Be the Voice a Child Needs
By Gianna Giusti | December 2017
“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”
- Dr. Seuss, The Lorax
There is no doubt that advocacy plays a huge part in our profession as a school counselor. I feel safe in saying we advocate for all who come in contact with us on a daily basis, including ourselves. We advocate for students to find their voice, we advocate for safety, we advocate for the importance of mental health in our schools, we advocate for the importance of our work; the list goes on and on. We do not have an easy job. It takes a drive and passion to do what we do everyday. I always feel like I have my day mapped out in the morning like a line graph, only to find myself leaving when the bell rings (if I actually get to leave when my contract time is up), trying to unscramble the squiggly line that has taken over the mental picture I started out with in the morning. And in all honesty, I am okay with that because I know that I must have been something to somebody that day.
There is a reason I advocate for children. Like many of you, I have a "why." My why is to be the person I needed when I was in elementary school. My passion for advocating for students stems from my own life experiences. Excuse me as I disclose for a moment. I loved school. I was involved, participated and loved to learn. However, in fourth grade, I started acting out in class and I was sent outside daily. Adults noticed, but nothing was done. There was no elementary school counselor to pull me aside and say, “I noticed there is a change in your behavior. Are you okay?” I did not have a person at school that I could talk to. What I needed was to explain that we had just moved an hour away from school because my parents had split up. I needed to share how angry I was about suddenly having a different last name from my sister. I needed someone to tell me I was not the only one going through a divorce in the family, or maybe have a group of kids who could relate to my situation. Nobody asked if I had breakfast that morning, or how early I had to wake up to make the hour-long commute to school. I was frustrated, angry, hungry and seeking out attention.
Luckily, I have always had my grandmother. She is my person, my greatest advocate. She is the one who sat in my classroom with my teacher and explained the circumstances of what was going on. If I had not had her to advocate for me and support me when my little mind was trying to sort out this adult situation I was living with, I am positive my path would have been very different. I was finally heard, which resulted in a better relationship with my teacher, and I knew I was in a place where I was understood. Thus, I became the happy-go-lucky student enjoying school once again. I knew my teacher had listened and cared and the acting out stopped. I realize it takes a lot more then one conversation in some cases, but do not ever underestimate the power of empathetic listening and the knowledge of knowing there is support. Small steps can make big progress when working with a student.
I always think back to the times my grandmother advocated for me and reflect on how I can be that person for the students I work with. Yes, our national association has incorporated the importance of advocacy into its national model. I hope as professionals we have read “The Role of the School Counselor” and the position statements ASCA has published that support the importance of advocacy. In my own practice, when I think of advocacy, I think of my grandmother and how I want to be that type of advocate for the children I work with. I want to be their voice when they do not have the words to express what is really going on. I am their advocate, passing on the gift of compassion and empathy that my grandmother passed on to me.
Gianna Giusti, M.Ed., M.A.T., is AkSCA president-elect, Region 5 rep, and Advocacy and Public Policy co-chair. Contact her at ggiusti@valdezcityschools.org
- Dr. Seuss, The Lorax
There is no doubt that advocacy plays a huge part in our profession as a school counselor. I feel safe in saying we advocate for all who come in contact with us on a daily basis, including ourselves. We advocate for students to find their voice, we advocate for safety, we advocate for the importance of mental health in our schools, we advocate for the importance of our work; the list goes on and on. We do not have an easy job. It takes a drive and passion to do what we do everyday. I always feel like I have my day mapped out in the morning like a line graph, only to find myself leaving when the bell rings (if I actually get to leave when my contract time is up), trying to unscramble the squiggly line that has taken over the mental picture I started out with in the morning. And in all honesty, I am okay with that because I know that I must have been something to somebody that day.
There is a reason I advocate for children. Like many of you, I have a "why." My why is to be the person I needed when I was in elementary school. My passion for advocating for students stems from my own life experiences. Excuse me as I disclose for a moment. I loved school. I was involved, participated and loved to learn. However, in fourth grade, I started acting out in class and I was sent outside daily. Adults noticed, but nothing was done. There was no elementary school counselor to pull me aside and say, “I noticed there is a change in your behavior. Are you okay?” I did not have a person at school that I could talk to. What I needed was to explain that we had just moved an hour away from school because my parents had split up. I needed to share how angry I was about suddenly having a different last name from my sister. I needed someone to tell me I was not the only one going through a divorce in the family, or maybe have a group of kids who could relate to my situation. Nobody asked if I had breakfast that morning, or how early I had to wake up to make the hour-long commute to school. I was frustrated, angry, hungry and seeking out attention.
Luckily, I have always had my grandmother. She is my person, my greatest advocate. She is the one who sat in my classroom with my teacher and explained the circumstances of what was going on. If I had not had her to advocate for me and support me when my little mind was trying to sort out this adult situation I was living with, I am positive my path would have been very different. I was finally heard, which resulted in a better relationship with my teacher, and I knew I was in a place where I was understood. Thus, I became the happy-go-lucky student enjoying school once again. I knew my teacher had listened and cared and the acting out stopped. I realize it takes a lot more then one conversation in some cases, but do not ever underestimate the power of empathetic listening and the knowledge of knowing there is support. Small steps can make big progress when working with a student.
I always think back to the times my grandmother advocated for me and reflect on how I can be that person for the students I work with. Yes, our national association has incorporated the importance of advocacy into its national model. I hope as professionals we have read “The Role of the School Counselor” and the position statements ASCA has published that support the importance of advocacy. In my own practice, when I think of advocacy, I think of my grandmother and how I want to be that type of advocate for the children I work with. I want to be their voice when they do not have the words to express what is really going on. I am their advocate, passing on the gift of compassion and empathy that my grandmother passed on to me.
Gianna Giusti, M.Ed., M.A.T., is AkSCA president-elect, Region 5 rep, and Advocacy and Public Policy co-chair. Contact her at ggiusti@valdezcityschools.org