Survey of a School Counselor and Reflection
Lamar University
As I read my first assignment for new students in the School Counseling Program, my reasoning to be a school counselor was simple; to help others. I noted that I wanted to help others in two manners. One, I wanted to help students toward an achievable goal, including graduation. Two, I wanted to help with discipline. This included helping teachers with classroom management as well as helping students to understand the reasoning behind rules and procedures. Because I am so comfortable and familiar with the high school age group, I gave the school counseling survey to three individuals in three different levels of education: elementary, intermediate, and junior high. All three levels thought parent conferencing, individual counseling, group counseling and helping at risk children were the most important aspects in counseling. The elementary counselor reached out to students the most often. Since she teaches students once a week, she probably sees the students in the entire school more often than the counselors at the upper levels. The intermediate and junior high school counselors noted they spent much of their time with scheduling, testing, and helping at-risk students. Helping teachers with classroom management could be done in several ways. Counselors could provide support to new teachers or have professional development classes for the staff during in-service days or after school. The elementary counselor dealt highly with new teachers as well as with discipline while the intermediate and junior high counselors seldom dealt with them (new teachers and discipline). Classroom management helps when teachers know and practice proactive discipline methods. From the students’ part, it helps when they understand why they should act in an appropriate way. They also need to