During the first week of February, schools and organizations across the country celebrate National school counselor week. The ASCA organization sponsors this week as a way to highlight all the accomplishments that Counselors do to help students find a career path.
3 things your school can do during school counselor week:
- Students can create posters with positive messages for their counselors and hang them around campus.
- Students can decorate special parking spaces for each counselor. Counselors can be greeted at school with coffee and donuts.
- Your school can host a school assembly where the motivational speaker can address the most pressing issues that the counselors have to deal with. Issues like bullying prevention, drug prevention and drop-out prevention.
Ever wonder what Guidance Counselors do?
Students have Counselors available to them from Kindergarten all the way through college. Students have a touch point with a counselor at some point due to behavioral issues or because they need guidance. It’s rare for a student to go all the way through grader school and college without sitting down and speaking with a Counselor.
For example, in grade school, you have the usual emotional and social problems that Counselors address. Yes, School Counselors give academic advice but they have to deal with the whole student. It’s not unusual for Counselors to help with relationship issues, such as a breakup. They also help with emotional issues such as a student’s relationship with their parents. If the child is having problems at home, it’s likely they will have a hard time focusing on academics at school. In those cases, a guidance counselor is the perfect person to help a student move forward.
As students reach high school-age, Counselors help them fulfill their goals. Since high school students start to think about college, counselors help students apply for the colleges of their choice. They help students apply for financial aid and walk alongside parents so every application is submitted on time.
In addition to providing professional development trainings for teachers, schools should allow outside help with building a positive school culture. Ultimately, school counselors provide a healthy learning environment for all their students. They help them overcome weaknesses and nurture their strengths. Counselors are to be celebrated longer than a week for all that they do, but for now, we have National School Counselor Week every February.
