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.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Post 2 - Dwayne Maynard
I believe one of the most rewarding aspects of a guidance counselor's job is seeing lives positively change their course because of their direct involvement with the students. I would imagine day to day they have students that do not listen to a word they say, but I would imagine that when they truly connect with a student, it makes it feel like all those times they were ignored were not in vain. I believe the most challenging parts of the job are teen pregnancy and dropout rates. It is very difficult to change the mind sets of students who encounter these issues. Most of the time, they come from broken families and are seeking attention, positive or negative. At the high school level, these negative attitudes have hardened over so many years that it makes the guidance counselors' jobs much more difficult. A case in point: Two counties that are nearby have daycare services available inside on the high school premises in order to accomodate high school mothers. It is used as a strategy to keep these mothers in school and to lower the county's drop out rates. I believe there are positive and negative aspects to being a guidance counselor. Their job definitely isn't easy.
Dwayne,
ReplyDeleteI think I am probably a little naive but I had no idea that our high schools had such a large population of pregnant girls until I became a teacher. It must be very challenging to our guidance counselors to speak to these young ladies and then realize that they are going to do what they want anyway.
I have a young lady that was doing well (at least in my class) and I felt had a wonderful future ahead of her. She started seeing a young man that was older than her and even though the guidance counselors tried to talk to her, she has still ended up pregnant. Now she is missing a lot of school because she is sick and tired. I feel that sometimes the counselors must go home wondering what is the point. Deep down, I hope that they will still be able to help this young lady by directing her down a different but still successful path.
That is why they are so great. If the first solution does not work, then they just try again until something does work. The rewards may be hard work but they are well worth it.
I would imagine that if the horse does not drink, then the satisfaction comes from taking the horse to the river. If kids do not listen then counselors are certainly not to blame. Why do we tend to think that every solution MUST come from the school? Perhaps more should be said about the role of the parents, especially in instances such as these.
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