I have
probably said this about other components. In fact, I’m not too sure if I have
said it, but I’d wager I probably have. But, this is one of the biggest facets
of counselor’s job that I look forward to the most. I think that delivering the
curriculum to students and teachers is probably the “meat and potatoes” of a
comprehensive guidance and counseling program. I believe that it is the
component that makes the most difference and influences all other aspects of
the program most.
While I have
always wanted to be a school counselor I think in-class facilitation is what
made me finally get the fortitude to submit my application to come to
Millersville. As I was running a group for S.T.A.P. two Summers ago we were
instructed to deliver curriculum on Self-Esteem, Social Skills, Mindfulness,
Flexibility, and other positive facets of character over a 5 week session.
Every year at S.T.A.P. my fellow TSS Workers always felt that the curriculum
and the way it was supposed to be delivered were always boring and often times
they’d resort to “cheap” tactics to get through the sessions. They’d talk about
whatever they wanted to rather than deliver the message/lesson because it was “boring”.
Unlike some other staff, I was able to adapt and deliver the curriculum in a
variety of ways. I was supposed to deliver a lesson on “Flexible Thinking” but
the lesson plan/materials sucked. My students were bored and so I had to adapt
it. I framed the entire lesson plan through a game of “Super Mario Brothers”. I
had a “Mario Mushroom” and some Play-Doh in my bag so I used that to deliver
the lesson. I showed how the mushroom was inflexible and would only let me play
“Super Mario” in one way. Meawhile the Play-Doh was flexible and I made about
10 Mario characters and played in a variety ways. I showed them how being rigid
and inflexible limits your options. They all grasped the lesson and I was told
my group was the only one for the day who understood it. After that it hit me
and made me realize just how much I NEEDED to be a counselor to deliver
curriculum like that and do it creatively.
I think my
creativity, general demeanor, and willingness to work with others will serve me
great in delivering curriculum to students. I have numerous ideas that I have
concocted, or have seen other counselors use. Moreover, I look forward to
working alongside teachers to creatively implement curriculum because I think
that opens the doors for consultation and collaboration when they see the
students enjoy what you’re doing and what they’re doing if they get involved.
I also
enjoyed the Middle School article. Until the year before I joined this program
I wanted to be a High School counselor. But since 2011 I’ve wanted to be an
Elementary School counselor. Lost in all of that I’ve forgotten about that
middle ground of Middle School. I mean in my cohort I usually just here Primary
or Secondary. Other than Megan, Abby and Amanda I don’t really hear too many
people talk about Middle. However, the article made me realize how much I’d
enjoy Middle School because it combines the pros for Primary and Seconday while
minimizing the cons. Moreover, I think the direct curriculum aspect – although the
article said they’d be lesser – could be incredibly interesting as I can
deliver to more than the Personal/Social domain but to the Career and Academic
domains for in-class facilitations! I love that I am learning something new
every week or rehashing old feelings I might have forgotten about.
Dollarhide, C.T., & Saginak, K.A. (2012). Comprehensive
school counseling programs (2nd
Ed.). New York:
Pearson, Inc.
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