I believe that the "Ultimate" reward for any guidance counselor would be to see a student succeed in life after having "counseled" and worked with that student to help guide him/her on a better path. Helping to guide students on the right track can also be a challenge. I think the most challenging aspects that counselors face are "jealous and insecure parents" that may feel that the counselor is trying to take their place, and their child away from them. Counselors also have to deal with parents who have unrealistic expectations of them to fix a problem that "the Parent" should have fixed years ago. Counselors also have to relate to and connect on a certain level with students who are several years younger, have different values and different interest than their own. The counselor also has rules to abide by to ensure they do their jobs in a professional manner. If there are ethical concerns, they have to be very careful not to cross the line and making themselves vulnerable. Human nature and the need to want to help someone can cause the counselor to become too emotionally involved with the student and that can lead to trouble. In short, the counselor has a multitude of challenges that he/she may face, how he/she handles these challenges is whats important.
This site is a class blog space for new Career and Technical Specializations and Heathcare Science teachers enrolled in the New Teacher Institute (NTI) at Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia.
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2. Show respect and consideration of others when posting and commenting. This includes individuals, students, organizations, political parties, colleagues, etc.
3. Check all posts for spelling and grammar errors before posting.
4. Protect the privacy of others. Gain permission from other people before you write about them. Avoid sharing someone else's last name. Use job titles or pseudonyms when writing about experiences with your co-workers or students.
5. Watch your language. Use politically correct and non-offensive language.
6. Make sure you write about things that are factual.
7. Keep your postings education-oriented. Avoid discussing plans for the weekend, etc.
FINAL BLOG POST - OUR "DAILY TRIPLE" (DUE 12/1).
This week I would like you to use your imagination. You have just won the lottery and will leave your teaching post immediately to travel around the world. As you leave your keys you meet your replacement. You are asked to give this new teacher just ONE piece of advice. What would that be, and why? Enjoy your world expedition!
Blog Post - Week 7
This past week in my own teaching I felt a little disconnected which prompts my question to you, "What was the moment (or moments) when I felt most disconnected or disengaged as a teacher - the moment(s) I said to myself, I'm just going through the motions here?"
Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 6
For the past couple of weeks you have experienced asynchronous online learning (doing modules by yourself). Previously this semester you have experienced synchronous online learning (all together in the Collaborate room). Which do you think is more effective and why do you think that? Which do you like better, and why?
Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 5
This week we have what we call "open mic." You can write a post about anything related to your teaching that you would like responses from your classmates.
Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 4
Here is this week's question: "What was the event that most took me surprise this week - and event that shook me up, caught me off guard, gave me a jolt, or made me unexpectedly happy?"
Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 3
Please write a post about the following question, "In thinking about my past week teaching what is one thing I would do differently, and why?"
Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 2
Please write a post about the following question, " In thinking about my teaching activities this past week, of what do I feel most proud? Why?"
Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 1
Describe something you used in your program in the first weeks of school that you learned in the summer NTI program. How did it work? Did it get you off to a stronger start than last year?
1 comment:
Hello Leonard,
Can I credit your line of work in the comments you shared? Looking at your response deals with the meat of the challenges counselors face. I barely scratched the surface in my observation! The emotional involvement can be consuming and lead to poor judgement if one is not careful. The practicum counselors have to go through provides important experience (when talking about learning how to handle challenges). I think you develop professionalism when you can see an experienced counselor at work. I didn't think about parents thinking that counselors are intruding. You are so right. It would do parents good to take some counseling classes aside from parenting their newborn or toddler. In some ways I think counselors do have upper hand knowledge in regard to students in general. However, parents know the tendencies of the child better. Sometimes they behave differently depending on where they are. If the parent and counselor can get on the same page, the student has the best chance at success because there is little room for failure...in which, that small piece would be free will. The hope is that all the intervention leads to the right choices by the student.
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