I’ve started having an issue with a student I’ve had a solid rapport with this first 6 weeks. Rather than start by writing referrals and calling home, I talked to the kid. In line with what I've been talking about the last few days, I wanted to make sure to talk to the kid outside of class one on one to see what was going on. I asked why he was acting the way he has been the last few days.
Contrary to what many of the social emotional health commentary pieces lead you to believe, it had no effect, at least not instantly. I took it a step further and went to his assigned counselor. This was extremely healthy and rewarding for me since I was ready to throw in the towel on the compassion stuff and just crush the resistance like I have also learned to do. I made someone else aware and decided to share the burden of caring for the child.
Here's where the title comes in. The counselor actually knows the kid because they meet with all of their assigned students. They know the parents, the strengths of the students, and the areas where the child is lacking. I got more information from that counselor than I got off of my observations, conversations, and assessments combined. Often I'd sit in the lounge and complain with the other teachers about the counselors. "They gossip all day, they don't do anything, they have no idea how to do their job, and they overall make everything worse." I'm combining various daily complaints I'd hear / make of course, but what you miss doing all of that is the ones who are doing a fantastic job. There are counselors who are making a difference and being true advocates for kids. They are creating safe spaces and guiding kids down the path to success. I just wasn't lucky enough until this year to have good ones on my campus.
Contrary to what many of the social emotional health commentary pieces lead you to believe, it had no effect, at least not instantly. I took it a step further and went to his assigned counselor. This was extremely healthy and rewarding for me since I was ready to throw in the towel on the compassion stuff and just crush the resistance like I have also learned to do. I made someone else aware and decided to share the burden of caring for the child.
Here's where the title comes in. The counselor actually knows the kid because they meet with all of their assigned students. They know the parents, the strengths of the students, and the areas where the child is lacking. I got more information from that counselor than I got off of my observations, conversations, and assessments combined. Often I'd sit in the lounge and complain with the other teachers about the counselors. "They gossip all day, they don't do anything, they have no idea how to do their job, and they overall make everything worse." I'm combining various daily complaints I'd hear / make of course, but what you miss doing all of that is the ones who are doing a fantastic job. There are counselors who are making a difference and being true advocates for kids. They are creating safe spaces and guiding kids down the path to success. I just wasn't lucky enough until this year to have good ones on my campus.
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