What You Can Do For Houston Kids After Hurricane Harvey. When Lack of iPads Was Never A Problem.
“Let me know how I can contribute best, Adeeb. I want to help rebuild the shattered schools in Houston.” And I ranted on what was bothering me – to get schools up and running for the Houston Kids after Harvey.
Adeeb listened to me patiently on the phone and said something that blindsided me,
“Karthik, schools will be re-built, food will be served, uniforms will happen, iPads will materialize – for all these visible things there are many takers.” And he paused.
I have come to respect his opinion – especially his ability to frame the right problems. Best way to describe him – he could be a youngster from your home or mine – well
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Friends of these kids are in similar boat. Existing counselors are overwhelmed. The rock solid teachers – on paper they may be teaching 25 kids like any other teacher. In the challenging environments, they are managing equivalent to 100 children.
The invisible need is to have extra, dedicated counselors especially with trauma expertise. And the time for this help is now.
I am happy that the world pours money for children’s betterment. Super majority of it go towards materials that take care of the body. Wish there was more focus on the sustained care of the mind.”
I started to absorb the import of his words. I was connecting my own dots. One night after the hurricane, I woke up at 4 AM startled. The dream that startled me - my childhood home was tilted and a sheath of water was cascading down the floors.
I am blessed with good fortune. Yet, I felt vulnerable. The storm experience rattled me subconsciously.
I was happy I spoke with Adeeb. At the start of the call, I wanted to do something that was good on paper. His roving eye grasped something that is great in reality – fulfilling invisible and yet powerful needs of the school children.
I wish I had known Adeeb when he was a schoolteacher. I came to know him after he started the non-profit ProUnitas.
I have met many sparkling individuals in the non-profit sector – the soul of a social cause draws them. In ProUnitas case - to eliminate non-academic barriers for school children.
The opportunities and future outlook for high school counselors will greatly depend on the size of the school and its district. Currently, in the Duncanville School District, there are very limited spaces for school counselors. On the other hand, other local larger school districts are in need of high school counselors because there are many students who are in need of needing someone to speak to about their life issues and other social problems that they continue to encounter on a daily basis. The increase in student enrollment and the building of new schools is not a negative situation. It is more so a situation that opens the doors for more individuals who have been certified in the area of counseling. Overall, “employment for educational, vocational, and school counselors is expected to grow by 14 percent, which is faster than the average for all occupations” (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2010-11, p. 1).
I remember that storm as clear as day, I had just sat down for breakfast that fateful Sunday morning before church, when I felt a cold wind coming from the crack in the window
My pursuit of becoming a School Counselor led me to apply to the School Counseling Master’s Program at University of Maryland, College Park. I am a former student at University of Maryland with a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. After graduating and teaching for two years in Prince George’s County Public Schools, I discovered my true passion lies not only in the classroom and students’ academics, but playing a pivotal role in the growth of their career, social, and personal development. Although I am no longer teaching full-time at the moment, my interaction with students from diverse backgrounds left an indelible responsibility to continue making a difference in our students. The objectives and mission of the School Counseling Master’s Program at University of Maryland can best help my goal of becoming an effective counselor and leader who is an agent of change to students and service the mental and emotional well-being of the younger generation.
From this twenty year counseling veteran I learned about a functioning guidance program, the role of the counselor, the amount of time she spends in various components of the program, how to foster a positive relationship with the teachers and faculty, ways to continue to develop professionally, and insight for a future career in school counseling. As I drove away from the school, I felt a mix of emotions such as, intimidation, excitement, and hopefulness to name a few. When I began to try to take in just how much is required and how many people rely on a school counselor it was intimidating. In my mind I began to wonder if it is possible for one person to be that much to that many people and still keep some kind of balance. As soon as the thought passed through my mind, I immediately heard the words of wisdom that had been shared with me, "don 't beat yourself up for not being able to be everything to everybody." I also reflected on how upbeat the counselor sounded when she talked about her role in helping students become "the best people
Upon review of your website, I was delighted to see the success you have had in preparing students to attend college. I was also impressed with the progress you’ve made in closing the achievement gap. I wish to help you to continue to achieve amazing results and see no better way to do so than through employment with you. My commitment to urban education is evident though my educational decisions (pursued a B.A. in Mathematics and M.S.Ed in secondary education) and experience working as a math teacher at La Granja School, a math tutor at Roberts Wesleyan College and as a student teacher at La Salle School.
his writing. He brings good examples, but they are not credible. I agree that teachers, who get good
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.
Gas prices are considered to be returning to normal as most of the oil refineries are reopening following the devastation caused by Hurricane Harvey. Many of the drivers in Houston were affected by the increase in gas prices and long lines at the gas stations when Hurricane Harvey hit. Due to Harvey’s landfall, it caused most of the Texas population to flock to the pumps, in fear of a long-term gas shortage. Denton Cinquegrana, chief oil analyst at the Oil Price Information Service stated, “The national average gas price has peaked to $2.67, following the hurricane. This was around a 35-cent increase from pre-Harvey levels.” The increase in gas prices was a “result of coastal oil refineries electing to shut down, rather than wanting to
My keen admiration for children became one of my main passions and led me to join Delta Phi Omega Sorority, Inc., whose philanthropic mission focuses on children's education and literacy. Because this played such an immense factor in molding my adolescent years, I wanted to show and help children understand how essential these concepts are in life. Since August of 2010, I have volunteered countless hours at the Boys and Girls Club in Athens in hopes of reaching out to these children. Furthermore, by being apart of this sorority, I was able to provide funds to improve the instruction of children not only in the Athens community but also in third world countries through book and school supply fundraisers. I became very passionate about this organization and its beneficiaries, the main being CARE India, which focuses on providing access to essential medical and healthcare for underprivileged women and children in India. My passion for children and my country has heightened my ambition of providing reliable healthcare to individuals in
Moral traits are shaped by the culture you’ve grown up in. This can be found true in the novel The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, characters prove in many ways how their culture shows through the approach to the Price family. The Price family moved to the Kilanga to spread the word of Jesus Christ. While on their mission they come to meet a individual by the name of Anatole Ngemba that shows how the Congo does define a person's character but by their actions only.
Hurricane Harvey destroyed roughly 40,000 homes just in houston, making it nearly impossible to live there. But with the help from our brave soldiers and hundreds of people who have boats over 75 percent of people who were affected by Hurricane Harvey were able to make it to a safe place where they were fed and were given a place to stay. Throughout this tragic hurricane. Hundreds of thousands of people around the world opened up their businesses for people to stay, very large companies who had a lot of room and were not affected by hurricane harvey to bad allowed people who were affected to stay there as long as needed. And watching all those people on the news helping people in need out was
As an experienced and energetic teacher at Picadome Elementary for the past 17 years, I am committed to high quality education for all children despite gender, socio-economic levels, race, ethnicities, and learning capabilities. I have sought leadership opportunities including serving on the SBDM and being chairperson of both the Budget and Needs Assessment committees. I worked closely with the Picadome leadership team and other SBDM members to ensure that budget decisions were based on achievement data and would increase student learning.
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.
Impacting the lives of children must be approached from a team perspective to address all aspects of the child’s environment and relationships including caregivers, peers, teachers and school. Behavioral Counselors must collaborate with school counselors to understand the impact that school and teachers have on the child’s life. To appreciate School Counseling a review of the specialization’s history is important. School Counselors have evolved from vocational guidance and job-orientated counseling following World War I to educational guidance following World War II due to the passing of the GI bill as veterans were given right to education counseling (Minkoff, 1985). Today School Counselors support a wide variety of needs from a wide variety of student populations including but not limited to depression, college guidance, anxiety, oppositional disorder and developmentally delayed due to change in access to mental health care being more privatized (Lockhart & Keys, 1998). Lockhart states that because of the restructuring in access to care school counselors have been pushed to handle a wider variety of needs within mental health (1998).
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.