Post 1

In chapter one, Dollarhide and Saginak (2012) laid out a good foundation of the profession of a school counselor. I felt comfortable reading the material presented in the first chapter. As an elementary school teacher, I feel that I am familiar with what a school counselor looks like, does, and acts. At the same time, I know that depending on the school, a school counselor can wear many hats. I did have a few “REALLY!?” moments as I was reading this chapter, and I would like to reflect upon them within my blog. Right at the beginning on page 1 is a case study. I was very surprised to read that this veteran teacher assumed that a school counselor was only good for college/career prep. To be honest, I was actually ashamed to read what she had to say in response to handling a student who may be pondering suicide. Even at the end of the case study she states, “I am tired of worrying about kids and their lives—I want to be able to relax in my last years before retirement” (Dollarhide and Saginak 2012). REALLY!? It is a wonder how she even lasted 25 years as an inner city teacher. Don’t get me wrong, I have been teaching inner city kids for 6 years now. It is very exhausting. All teachers meet the many needs of students within and outside of the classroom, but the experiences of inner city students can be overwhelming and draining at times. I get that she would like a change (hence why I am interested in becoming a school counselor), at the same time, I am shocked that she wouldn't correlate becoming a school counselor to worrying (caring) about kids and their lives. Adding on to this case study, Dollarhide and Saginak (2012) reference a research study basically seeing if teachers make better school counselors. The research indicates that teachers and nonteachers both face challenges in their professional development (Dollarhide and Saginak 2012). REALLY!? I am not saying that I have a leg up compared to an individual coming from graduate school or another profession; however, it is hard for me to believe that a teacher (except for Bobbi) has less difficulty transitioning from a teacher to a school counselor. I am a teacher today because I wanted to gain experience working with children, but more importantly, I wanted to use this background as a way to support a teacher or student when I am a future counselor. Anyone can say I know what you mean without really knowing what you mean you know? This way I can use both my teaching experiences and my counseling education to further support a fellow colleague and/or student. Lasly, I enjoyed reading the philosophies of school counseling that Dollarhide and Saginak listed towards the end of this chapter. I have always been intrigued by where things came from and why. The growth of school counseling over the many years has conformed to meet the needs of students. I believe that it will continue changing as technology becomes more advanced. Topics: Best Elementary Counseling Practices for students in Poverty Stricken Environments (inner city), Strategies to get Parents More Involved, Using Kids as Counselors, and The Future of School Counseling Dollarhide, C.T., & Saginak, K.A. (2012). Comprehensive school counseling programs (2nd Ed.). New York: Pearson, Inc