School counselors provide the support system that is integral to running a school. Guidance counselors provide academic, social, and emotional support for students and staff alike, all while balancing up to 500 students at a time. The job requires both time management skills and the ability to listen with an open mind, two aspects that are vital to a child’s development.
A Counselor’s Role
School guidance counselors are utilized by students to schedule their classes and to receive emotional support, two aspects of counseling that allow for stability in a student’s home and school life. With hundreds of students at a time counselors also work to foster a positive educational environment overall.
“School counselors are often the first line of defense for students. If there is a student in crisis, it is our job to address that crisis,” school counselor Mrs. Rodgers said.
School counselors work towards one common goal: the prosperity of each and every child. Guidance counselors provide a world in which students are not only able to advocate for themselves, but also where they are also capable of having someone to back them up.
“I like being able to do what’s best for kids,” school counselor Mr. Sterley said. “ I love advocating for kids and helping them to meet their full potential. Being a counselor is being their advocate and that’s my favorite part– when we make decisions that have a positive impact on a kid and we get to see them really grow and change for the better throughout their years here.”
Being a school counselor overall means working through any problems a child may have in order to allow them to prosper later on in life. School counselors allow students to reach success both in and out of an academic environment.
“This job is constantly changing because of the state. Keeping track of all the diploma changes, courses changes and graduation pathway changes is a challenge,” Mrs. Rodgers said.
Alongside working for a student to reach an emotional state of stability, counselors also ensure that their hundreds of cases are well within the state a
nd school graduation requirements. Counselors must always think on their feet when faced with constantly shifting mandates.
Overall, counselors face a near-impossible daily task of making sure that each and every student is emotionally and academically responsible, stable, and successful.
Effect on Teachers
Guidance counselors work hand-in-hand with teachers to ensure success for each student. Counselors and teachers must work as a team in order to allow for each student to be placed in classes where they will be challenged, but not overly stressed. Counselors and teachers also work together to ensure that teachers are aware of students’ needs as they navigate their futures.
“Collaboration between counselors and teachers helps create a supportive, secure, and effective learning environment for all students,” teacher Mrs. Lux said. “We all share a common goal of supporting the overall wellbeing of our students.”
Teachers and guidance counselors must work as a team in order to allow for the proper education and a positive existence for each and every student. Counselors allow for teachers to better understand the students in their class, and overall foster a more efficient and comfortable learning environment for students.
“They deal with the stuff that a lot of people don’t know about” teacher Mr. Elston said. “They provide students with someone they feel as though they can trust.”
Guidance counselors are often overlooked for the nitty-gritty details they must take care of. Guidance counselors work to provide students a safe place to talk in order for them to gain focus in an educational setting. The support system that guidance counselors provide emotionally allows for students to reach their goals academically.
“When I have a situation that comes up with a student, the guidance counselors have always been extremely positive when it comes to trying to fix and find the right solution to solve the problem for any of my students,” teacher Mr. Peretin said.
Guidance counselors are able to think fast in order to solve any emergent problems for students. This quick problem-solving allows for students to feel safe and supported in their own life and also creates fast solutions so that teachers are able to focus on the educational aspect of academic life.
Effect on Students
“My counselor has been really helpful to me when picking out my classes,” junior Sophia Rubio said. “My counselor has really helped me navigate through my course loads. I also think it’s been really helpful just going to talk to him throughout the year so that he can help me figure out ways to decompress.”
Students take note of the important ways in which their counselors have helped them in the past. Students are nothing less than appreciative of the work their counselors do each and every day in order to allow them to be successful both in and out of the classroom. The work guidance counselors do in order to allow students to reach a place mentally where they are able to absorb all the positive opportunities of CPHS makes a huge difference in a students day-to-day life.
“A lot of students may not know what they want to do in the future, and guidance counselors really help them figure it out,” freshman Aahana Parulekar said.
Guidance counselors are integral in the process of guiding students towards a bright future. Guidance counselors must get to know hundreds of students each year in order to truly understand the ins-and-outs of a child’s brain.
“I appreciate that my counselor is always there for me and that she’s always keeping me on track to reach my goals for my career choice,” junior Evelia Morales said.
Not only do counselors help with social-emotional situations, but they also work to ensure students are on the right path forward in order to reach their goals professionally.
Guidance counselors work tirelessly to allow students to achieve great success in their futures. Guidance counselors are an integral building block for the foundation of a functional emotional and academic support system for kids.
