Students
are navigating a difficult time of life during the middle school years. Freud poignantly
termed this developmental phase as 'storm and stress' (as cited in Akos, 2005).
Puberty, identity searching, and exploring autonomous choices mark an era of significant
change. The school counselor is ideally and potentially a significant guide for
students who find they struggle through this phase. There is a positive impact
when high school counselors collaborate with teachers and other stakeholders, but
in comparison, middle school students will benefit greatly from their school
counselors collaborating with schoolteachers and an array of stakeholders due
to the high potential of turmoil in this developmental phase. Schools that
structure their teachers into teams give the school counselor an edge of
multiple perspectives in terms of identifying students who may need assistance
(Akos, 2005). Advisory programs described by Akos, utilized in the middle
school have the potential of monitoring every student, not just the ones that
may be showing evidence of maladaptive behavior. Ultimately, it would be ideal
to see the use of advisory programs within teaming.
In
regards to counselor assignment within the middle school, I will not pretend to
know what is best. I do know that my home district's middle school consists of
6th thru 8th grade and counselors maintain the same class
all three years. I cannot help but to wonder if there would be some benefit in
one counselor managing the incoming 6th graders every year while the
other two counselors loop with their classes every two years. It would offer
the counselors and teachers more opportunity to work collaboratively,
establishing a better working rapport with one another. It would also allow the
sixth grade counselor to improve transition strategies continually. It then in
turn allows the other two counselors to focus on preparatory work for the
transition to the high school. Of course,
all three counselors would be aware of the personal/social issues that arise for
this age group.
Reflecting
upon the 'Donna' case study, I admittedly recognize that my first initial
reaction may be to be defensive (Dollarhide & Saginak, 2012). However,
after a brief moment of silence, I would acknowledge that all those present do
not know all the facts, including myself; therefore, it is necessary to
withhold judgment or quick decisions. I would want to know from the teachers
their ideas of how to incorporate the same message/education into all facets of
the students' lives; more specifically, what can teachers, parents, school
counselors, communities, and school administrators do in order to give the same
consistent message to every student.
I
appreciate the change in terminology from 'classroom guidance' to
'developmental curriculum.' A simple change in terms may give the respect of
what counselors do to educate students from administration and teachers. I look
forward to developing lessons. As much as I enjoy being creative and using
material that is fresh and derived from the students' culture, I recognize that
I will need to evaluate each lesson and ensure that it is serving its function.
Educating parents will be a different story. It is not that I am apprehensive
about facilitating education seminars or workshops for parents; it is just that
I am unclear on how to get the parents who really need to be present to the
event.
Akos, P. (2005). The unique nature of middle school
counseling. Professional School
Counseling, 9(2), 95-103.
Dollarhide, C. T. & Saginak, K. A. (2012). Comprehensive school counseling programs: K-12
delivery systems in action (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ:
Pearson Education, Inc.
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