"Perceived Roles"

Present day Guidance Counselors have many more job duties and responsibilities than they used to have. Today they are responsible for meeting with each student on their case-load (at least once per year) to make sure that they are in the correct classes. They also are responsible for ensuring that their students pass the Georgia High School Graduation Tests, and if that student happens to be a special needs student, they must attend each IEP meeting (Individualized Educational Plan). They have the duty of facilitating all parent conferences, advising students about college options, including financial aid choices, and dealing with high school drama (not always student-related). It honestly seems like when I was in high school all my guidance counselor did was meet with students one time per year to talk about classes that may interest them. After that one meeting, if you saw a student coming from the counseling department you knew that they had some type of issue in their life. Guidance Counseling is not a job that I would excel in. My school downsized last year so we lost two counselors, so the remaining counselors’ caseloads unfairly increased. In conclusion, Guidance Counselors are a great asset to our school system and have many important responsibilities.