Guidance

The guidance department is the classroom teacher’s friend. There is simply no other correct way to view this relationship. Counselors deal with a wide variety of issues within ZMS. The students on their caseload can be struggling academically, emotionally, or both. Many students at ZMS come from broken homes, struggle in their relationships with peers, suffer from depression (which, of course, manifests itself in any number of ways), are on probation, require behavior management consultation, or several of the above. The guidance counselor is the individual who helps students navigate through these turbulent issues so that school work and learning can occur. Without a doubt, it can be maddening to lose a student for a class period because she must visit the guidance counselor. Dealing with make-up work for whatever the reason is an inconvenience that the teacher must deal with, and the request for the student to leave does not always come at the most opportune time. What teachers must realize, however, is that a counselor’s investment of that hour may make a difference in the student attending school at all the next day, or in paying attention while in class. The return on the time spent in the counselor’s office can be impressive, and the results they have realized far outweigh the inconvenience of students leaving the classroom. School counselors are academic counselors, not psychiatrists, yet they must assist the student in dealing with these sensitive issues so that she can cope academically. The classroom teacher may be thinking, “We have a test on Tuesday and I need to get her prepared!” While this is undoubtedly true, the counselor’s perspective is much broader. Her goal is to prepare the student to graduate from high school, even when she’s dealing with a 5th grader. Our counselors experience a child’s growth throughout the entire stay at ZMS. This four-year relationship is a source of strength from which students in most schools do not benefit. At ZMS, the bond between counselor and student is the difference between falling through the cracks and one-day attending college. This relationship also strengthens over time with the students’ parents. Counselors become the first point of contact when parents are aware of a problem, sometimes erroneously. Because of their comfort level with the counselor, parents often call them when they should be calling the teacher. ZMS counselors are adept at redirecting parents to the correct point of contact when that is necessary. If, for example, an eighth grader’s parent calls to share that she believes her child’s social studies teacher assigns too much homework, the counselor will do two things: 1) ask the parent to call the social studies teacher, and 2) tell the social studies teacher that the parent called sharing why the call was made. The second leg of this two-step is where many educators trip up. Of course, the counselor telling the teacher that the parent called is the right thing to do; but to the teacher, it can be intimidating and unnerving – feeling as if the parent has “told on them.” It is natural to feel defensive when this occurs, though there truly is no reason for the teacher to defend herself to the counselor – the counselor’s only purpose was to pass along information to the teacher that the parent has called. Rather than falling prey to the urge to feel defensive, ZMS teachers understand that this is an excellent opportunity to share information with one another about the student and the parents. It is at this point that the counselor can provide insight into how to deal with this particular parent most effectively. Again, the counselor likely has more experience working with the parent and has learned quite a bit, even if by trial and error. This information can be very helpful when the teacher calls the parent. (Notice that I said, “When the teacher calls the parent.” In this scenario, the parent was told to contact the teacher; however, the parent will appreciate the fact that the teacher chose to make the call and they will view this as a caring gesture.) **Child Study, GEI’s, 504, Special Ed Placement:** The guidance counselor’s main purpose is to assist students and teachers when a student is struggling academically. Academic woes can be caused by just about anything – home environment, socialization issues, anxieties, and learning disabilities to name a few. When a teacher begins to see an academic issue (or even a behavioral one that is impacting academic performance) with a student, in addition to the good parent communication that has already been covered, the classroom teacher is wise to involve the counselor. The counselor may already have experience with that particular student or may just be getting to know that student (as a fifth grader). Regardless, she will either have suggestions to work with that particular child, or she will learn along with the teacher and be prepared to help that child’s next teacher. Counselors have an excellent sense when a child requires a GEI, needs to go to child study, requires a behavior plan, or even when she needs to be evaluated for special education placement. There is a procedure to follow for any of these instances, and, again, the counselor can guide the teacher through the process. Good communication between the counselor and the teacher is key, and the beneficiaries are not simply the students, but just as importantly, the teachers. It is not the sign of a weak teacher to ask for help! Excellent teachers are aware of their resources and do not hesitate to use every resource at their disposal to assist a child in need. The guidance department is a resource. Use it! **Behavior Management:** The guidance counselor plays a significant role in students’ behavior management. Of course, the most significant player is the classroom teacher. Despite the teacher’s best efforts, some students’ behaviors will require the teacher to seek alternate means to curb them. After exhausting several strategies within the classroom and using the parent as a partner in this process, a student’s continual misbehavior warrants removal from the class. Normally, prior to a student’s removal, the teacher and the counselor will have already spoken about the behaviors being exhibited in the classroom, so when the student arrives in the office with the teacher’s description of the behavior, the counselor will already have a background of the situation. At this point, the teacher has decided that she needs help handling the student’s behavior. This logical solution should be accompanied with the understanding that it is now in the counselor’s hands. In other words, the outcome of the situation is now up to the counselor. The counselor may choose to conference with the parent, hold the student for an after school detention, suspend, conference with the student, turn the situation over to the assistant principal, or principal. Regardless of the determination, ZMS teachers understand that when they send a student to guidance for behavioral issues, it is now up to the counselor to determine the best course of action. ZMS teachers also understand that punishment is not our goal, better behavior is our goal. It is the counselor’s responsibility to communicate to the teacher the outcome of each of these situations. It is also the counselor’s responsibility to contact the parents of the children who are sent to the office. It must be understood, however, that parents should get two calls in that instance – one from the teacher and one from the counselor. The teacher will again be interested in continued good communication with the parent, and the counselor will be discussing the outcome of the office visit in addition to possible next steps should the behavior continue to occur. Finally, it should also be pointed out that there are situations in which all of these steps are skipped and it goes directly to the office. If a student punches a classmate in the nose, it is not a time to make sure that we have followed all of the steps along the line – that student needs to be removed from the classroom immediately. **Fairness:** ZMS teachers chose their vocation because of their love for children and their interest in being a positive force in those children’s lives. They are protective of all of their students, and they at times feel in a quandary when they feel as if they are treating one student differently than the others. Whether it is an IEP, GEI, 504, or some other modification many good teachers are uneasy providing something for some students and not for others. ZMS teachers understand, however, that fairness is not providing equal things to all students. Fairness at ZMS is providing every student what she needs to learn and succeed.
 * Guidance**