Honored to Represent Utah
By Kathy Bitner | April 2020
Dear Utah School Counselor Association,Thank you for your recent recognition as the 2020 Utah School Counselor of the Year. What an honor! The trip to Washington, D.C., for the awards gala was amazing – truly, a trip of a lifetime. The last time I was in Washington was in fifth grade when we lived in McLean, Va., and my perspective has changed.
We arrived on Wednesday evening and had a meet-and-greet in the hotel. I was able to get to know so many wonderful school counselors from other states. It was great to hear what they are working on in their states. So many similarities!
On Thursday, we went to the U.S. Department of Education and had small-group discussions with several key people regarding CTE, special education, comprehensive mental health, college and career readiness and post-secondary education. It was fascinating to take in all perspectives from across the country – to hear what is going well and what struggles they have. The biggest take-away for me is that we are not alone in what we do. We do not work in isolation. There are so many others helping our students.
That evening we had the gala at Union Station. I enjoyed hearing from the ASCA School Counselor of the Year, Laura Ross, who spoke about our students not being “finished products.” All students will mess up and they need additional chances. We need to build on their strengths and treat them like people, not pupils.
On Friday, we were able to visit the historical monuments. My favorite was the one honoring Martin Luther King, Jr. Created in 2011, it is located in West Potomac Park, right next to the National Mall across the Tidal Basin from the Jefferson Memorial. It includes the Stone of Hope, a granite statue of Martin Luther King coming out of the granite. Surrounding the statue are 14 MLK quotes on a granite wall. I felt great inspiration as a school counselor from what he had to say. Some of my favorites are below.
"Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that." (1963, Strength to Love).- "Make a career of humanity. Commit yourself to the noble struggle for equal rights. You will make a greater person of yourself, a greater nation of your country, and a finer world to live in." (April 18, 1959, Washington, D.C.)
- "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly." (April 16, 1963, Birmingham, Alabama)
