President's Letter: Standing, Never Leaving

Happy autumn to all the school counselors in Delaware! I hope that the first few months of your year have gone well. This month, our newsletter discusses the role of the school counselor beyond the school walls. This topic highlights a tremendous role we have in our schools and beyond. Many educators work with a student for 45 minutes a day or 90 minutes every other day, and they do an amazing job.

The bigger question revolves around what happens to the student after the school day. Who finds them resources in the community? Who makes sure home knows that they had a rough day and might need some extra positive attention when they arrive? Who walks into their office with the message light blinking first thing in the morning requesting a call as soon as you get the message?

The school counselor, that’s who.

We connect students and families with resources in the community that they need, whether it’s mental health, tutoring or clubs in the area. We have that responsibility and we carry it out with honor. School counselors are the first people called when families need; we answer those calls, find out what the needs are and do our best to help.

I once heard that counselors stand with students and never leave. We stay until the student no longer feels they need or want us; even then we keep an eye on them! Our students stay with us long after they’ve left our caring arms. Take a moment and think about the students you’ve worked with, who you hold on to. They may have moved on to middle school, high school or graduated. You may have never heard the thank you, but our students know that they can always rely on their school counselor to be there whenever they are in need.
 
Contact Andrew Capone, DSCA president, at andrew.capone@mydsca.org.