Reflection #6

OK, since this is a blog, let me voice my displeasure. This is round 2 for this post. After about an hour or two, I went to post my final product and received an error message and then lost all of my work. So, now I am frustrated, so this might be a little shorter than my other post. The big thing about the first part of the blog was the fact that counselors do a lot. I am pretty sure that I have discussed that premise before in the discussion boards, but the more and more I read, I realize that they are the work horses of the school. The text from this week discusses 8 major responsibilities of a certified counselor. These responsibilities are broken down and classified in domains. Most of the domains are focused around the students. In fact, 6 of the 8 domains (Program Management, Guidance, Counseling, Consultation, Coordination, and Student Assessment)are geared to providing the students with the best possible resources, environment, and guidance to assist the students in reaching their maximum potential. The other two domains deal with the counselors improving their competence and the cohesiveness of the school's faculty. The counselors really work with everyone. Sometimes they work with the students one-on-one. Sometimes they will work with parents and the community in order to improve the student experience. Sometimes they work directly with various staff members. It really is eye opening considering that what the media shows counselors doing all the time is only one part of one domain (Counseling Domain).
As a school administrator (this is going to sound chessy and over eager) I would love to have my hand in the entire process. Obviously, it would depend on my position as to how much I would actually be involved, but as a principal I would really want to put a lot into the creation or alteration of a program. I will tell you that my least favorite part of the process would be the organization part. I am sure as a principal, this would be one of the most important, especially when creating a site based committee. The parts I would love the most would be the planning and designing part. I have always been a good ideas guy, the only bad part of planning would be the research required to create a program. I am not a fan of research, but I really love learning about as much as I can. Once I have the adequate knowledge, I really love putting programs together. It's kind of like being the House of education. Then you would think that because I like to design programs then I would like to implement them, but I really could care less about the implementation part. It is kind of like chasing a girl and then being disappointed. Sometimes the hunt is better than the catch! I would like the evaluation part of the process, because it would give me a chance to compare the new versus the old and allow me to tweak if necessary. All of this being said,I would, as a principal, take and extremely active role in these processes. I think that this not only sends a good message to the department, but also strengthens the program.
Finally, my analysis of the department would be a rating of a moderate level. I say this again,like discussed in a previous discussion board, the struggle for our counselors is the fact that they are one short. They have created an implemented some good programs. The problem is that they are lacking some support and the community doesn't rally enough! To be honest with you, I don't know if the program meets standards or not, I would only be assuming when I say that I am sure that they do. However, the students do not seem to be improving in the high priority areas this year, in fact they are actually taking a step backward. I think that the biggest problem is that they have a lack of support! They need more support from the administration. I will continue to help them, but I am limited on what I can do! I will say this though, they are great when it comes to Responsive services! They are truly passionate about their jobs and they truly care about these kids. After these units on counselors, I definitely do not envy them. I have no desire to serve as a counselor!