President's Letter: Friday Night Lights

Under the Friday Night Lights, at the park, in the local coffee shop, checking out at the grocery store…where in your community do your students catch you? One of my favorite parts of working in the elementary setting was seeing my students outside of the school building and watching their little faces light up when they recognized me. They would run to me with hugs and high fives and were so impressed that they knew someone important in their world. My work in the high school setting gives a different perspective: students may not light up when they see me but they still sometimes seek me out because they have news to share (“I got a part in the play”), or they want to brag on themselves (“I got accepted to college”), or they just want advice from someone with whom they have developed trust (“How should I handle this?”). In both settings, I took the time to develop rapport with students and they knew they could reach out whenever they saw me, no matter the location.
 
Our work extends beyond our school walls, long after the bell has rung and school doors close. Students don't stop needing help or advice or caring – they don’t stop needing us just because the clock reads 3:30.  As counselors, we have learned self-care, we have been taught to have boundaries with our clients and, when possible, to leave work at work and not take it home with us. But sometimes we need to be seen as a school counselor in the community; it may be one of the roles we play/hats we wear. School counselors not only advocate for students in the academic setting, we also want them to know we support them. Some school counselors seek out opportunities to connect with students outside of school to gain a different perspective on students’ lives and show students they have supportive people in their corner who will show up and show them they matter. In what way can you connect with students outside of your school building?
 
Some school counselors are just known in their communities because of the great things they are doing. I heard a wonderful example of this from our CSCA PR chair, Matthew McClain. We recently celebrated our School Counselor of the Year for the elementary, middle and high school levels. When Matthew called the local flower shop to send congratulatory flowers to our high school counselor of the year, the shop proprietor knew the counselor and was so excited about the award because she knew all of the great things this counselor was doing for youth in their community.
 
You are known in your community, outside of your school building. Students see you in various settings, which teaches them a little more about you personally while also teaching how connections in the community can serve them in a positive way. Will you share with us and your fellow counselors your story of how you are a school counselor in your community? Please share your stories on our CSCA Facebook page or send them to me at aprouty@coloradoschoolcounselor.org to be included on our website.
 
Contact Amy Prouty, CSCA president, at aprouty@coloradoschoolcounselor.org.