President's Letter: Leading for Our Students

Our society has changed rapidly in response to the global pandemic. In relation to this rapid change, the role of the school counselor has come to the forefront of many return-to-learn plans as communities start trying to get back to a new normal. Mental health was highlighted as we sheltered in place and dealt with isolation, grief, loss and financial devastation. School counselors and state school counselor associations have found themselves in the spotlight as leaders to help develop support systems for students and staff. It is important for counselors to see ourselves as school leaders and have the confidence to take the opportunity to step into leadership roles.

School counselors have a unique perspective that allows them to be strong student advocates for students of different backgrounds. We therefore need to place ourselves in situations where we are part of our schools’ positive behavior support teams, school improvement teams and parent–school partnerships. This does two things: First, it makes the school counselor more visible in our school communities. Second, it helps us give a voice to our students' needs. School counselors can continue to exercise leadership by having great partnerships with our principals, leading professional development and promoting proactive systems of support for students.

School counselors have not always been seen as leaders in school communities. We have taken on responsibilities that are not school counselor related and have spent our time behind closed doors with students one on one vs. tackling larger systems of support. In part, many counselors, from my observations, have “nice counselor syndrome,” meaning we by nature tend to want to be peacekeepers and people pleasers.

The spotlight is on mental health right now, and we need to use this opportunity to step out and into the role of leadership in our buildings, to be seen as the professionals we are. We need to have the confidence and courage that we preach about to be the best we can be. These efforts might just promote student achievement, empower stakeholders and improve school culture for our students. We must remember that our students come first and they need strong leadership from their school counselors.

Contact Shannon Underwood, MSCA president, at sunderwood@portageps.org.