Promoting student success – building partnership
When it comes to promoting student success, an effective school-
counseling program needs to be part of the school's basic foundation .
I feel strongly about promoting student success. I believe the first thing a school
needs to ensure student success is to establish and maintain a positive, supportive and
respectful school climate - and for this a school counseling department's support would
be essential.
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs shows us that before students can reach their
potential, or even be ready to learn, their physiological, safety and security, and
belonging and love needs must be met. Brain research tells us similarly that the
emotional system, not the rational side of the brain, is responsible for long-term
memory. So students' emotional state affects whether they are able to learn or not.
Best practices tell us to move learning to long-term storage - it needs to make
sense and have meaning for students. However, brain research also shows us that before
students can do this, they need to be in an environment that is not threatening and isn't
generating negative emotion for the learner. All these factors can erase any information
in working memory. The brain's main job is to help you survive (food, shelter and safety)
and prepare for the future .Clearly, we need to make sure students' basic needs are met
before they are ready for learning.
I share this first because I want to emphasize the vital role school counselors play
in a school. From what I shared above, you could surmise even if you have the best
teacher around if students' other needs aren't being met, they still may not be learning. I
don't think a school counseling program is an extra for schools. It should be considered a
part of the basic foundation schools need to ensure students are learning to their fullest
potential. We owe our students a trusting relationship. The Ethical Standards for School
counselors dictate that school counselors have a primary obligation and loyalty to
students. Yet we also have an obligation to parents, teachers, administrators, the school
district and the community. School counselors should respect students’ confidences and
balance their desires and rights with their parents’ wishes and rights.
Like parents, teachers are often in need of sensitive information about a student in
order to optimize the student's educational opportunities. As a school counselor, we may
be able to see a student for only a few minutes a week, but a sincere, thoughtful, talented
and high functioning teacher may be able to support a student much more intensely and
for many more hours and in a variety of highly effective ways. For especially high
functioning teachers it is usually enough to say, "Can you give Ayush special attention
today as his home-life struggles are likely to spill over to school this week?" At times it
is this sharing of responsibility for emotional, physical and psychological wellnesss that
optimizes student’s success.
The school administration who are convinced to work with schools hand in hand
could use the following tips to start on the right track :-
1. Scheduled meetings after every week
2. Discuss prevention of problems by taking stock of trends rather than
discussing problems and problematic kids
3. Talk learning concerns and learning barriers
4. Coordinate your school calendars to incorporate activities and events that
will inspire, connect and motivate your students.
5. Slot time for discussions on parental issues and parenting issues.
6. Talk solutions and not causes alone, causes might be many and varied but
have same outcomes …solutions need to be evolved with all minds
working on it .
The school counselors with this collaborative approach can support in keeping the
climate positive at school. They teach beyond subjects and syllabus and so many a times
are better equipped to teach students (and staff) about good character, empathy, working
hard, doing your best and being kind, giving put ups (rather than putdowns), being a
good worker and striving to make a positive difference. I believe the solution for many
so called discipline problems in schools ( many due to transition in society structures and
values) can be addressed through this tool box of skills they could be given through
positive counseling.
Teaching students is hard work. It can be overwhelming and challenging. The
school counselors should work hard to support the teachers so they can do the job of
teaching. They could go in classrooms and conduct class meetings, observe students ,
model guidance lessons and listen to teachers to understand better.
If your school vision states: "that it is committed to the belief that all children will
learn to their fullest potential in a safe, respectful and motivating environment of high
expectations and continuous improvement in partnership with your parents and
community then do strengthen partnership between teachers and counselors." This
partnership would help us strive to make our vision a reality every day..
It is said that no one cares how much you know until they know how much you
care. The counselors and teachers in any school have to work as a team to
make sure everyone who enters the school building knows we care for them. It is time to
work closely with school counselors since they have the potential to make an amazing,
positive difference in the students' lives and the school environment.
Let US WORK HAND IN HAND !
