President’s Letter: You Got This, School Counselors – #ItsAMindset

So here we are, more than halfway through the school year. You have pulled out all of your best work to connect to your students and build bridges with other key stakeholders to help create greater opportunities for your students. Some of your students have responded beyond what you dreamed was possible and you are still working on a few others. I encourage you to keep pushing for them and to not give up – the school year is not yet over. I encourage you not to go it alone but call on the support of your peers and your professional associations, and I encourage you to take care of yourself and to refuel often so that you have what you need to keep pushing.
 
Don’t give up!
I know it can be difficult at times to continue to give at one hundred percent when it doesn’t seem like change is occurring, but I invite you to recall the changes you have been a direct part of already. Recall the names and faces of your students that are much better now because you played a significant role in their education. Remember that change will occur within a student well before we ever start to see that change manifest in action or behavior. If we stop too soon we may stop just short of realizing the change that was made. So please do continue to believe that good work will yield good results and keep pushing for student success!
 
Don’t go it alone!
We are a profession of highly skilled, highly capable and highly effective individuals. We also are a profession that counts our successes collectively, so when one school counselor succeeds, the profession does so as well. Therefore, don’t hesitate to call on your circle of school counselors from around the state for support. We are here to help each other. I gladly take calls and emails regularly from peers across the state and when I need help, I know a counselor willing to listen is only an email or call away. Our work is too significant and at times too challenging to do it alone.
 
Do take care of yourself!
It is not lost on me that our work can take a heavy toll on us. We navigate some very disheartening situations involving our students and we care about our students deeply. Find what makes you happy and gives you comfort. These are the things you will need to draw upon throughout the year and particularly at the end of the year to help make sure you are not compromising your abilities due to mental fatigue and stress.
 
Remember that student success is a mindset…and that in order to help our students develop a mindset of success, we must have one ourselves. Our work is important, you are important and our students are important. Don’t give up, don’t go it alone, take care of yourself and remember: student success – it’s a mindset!
 
Contact Tinisha Parker, GSCA president, at tinisha@gaschoolcounselor.org