She has been a school counselor for 15 years. Before becoming a school counselor, she was a social worker who had grown tired of the social work field, but wanted to remain connected to the field somehow. Mrs. Dickson made the decision to return to college to obtain her MA in counseling, which is the minimum requirement for her school. She works alongside two other high school counselors, and she shares an office suite with an assistant principal. Mrs. Dickson believes the counselor-student ratio for her school is 250:1.
1) Discuss strengths in the profession and on-line program. I believe that my background as school teacher has allowed me to develop certain strengths that will benefit me as I enter the school counseling profession. Firstly, my communication style is versitile and enables me to appropriately instruct students, collaborate effectively with teachers, connect with parents, and rally support from administrators and stakeholders. Secondly, I am able to bring a creative, motivating, and caring spirit to the school environment, that fosters collaborative efforts among teachers, administrators, students, and parents to achieve the common goal of promoting the success of all students. Lastly, my experience working with underserved and underrepresented students in a Title I school has heightened the role as an advocate for students.
I became a school counselor simply because I wanted to live a life of meaning and be a force for good in the world. Throughout life, having real and honest conversations that support growth, positive change, and owning responsibility are critical to self-actualization. I want to empower my students to give their best effort in all areas of life, not just their education. I believe that simple encouragement in this type of environment is the key to positive change, and I wanted to dedicate my professional life to reflect that belief. I whole-heartly believe in the holistic approached to a balanced and fulfilling life and being a school counselor is a unique career that fulfills this value.
As an aspiring counselor, I have learned not to force students to share more than what the student feels comfortable sharing. Additionally, I work mostly with first generation freshman college students who are experiencing a transition period. Therefore, it is a transition period where students are embarking on a developmental journey as they began college. For example, I have used Chickering’s theory and vectors (1969) as a guideline to addressing student’s needs. It allows me to conceptualize the student’s situation and assist them in their development.
Hello Ashli, I enjoyed reading your post about your hypothetical school. Our schools sound similar in that they are both very diverse. Your school counseling mission statement is very thorough and provides for the overall success of the students in the key areas of academic, career, and social-emotional development. The American School Counselor Association (2014) mindsets and behaviors standards, task school counselors with making sure that the comprehensive school counseling program helps students to be able to accomplish those mindsets and behaviors within the areas of academic, career, and social-emotional development. How does your school counseling mission statement align with your schools mission statement?
The first person that I interviewed was Brittany who is a school counselor for an elementary and high school. Brittany graduated from Black Hills State in 2010 and continued her education at the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota to receive her Master’s degree in School Counseling. Brittany has been a counselor now for Lyman High School and Elementary for six years now. When I asked Brittany what was the most difficult thing about your job, she responded that trying to manage your time to both elementary students and high school students tends to be difficult.
Growing up, children are always asked what they want to be when they grow up. For most kids, the most common answers include a doctor,a vet, a firefighter and the most funniest, a superhero. For me I started off wanting to be a Pediatrician, but later on as I got older, I loved the idea of hearing people's troubles and problems. I participated in many clubs in school for peer mediation, problem solver, As well as I was in counseling, due to a bullying issue in elementary and middle school. As I got to middle school, I learned that I wanted to be a school counselor, reason being my school counselor(s) helped me throughout my school years.
Positively! having a thorough knowledge and understanding of the standards and professional responsibility for being a good mentor who is committed to the task of helping beginning teachers find success and fulfilment in their new professional field. I understand that persistence is as important in mentoring as it is in classroom teaching. My commitment runs naturally from a firm belief that are capable of making significant positive impact on the life of a new teacher. This belief is of what it means to be a mentor.
Counselors will give attention to their students that they are assigned to. This in turn will allow the counselor to evaluate the student’s performance and communicate with the student if any issues arise. (Jerald, Craig) By having this accountability, the students can realign their focus thus increasing graduation rate. Furthermore, racial and ethnic diversity provides the opportunity to enrich cultural knowledge.
School counselors provide information and support to students of all ages. They also help students make great choices
High school is undeniably stressful, especially so in our program. Not only do our students need to adjust to high school curriculum but college as well. For this reason I’m establishing a peer counselor group. This group of juniors and senior will create a safe space where ECHS students can receive aid under knowledgeable peers. The goal is to improve students’ lives by promoting good mental health practices through positive mentorship.
Counseling was the first attempt to freeing myself from the toxic mental prison. My mother had to drive me every other week to my appointments. She needed to know we were trying our best to make me better, so I was put on medication two pills. The one pill would help with my depression and work as a sleep aid. The second pill would help with my crying spells and flashbacks, PTSD.
As a future school counselor it is important to have an understanding of child and adolescent development. Akos and Galassi identify school counselors as developmental advocates who promote positive student development (2004). There are many reasons counselors should have an understanding of student development, first, a counselor needs to kow how to talk to and counsel students in elementary verse high school. According to Piaget cognitive development theory children in elementary are in a stage called concrete operations, which “children are able to reason logically about situations and events” (Myers, Shoffner, & Briggs, 2002, p. 195). During adolescence a student enters the formal operational stage, in this stage the student is able to think abstractly, test hypotheses, and examine alternate options before making decisions.
I can vividly remember the advice given to me by my high school counselor. I was broken down, whispering to myself that I was not college bound. It was my counselor who made me realize that persistence was a key factor to continuing my education. The wisdom that was shared to me that day was instilled into my mind and was endorsed in my heart. I want to be the person that gives a glimpse of hope to students that need an extra push through education, just like it was given to me.
From a young age, throughout college, as a leader in my church, and as a teacher I have been motivated to help others succeed and realize their goals. I have an intrinsic need to make a difference. I believe that this is a strength that will guide me as a school administrator. During my time as a classroom teacher I have been given opportunities to lead from within the school organization. I have served on campus and district level committees that has given me experience and insight on instruction, student assessment and curriculum.
