Support Your School Counselor

Once upon a time, schools just had to teach students a set amount of information. After schools grew from the "one room schoolhouse" into multi-room buildings, the principal was simply the lead teacher that helped oversee the building. Still the focus was just on teaching that set of information. Today schools operate as so much more. Between feeding the hungry, athletic programs, college preparation, social and emotional wellness and so many other things, schools have become community centers designed to meet all of the needs children arrive with. Today, teaching content is just a part of what we do.

The people on the front lines of those "other things" that we do are the school counselors. While we often recognize that teachers have to wear many different hats in their job, it is the counselor's responsibility and sole purpose to wear all of those hats at once. I am always amazed at how quickly a counselor can transition between counseling a student with depression and thoughts of suicide one minute to finding scholarship avenues for top students the next. Literally every person that walks through their door needs something different from them.

In honor of National School Counselor's Week, please join me in saying thank you to our counselors and their support staff for the many things that they do for us and our students. Our school would be a very different place without them.