The first chapter of the book got
me excited to start really delving in to the profession of a School Counselor.
I have enjoyed learning about theories and history, but I am a big fan of
applying coursework to the “real world” to give us a greater understanding of
what it is we will actually be doing. That being said, a concern that I have is
that the book paints a picture of what a School Counselor should be doing
according to the ASCA model as something that I truly believe is not what School
Counselors are actually doing day to
day. I work with these professionals on a daily basis, and I know that they are
being asked to do things that fall far outside the guidelines put forward by
ASCA. In the role description on p. 14
in the text I did not see “date stamping” listed. The example I gave in class
of a School Counselor date stamping PSSA folders is something my stepmother (a
high school counselor) does every year. Her department is also responsible for
organizing and proctoring these exams as well as coordinating retests for
students. I am actually not against School Counselors performing these types of
tasks. I firmly believe that first and foremost we will be employees of the
school district, meaning our primary responsibility will be to make sure that
things that need to be done each year (i.e. date stamping PSSA folders) are
done. Working at a college, sometimes I have to do things that are “outside of
my job description”, but if it is for the good of the order it is something
that I do with no questions asked.
Like Julia, I was also very
intrigued to see the section about whether or not former teachers make better
School Counselors. This is something that I run into at my current job when we
are working on hiring a new employee. Usually the posting is open either
internally, externally, or both and there are varying philosophies as to if
HACC experience will help or hurt the person applying for a new position.
Sometimes it is best to come into a new position with a brand new perspective
and a fresh attitude. Other times it will benefit the students if the person
has a working knowledge of school district policies and has already built a
rapport with students and faculty. This would have to be judged on a case by
case basis, and obviously the book’s example did not paint teachers in the best
light to be great School Counselors.
Lastly, I think the most
beneficial skill for a School Counselor to have has to be courage. School
Counselors are often separated from the rest of the teaching staff both
physically and even philosophically as they might have to challenge a teacher
to advocate on behalf of the student. Keeping the student’s interests at the
forefront of their thoughts is something that takes courage when you are up
against others who might disagree. “Having courage in the face of these
challenges comes from knowing that counselors make a difference, and that,
while the larger pattern of meaning might not be immediately visible, all
things do happen for a reason” (Dollarhide & Saginak, 2012, p. 5).
Dollarhide, C.T., & Saginak,
K.A. (2012). Comprehensive school counseling programs (2nd Ed.). New York:
Pearson, Inc.
Nakia,
ReplyDeleteYou make some great points! It feels really good get some real-world practice in our field while still being able to get feedback from each other and our professors. So much can be lost in translation from textbook to classroom and this makes me nervous. You go on to say that counselors are finding themselves working outside of the ASCA model and also taking on more work then the job description states. The way I see it, on one side we need to follow the ASCA model for ethical and legal reasons and we need to be ready to educate our administrators and co-workers of the significance of following these guidelines. However, we are also in a helping profession and in my experience when you are in a helping profession you tend to take on more work because of the overall mission or goal. Also, when dealing with people you have to be ready for unpredictable issues to arise. I don't think you should over-step boundaries and I think we will need to be assertive when drawing boundaries. I really like what former principal of Sinking Springs asked all the staff when deciding how to handle a situation, "what is best for kids?". So simple it's perfect.