President's Letter: Accepting the Assist

We are counselors, we are professionals, we as people are a huge layer of support that many families and students count on to provide them with the underpinnings of stability that they need, but they may never even know that you were there in this capacity. As Kid President likes to say, “The time to be awesome is now,” and that is what we do as counselors every single day. However, for many, figuring out the “how” in the now can be a challenge for us and them. Sometimes we didn’t learn the skill, sometimes we didn’t practice the skill, sometimes the instructions for the skill make no sense, and sometimes the skill can’t be found because life is just too chaotic. When any of these instances happen, turning to resources in the community is extremely important for us and our students. I am absolutely positive that we all were taught at one point in our education program that we as individuals cannot be the single source of assistance (or sometime even any assistance) to every single person we encounter who is asking for help. We were taught that we need to broaden and build, allow ourselves to get out of an individual’s way when necessary and put another person (I like to think of them as speed bumps) in the pathway. That allows those who are seeking the opportunity to slow down and find what is needed. This is true for us and for our students.
 
Many of us count backpack programs, holiday help, school supply drives and such as our ways of assisting our school communities. These are awesome assists. We may even have supports like a sunshine or glue committee to help the adults in our building. These are important, but we need to think deep. We as school counselors need to think collaboratively with community and allow our community the gift of finding the right fit at being the speed bump for our students. In doing so, we demonstrate trust in the integrity of the student and their skill at finding what is needed. We also give the gift of service to our community members – and they come to trust us more. We allow both parties to grow alternate perspectives, build empathy, increase buy-in to the educational process, and grow gratitude. So the challenge is to expand those reading programs, build a rockin’ mentor program, reach out to those who are willing to share their talents with students – a little or a lot. By becoming creative as a counselor, we build our own skills, build capacity for our community and strengthen relationships. Remember, there is no time better than now to be awesome.
 
Contact Elesha Fetrow, NMSCA president, at nmscapresident@gmail.com.