From the Chair: NSCA Board Focuses on Leadership and Racism

Hello, Nebraska school counselors! My sincere wish is that you all are having a great school year and are staying both emotionally and physically safe and healthy. To say that 2020 is unprecedented in the realm of education is an understatement. Educators have had to rethink almost every facet of their field in the past seven or so months. It is amazing to see how creative and resilient our counterparts are across the country.

My name is Jake Willems, and I am a school counselor at Northwest High Magnet School in Omaha, Nebraska. It is an honor to once again serve as board chair for NSCA. Last year was great for NSCA as were able to finish our complete transition of moving to a policy governance board. That has freed us up this year to focus our time on engaging with school counselors across the state in different capacities and over a variety of topics.

Some of you may remember that this past spring we held focus groups via Zoom to gain information about what school counselors across the state are doing well, struggling to accomplish, and need more information about. We also used the academy last year to spend time sitting down and having intentional conversations in small groups about our profession and its challenges and areas of growth. We spent our June board meeting going over all the input we received. Those interactions were very beneficial and have helped lead us for this coming school year.

We heard most frequently that school counselors wanted advice or struggled with understanding their role as a building leader. We heard colleagues say, “I know what I do for the school and the value I bring, but I don’t think my principal, superintendent, etc. understands how I can contribute more to the school.” To hear that from colleagues across the state, and across grade levels and class size, was eye opening and moved us to engage in this topic.

The board is now working our way through the American School Counselor Association’s “School Counseling Leadership” course, which is available through ASCA U. Early in 2021, we will be discussing our experience going through that course. We will also be meeting with a panel of building educational leaders to get their perspective on school counselors and how they are and can be leaders in the school.

We are starting to plan education for the board regarding race, and we are excited to get input again from school counselors across the state. As 2021 starts, we will be reaching out to get input from you all to gain more insight into how this affects our communities.

I wish you a great rest of your school year – find ways to bring joy into your life. Spend time (safely) with those you love. Show grace to yourself when things don’t go the way you planned. Although this school year certainly looks different, I am confident that you all are making an impact.

Contact Jake Willems, NSCA Board chair, at board@neschoolcounselor.org.