For my post of choice, I wanted to reflect on the development of my counseling perspective over the last few weeks. It has been interesting to me to analyze my perspective on the role of school counselors from my own role as a teacher. I had a predetermined idea of what school counselors did on a daily basis. My own perspective was created by my own experiences with school counselors as a student, then as a teacher and in my counseling classes at MSU. My own experiences as a student with school counselors was negative. Primarily, I sought out the guidance of the school counselor as a high school student in need of advice and resources to attend college. I found my school counselor very unconcerned and rude when I would try to schedule time in her office. When I decided to pursue counseling, I vowed that I would not treat my students as my counselor had treated me. As a teacher interacting with school counselors, our encounters were usually limited to assessment trainings and analysis or completing recommendations for students applying to colleges or for scholarships. My counseling classes were most focused on the mental health and guidance in social development for students.
I'm not sure that any of these experiences actually prepared me for practicum or participating in the counseling role this semester. It is difficult to schedule time with my site supervisors because their days are often filled with unexpected events that require immediate attention. In my experience, counselors try to dedicate a good deal of their time to direct student guidance, whether individually or in the classroom setting. Unfortunately, counselors get overloaded with many administrative tasks that take away from their direct time with students. And I don't think counselors get many opportunities to connect with students so that they will feel comfortable enough to approach their counselor when an issue arises. I may be wrong, but in my experience so far, many students are much more likely to approach a teacher for advice or guidance than a counselor.
In my own experience, I have witnessed the same thing. Usually, there are between one and two guidance counselors in most high schools. If there is a student body of approximately 1000 students, that leaves one counselor for every 500 students. Those two counselors are usually overwhelmed with administrative, assessment, and other indirect activities that limit their ability to actually spend alot of one-on-one time with students.
ReplyDeleteI had a similar history with counselors in high school. I graduated at the top of my class. My high school guidance counselor NEVER called me into her office to talk about scholarship opportunities. In fact, she never mentioned scholarships period. Our only contact with her was when she sent around a sheet of paper and asked everyone to sign their name the way they wanted it printed on their diploma. I wrote my entire name (first, middle, and last). I was shocked when I sat at graduation and flipped through the program. They had the wrong middle name. When they called me across the stage, they called me by the wrong name. I was sad and my parents were furious. It had to be a simple mistake. The counselor must have accidentally typed the name wrong. I made a trip to school the following day to ask if they could change it and reorder me a new diploma. Who wants a diploma lying around with the wrong name on it? I timidly approached her office and explained what happened. The counselor looked at me and said,"You MUST have signed your name that way. I copied the names word for word. There is nothing I can do to correct it". I walked out of the office crying and an older teacher who overheard the conversation came to my rescue. She called me over and told me that she would have the principal order me a new one and for me not to worry. My only experience with a high school counselor was a negative one.
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