an educator at heart, and Hebron Valley quickly became my new home! I am a huge lover of my friends and family, my church, my dog, The Golden Girls, running, and reading.

If you'd like for your child to meet with me, please complete the form. Students have access to this same form in their classrooms and are able to self - refer at any time using their I-Pads.

Spring is a great time to create new habits and processes as our kids continue to grow! With the school year coming to a close in a little over 9 weeks, now is the time to allow for developmentally appropriate independence. Some ideas to help foster this type of growth in your child(ren) might be:

* Allowing them to pick out their own outfit (with your pre approval of their clothes, of course).

*Making them pack their own backpacks for school each day.

*Giving them a spot to put their folders, and making it their responsibility to put them in that spot.

*Letting them choose what they eat with guidelines (Ex: They need a serving of vegetables, but they get to choose between 2 or 3 that you're ok with them eating).

*Encouraging them to speak for themselves whenever possible, like ordering their own food or asking a teacher about something versus you emailing that teacher.

1. CHECK your child’s work & have them correct those that are wrong. Instant feedback is critical in mastering skills.

2. Talk with your child's teacher. They are there to help. That means go to parent nights, school activity nights, conferences, they have lots of suggestions, so go see them!

3. Use homework as quality time with your kiddos. Ask them if they want to go over their spelling list or read with them.

4. Schedule a set time for homework to be done every day. Routines work for kids, if homework is done at the same time, in the same place, every day, kids know the expectation.

5. Let your kiddos do their own work. Homework is practice, mistakes happen and that’s ok. Just see #1 after they're done.

6. Don’t make excuses for incomplete or sloppy work. Allow your kiddo to learn the consequences of his or her actions-it’s a learning experience that they’ll be thankful for in the long run.

Every LISD student is able to receive 6 free counseling sessions through the CHOICES program. If you're interested in learning more about this resource, check out the webpage. Act soon; sessions fill up fast!