Post 13

Before I begin my reflection on this weeks reading, I just wanted to give a quick shout out to the evidenced-based program presentations. To be honest, I never heard of any of the programs until it was presented to me. I was glad to receive this information because now I can use them if needed. For example, I even sent a quick email to my school counselor regarding the Ophelia Project resources. I thought she could use this site to work with some of our 5th grade girls. Anyways, thanks for adding more tools to my tool box. Also, I wanted to say thanks to many of you in our class who ask what it is like from a teacher’s perspective (many of you say, “I don’t know what it is like, what do you think Ami and Wayne”. I am definitely not an all knowing being, but I respect your respect for what Ami and I do. In addition, I wanted to apologize to anyone who feels that I am being biased towards being a teacher prior to becoming a counselor. I truly do not believe that I am any better than any of you, and I am not saying that because I am a teacher, I will be a better counselor. I chose to be a teacher because I wanted to know what it felt like to be a teacher to help when I do become a counselor. My experience in the school system has been beneficial, but like Dr. Baker said, each school is different, and I will have to adjust and adapt to that setting. We have all been given the same instruction, resources, and skills to ensure that we will be great school counselors. Ok, enough with that. The article for this week (Dahir, Burnham, and Stone 2009) took a look at school counselors in the state of Alabama. The research analyzed school counselor’s beliefs, attitudes, and priorities in their readiness to implement key components of a school counseling program (Dahir, Burnham, and Stone 2009). Although the ASCA National Model promotes an equal spread among the personal/social, academic, and career in all school counseling programs, the program focus on school counselors did vary across grade levels. Depending on what level you are focusing on, I can see how it would be difficult to ensure that you are placing the same emphasis on one standard compared to another. For instance, in the elementary years, children need to be taught how to deal with personal and social issues. These years set the building blocks for their behavior and interaction with others. The focus on personal and social skills is needed in order to be successful in middle school, high school, and for the rest of their life. I am not saying that academic and career standards are less important at this level. I am saying that it would be difficult to place an even amount of emphasis on all three standards in a program at this level. Likewise, in high school, students are more independent and have established social skills. They may participate in clubs, sports, and after school activities which further build these skills. The focus now is turned to the career aspect of the program. After all, that is the next step for their lives. Once again, this doesn’t mean that academic and personal/social standards are ignored. I can see why the researchers are calling for more professional development opportunities for all counselors to help them implement the ASCA National Model the correct way throughout all grade levels. It is easy for school counselors to become sucked into traditional methods of counseling. There is a need for a paradigm shift (ASCA National Model), and it is in motion. School counselors would benefit from more opportunities to learn how to implement this model effectively whether they are elementary, middle, or high school counselors. Dahir, C. A., Burnham, J. J., & Stone, C. (2009). Listen to the voices: School counselors and comprehensive school counseling programs. Professional School Counseling, 12(3), 182-192. doi:10.5330/PSC.n.2010-12.182.