<p>Thank you Sybbie. Today I referred a student to the Juvenile Dept for family support services - a pre-criminal program, met with two sets of parents about behavior issues at home, did a suicide screening on a student, ran 4 student groups (one on passing state reading test, one for ASD students on reading body language, one divorce group, and one social skills), and taught three half-hour classroom lessons on "honesty". Before school there was also a meeting and after school another meeting with parents about TAG.
And I work in an elementary school with a counselor caseload of a little over 300.
The GC's care.</p>
<p>In Texas, as in many other states, the counseling certification is a stepping stone into administration. Xiggi is right on that count.... the best <em>college</em> counselors are found in private schools - because they don't have to deal with most of what orjr just listed. And that was for the little kids - imagine at the high school... It's not that they are better to start with, they just get to devote their time and professional development to college issues more than in a public school. Too bad for the huge majority of kids who's parents couldn't begin to afford and furthermore have never even heard of St Mark's or Hockaday.
I think the biggest thing we can do is try to "pay it forward" in our own community and educate parents.</p>
<p>Our school district has guidance counselors, social workers, school psychologists, a gifted and talented coordinator and supportive resource teachers. Never met any of the social workers, dealt with elementary SRT's, tested for ADD/IQ (not/high) by psych, was on the GT parents committee and loved the GCs, the middle school one who selected the best teachers for son (shh- don't let the masses know) and the HS one who dealt with all those schedule problems and everything else. Even with all those positions there is still a lot for the GC to do- remember that not all students are college bound and students can change their post HS plans so the GC has to be ready for all scenarios with all students.</p>
<p>Orjr, I totally appreciate the volume of work you do, If you were a HS GC and had the kind of day you had, if a student had needed even 5 minutes of your time to ask about SATs or course selection, I daresay you would not have had that 5 minutes to give them. There need to be more of you, and they need to have specialized areas of expertise.</p>
<p>You're right, missypie. And that's why I VOLUNTEER at my local HS to help kids with their schedules, college search, scholarship search, FAFSA, SAT stuff, etc. The program that works one on one with students to help them with all things college planning is staffed by volunteers (!)</p>
<p>How did that program start? Is it PTA sponsored? I've heard of some schools that have turned down parental help in that area. (Of course, you're a trained professional, so they wouldn't have concerns about you.)</p>
<p>This is a very well-run program through our state scholarship assistance commission. It is called ASPIRE. I don't know if you have to be low income school to qualify or low % of grads going on to college, or what, but our school got a grant to start the program two years ago. The first year we had a full-time director who was a VISTA volunteer, and the rest of us were parent volunteers. There is very specific training every one goes through. This year our "paid" director is down to half-time, and we are supposed to be completely parent run by the end of next year. We work one-on-one with students on their after graduation planning - including schedules, SAT / ACT, college search, scholarship search, FAFSA, Profile, etc. Some students (younger ones) we only meet with once per month, many students we meet with weekly. It's a great program and it is helping many many students, but it sure seems like a disconnect between us and the counselors in the building! I think the confidentiality thing is dealt with through a parent permission form for all students under 18 to have an ASPIRE "mentor".
When I ask my high school about having a dedicatd "college" counselor their response is that it would take too much time for one person to do the job and they can't afford to dedicate two people to the job. Our high school GC's here spend most of their time with the students who they are trying to keep IN school (as opposed to jail, suspension, or drop-out), special education concerns, and other NCLB type duties. The college bound students are a minority and we parents need to be pretty proactive. That said, I do think our school is trying and improving. They are willing to try new things!</p>
<p>Oh, I just wanted to say something to all the volunteers who find the time to help high schoolers with the college applications ... thank you!</p>
<p>Even though the GC's in our kids' two high schools didn't help us with unusual college search research, they were invaluable in two other specific ways. For the older two, moving into a very tough, insular small rural community, their HS GC was the one who interpreted the community mores to my kids so they were able to find a niche. The handful of honors kids all knew each other inside-out since grade school and weren't particularly welcoming. The rest of the kids had significant issues with poverty, legal problems, and other deprivations. So I didn't mind when the GC said phrases such as, "He should have went.." because he helped my kids understand their new social environment and not make serious mistakes as incoming high school students. The male GC grew up there and knew all the families, inside-and-out. His perspective was invaluable to my kids, and sometimes to me when the town confused me.</p>
<p>The GC at my youngest son's school, in an upscale suburb, helped him figure out how to graduate in 3 years, not 4. They ganged up on me and presented it as a fait accompli. I could kiss her but I know I shouldn't do that. I did laud her to her principal.</p>
<p>We did our own college research, though, as per CC.</p>
<p>You should try to get a job in a admissions office, work your way up there, and then become a GC at a private school. No special degree or certification required. In fact, it's a pretty simple career path (as opposed to an easy one.) You get paid more at a private school and are able to do a better job (you have to focus on 100 kids, not 700.)</p>