Blog 12

I believe that the vignette is unfortunately very realistic; we are all about to come face to face with this same situation.  I know that a lot of the people in this school counselor program are talking about getting their dual certificate so they can be in any building and be more marketable.  Which is smart for the current economic status we are in.  When we graduate in the spring with are Master’s degrees we will also start being accountable for our student loans, which will most definitely exceed a waitressing job.

I also believe that Kanika knows who and what she is, and if elementary is not for her, she needs to not apply.  The last thing elementary students need is someone who is unable to get on their level, whether by reading nursery rhymes or by using puppets.  Just by her saying that she probably won’t do well when asked about her interactions with younger children in an interview.  As negative as this sounds I believe that it would be best for Kanika to wait for a job with students who are at the age level she works best with.

I am getting my dual certificate for k-12 because I feel that I can work efficiently with any child that gets put in front of me.  I love the innocence of elementary school children, the things they say that you never expect and how they take people as they are.  I enjoy the controversy of middle school and all the drama because I think that your days will be filled with crazy stories and a relatable awkwardness that we all experienced.   High school will be bittersweet because I will be watching these students turn into young adults and helping them in their future endeavors.    I believe that counseling any of these age groups is a privilege and I would love to experience all of them!

            When I first decided to go to school to become a school counselor I wanted to be in the high school because that’s where I thought the most help was needed.  After being in elementary schools for the last four years as a TSS and shadowing in elementary and high schools, my passion is for elementary schools right now.   Per the article from Rayle (2006) it found that elementary school counselors experienced the greatest job satisfaction and the lowest levels of job-related stress, and high school counselors experienced the greatest job dissatisfaction and the greatest levels of job-related stress (Rayle, 2006).  After reading that finding of evidence I clearly picked the best scenario wanting to be an elementary school counselor.

Reference

Dollarhide, C.T., & Saginak, K.A. (2012). Comprehensive school counseling programs (2nd Ed.). New York: Pearson, Inc.

Rayle, A. (2006). Do school counselors matter? Mattering as a moderator between job stress and job satisfaction. Professional School Counseling, 9(3), 206-215.