Perceived Roles

In my limited work with guidance counselors (I am only in my second year of teaching) I can honestly say that even if I do not see our guidance counselors every day, I know they are working hard and doing a lot of things behind the scenes that many people may not recognize. At our school we have a guidance counselor assigned to each grade level: freshmen, sophomores, juniors, seniors. Obviously the senior counselors are working with students to apply to college, complete the graduation tests and make sure their EOCT’s and other scores are finalized. The junior counselor works with students to register for, study for, and take the SAT and ACT and also begin to look for scholarship opportunities for college. The sophomore counselor focuses on PSAT and getting the students on the right track for pathway completion and taking all the necessary credits. The freshman counselor works with introducing students to high school life, and explaining what they can expect for the next four years. I know that there are various others tasks that are taken care of including: college and career fairs, DFACS reports, transfers and drop outs, grades and credits, and communicating with parents about special requests.