Advising in Schools

We make decisions early in our lives that have a massive impact on our future. It has always been a passion of mine to touch the lives of the youth in a great and positive manner. What better way to live out this passion than being an advocate for the generation to come. It is my goal, to inspire and aide a generation of students in achieving their goals. I believe that School Counseling will give me the opportunity to do so. My personal and work experiences influenced my motivation to become a School Counselor. Through my years of experience I have overcame many challenging obstacles but they all worked together in the end for the better. In example, the first university that I attended after high school was Valdosta State University. When I attended VSU, my approach of learning was extremely nonchalant. After some life struggles I decided to relocate to Atlanta. Upon moving, I made a promise to myself that I had to finish what I stated back in Valdosta. My outlook on learning had become more meaningful. I enrolled in Atlanta Technical College and this is where my hungry for an over average GPA began. Once I began this journey, deciding to focus in Early Childhood and Education, like any other college student, I faced difficulties adjusting myself to university’s requirements. Eventually I became more confident and showed much more interest in the change. I worked harder, and received high grades, which boosted my ambition to perform better. In my last quarter at Atlanta

In bringing together our interviews, along with current research on academic advising in post-secondary institutions, we will consider student dynamics, needs, advisement issues, and potential ways to effectively advise high-ability students.

From my experience in overcoming barriers, as a past first-generation college student, appreciative advising is important for my work with students. According to recent literature, appreciative advising means “establishing meaningful rapport between students and advisors, and co-creating paths toward success” (Bloom et al., 2008, p. 18). Advising undergraduate students and graduate students is a two-way learning experience for both the advisor and the student. Hence, I am an expert in improving student persistence, and narrowing the achievement gap for underrepresented students (as specified in Goal 2 of the strategic plan implemented by President Mildred Garcia). As the new Educational Leadership and Ed Doctorate Advisor, I can focus on closing the achievement gap for underrepresented master’s degree students and doctoral students. Respectively, I can use the methods of appreciative advising while working with students in the College of Education (COE). For instance, I will communicate with COE faculty and manage assessments to learn the challenges graduate students

In schools all over the world today, School Counselors are crucial to assisting students, parents, school administrations, and the community. I believe that creating an effective counseling program that supports the counselors’ role in education will foster a close interaction between students and counselor to achieve success in their personal/social lives, academic achievements, and college readiness careers.

The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) is the division of the American Counseling Association (ACA) that supports the development of professional school counselors. It published the ASCA National Model (2012), which provides a framework for a comprehensive school counseling program that includes four quadrants: Foundation, Delivery, Management, and Accountability. The National Model also offers a detailed account of the role, function, and competencies of professional school counselors. It specifically addresses how the proper use of professional school counselors and implementation of a comprehensive school counseling program can enhance the education of the whole student at the elementary, middle, or high school level (ASCA,

After reading Sonja Ardoin’s (2014) “the strategic guide to shaping your student affairs career” book, I read a variety of important content that has allowed me to reflect not only in my fieldwork position, as an Advising Assistant for the Puente Program, but also my current status as a graduate student in the Educational Counseling program.

school counselors assigned to that specific school. The meeting will address the purpose of the study and the floor will be open to any questions the employees of the school may have regarding the study. This process will continue until the research team has been given permission by 24 high schools (8 in each socioeconomic area) to ask their students to participate in the study.

This paper will serve as a synthesis of my emerging philosophy and practice about the role of the school counselor. I will discuss my theoretical orientation and how it is relevant to K-12 settings, and my view of the practice of school counseling, including how counselors will have a positive and measureable impact on student learning. I will discuss how the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) Ethical Standards guide my practice, the areas of special interests I have regarding school counseling, and how I will incorporate social justice into my philosophy of school counseling.

Supervision is important for continued growth as a professional school counselor (Hess, Magnuson, & Beeler, 2012). Throughout my internship my relationship with my supervisor has been educational and productive for my continued growth. A strength includes that my supervisor provides timely constructive feedback about my skills and about cases. This evaluation helps me to grow and deepen my skills in order to become more effective with students. Another strength is that she helps me to further my knowledge about specific programs or services that are offered in the community that our students can benefit from. With her sharing this knowledge, she truly is supporting me in becoming a better school counselor. One limitation with our relationship is that sometimes she does not have an answer to my questions, however, this is usually due to an administration question that has not been answered. For example, one question that I have asked is why we cannot have an army or air force representative come to do a presentation to our seniors similar to how colleges come to the campus and do presentations. We have several students that

O*Net Online’s database is the nation’s primary source for occupational and career information. O*Net answers questions about an occupation’s work requirements and skills needed for a specific job. Secondary level advising catches my eye, so I chose to learn more about the skills, knowledge, wages and educational level required for academic advising. Academic advising, stated by O*Net Online, “counsels’ individuals to help them understand and overcome personal, social, or behavioral problems affecting their educational and vocational situations.” (Build your future with O*Net Online. (n.d.)). Academic Advising also includes crisis intervention, keeping accurate records of students, and preparing students for success after high school.

Yesterday Jacqueline Guzeta (Admissions Advising Counselor for ASU Colleges) came by to your office. She dropped by two posters,flyers, and her business card. She only had one student come in to her presentation; therefore, she wanted to check in with you and see if there is a day where she can come back and give a presentation to you, the counselors and even to us (transfer mentors). Oscar gave her your business card and she might be contacting you soon.

A school counselor’s role is vital in many schools across America. Many students see their counselor, to work on any emotional stressors, academic changes and challenges. This may include, interventions, group therapy and changes in class schedule, but sometimes with all the implementations given, students do not succeed in school. Perhaps one needs to take a closer look at the programs being implemented and its success rate. In addition, a counselor should guide itself using the ASCA (American School Counselor Association) to provide evidence based practices in schools.

With the diversifying population in America’s schools, a profession school counselor should be culturally competent to meet the needs of all students. “The transformed professional school counselor is culturally competent, respectful of human diversity, and a school leader in ensuring that oppressive systemic barriers to academic, career, college readiness, and personal/social development are removed (Erford, 2015, p. 173).” A school counselor needs to have a deep understanding of a variety of cultures to meet the personal, emotional, developmental needs of a student using individual and group interventions while being aware of their cultural and spiritual needs.

This week I had the opportunity to fulfill my practicum hours at two different locations. The locations that I observed were Columbia Elementary School’s summer care program and a Mad City Money Event located at Members 1st Credit Union. Both experiences opened my eyes to see a wide range of situations and behaviors among kindergarten through high school. Each observation provided two very different outlooks and each contributed to my knowledge in some way.

Serving students with different backgrounds, personalities, or beliefs may not be the easiest thing to do, as their thought process may differ. Therefore, it is essential for school counselors to find healthy ways to build on a school counselor-student relationship. There are several characteristics or behaviors that I feel school counselors should have, that helps them maintain a relationship with their students. Students can be more willing to open-up their thoughts or accept suggestions when the school counselor is a good listener. A lot of the times, we can think that we have to do all the talking, but is necessary to step back and listen at the students first. Also, school counselors must be friendly and easy to approach. Students can feel more comfortable with individuals they like and accept. In addition, it is essential for all school counselors to appreciate diversity. It is important for school counselors to