Growing with Courage, One Step at a Time
By Jenny Morgan | August 2020
“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.
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This past July, 90-year-old Margaret Payne made world news and inspired many by climbing a mountain in the Scottish Highlands to raise half a million dollars for charities during the pandemic. However, this challenging climb was not made on a literal mountain. Beginning in April, Margaret climbed a flight of stairs everyday with her cane in hand. Her goal was to complete the equivalent of climbing to the top of Scotland’s Mt. Suilven, approximately 2,400 feet. “I just climbed a few stairs every day until I got to the top, 282 times,” she told the AP. This feat was a personal fundraiser for the U.K.’s NHS in gratitude for the care her husband received before he died last year. Yes, Margaret proved that despite many challenges, we can still mountains in innovative ways.
The 2020-2021 school year will be full of challenging mountains for school counselors to climb with innovation as we learn to navigate through long-term distance learning or a hybrid format. How might we best respond to our current challenges while working to see our comprehensive school counseling programs grow in new directions?
Once such challenge and potential area of growth is to ensure educational and social justice for students in this time of worldwide crisis. As educators, we have an obligation to end racism and bias in our schools. A recent document from the American School Counselor Association, Eliminating Racism and Bias in Schools: The School Counselor's Role, stated, “School counselors have a unique opportunity to be an important part of the solution. Through implementation of a school counseling program, school counselors promote equity and access for all students and make a significant impact on creating a school culture free from racism and bias. School counselors have specific training to recognize signs of racism and bias that harm students and impede our nation from reaching its potential.”
As school counselors, we have access to school data that focuses on disparities and established personal relationships with our students that help us identify needs for intervention such as gaps in achievement, opportunity and attainment, disproportionate rates of discipline for students of color, non-participation or lack of access to or placement in rigorous curriculum, and/or lower participation in higher education opportunities. Another resource is the July-August edition of ASCA School Counselor Magazine, which has several articles speaking to the importance of our duty (ASCA, 2020). One, “Time to Speak Up,” acknowledge the challenges of supporting students after racial incidents or horrific injustices. Author Derek Francis writes, “School counselors are called to do the social/emotional work of fighting racism…It’s also our job as school counselors to promote social justice.” Francis indicates that we must speak up and work to effect change while promoting equity within our schools. We must also reach out to students and provide supportive spaces for them to connect with staff and other students, and we need to provide intentional learning opportunities that help students process past and present events. Most important, we must work now, more than ever, to develop comprehensive school counseling programs that will help us level the playing field for our students.
Another challenge is responding to the needs of students who have experienced traumatic events over the past year. School counselors are key players in promoting a trauma-sensitive environment in schools. We are in a unique position to identify students affected by traumatic events and can provide needed interventions and resources, such as the development and implementation of multitiered systems of support (MTSS). ASCA has partnered with CASEL and others to create Reunite, Renew, and Thrive: Social and Emotional Learning Roadmap for Reopening School. This document emphasizes the critical need for social/emotional learning (SEL) in our schools, indicating that our country is currently experiencing multiple extraordinary events including a global pandemic, economic crisis and systemic racism. The document states, “To rebuild thriving schools, we need to prioritize safe, supportive, culturally sustaining, and equitable learning environments that promote the social and emotional competencies of both students and adults. . . . SEL offers a critical foundation for supporting students and adults in the midst of great uncertainty and stress, and a long-term path for sustaining thriving communities. ” School counselors must lead the efforts in ensuring that schools adhere to best practices in SEL, while promoting a positive learning environment for students and staff and providing resources to help support families.
The Washington School Counselor Association met in August to begin the discussion on how we will move forward this year supporting work for equity and social justice. Each board member and committee chair developed a work plan that incorporates the implementation of equity, advocacy, and communication within their 2020–2021 goals. Read the WSCA Statement on Equity, Social Justice, and the Necessity of Systemic Change to read more on our position and goals for future work.
Yes, we all have mountains to climb this year with much work to do. Many are depending on us, and you can count on WSCA to help support you through your challenging journey. Margaret Payne’s story reminds us of the importance of rising to the occasion and meeting challenges head on with courage. She gave us these words of wisdom as we march forward, “We can all scale our own mountains and make a difference at any age, one step at a time.”
Contact Jenny Morgan, WSCA past president, at Jennymorganwsca@gmail.com.
This past July, 90-year-old Margaret Payne made world news and inspired many by climbing a mountain in the Scottish Highlands to raise half a million dollars for charities during the pandemic. However, this challenging climb was not made on a literal mountain. Beginning in April, Margaret climbed a flight of stairs everyday with her cane in hand. Her goal was to complete the equivalent of climbing to the top of Scotland’s Mt. Suilven, approximately 2,400 feet. “I just climbed a few stairs every day until I got to the top, 282 times,” she told the AP. This feat was a personal fundraiser for the U.K.’s NHS in gratitude for the care her husband received before he died last year. Yes, Margaret proved that despite many challenges, we can still mountains in innovative ways. The 2020-2021 school year will be full of challenging mountains for school counselors to climb with innovation as we learn to navigate through long-term distance learning or a hybrid format. How might we best respond to our current challenges while working to see our comprehensive school counseling programs grow in new directions?
Once such challenge and potential area of growth is to ensure educational and social justice for students in this time of worldwide crisis. As educators, we have an obligation to end racism and bias in our schools. A recent document from the American School Counselor Association, Eliminating Racism and Bias in Schools: The School Counselor's Role, stated, “School counselors have a unique opportunity to be an important part of the solution. Through implementation of a school counseling program, school counselors promote equity and access for all students and make a significant impact on creating a school culture free from racism and bias. School counselors have specific training to recognize signs of racism and bias that harm students and impede our nation from reaching its potential.”
As school counselors, we have access to school data that focuses on disparities and established personal relationships with our students that help us identify needs for intervention such as gaps in achievement, opportunity and attainment, disproportionate rates of discipline for students of color, non-participation or lack of access to or placement in rigorous curriculum, and/or lower participation in higher education opportunities. Another resource is the July-August edition of ASCA School Counselor Magazine, which has several articles speaking to the importance of our duty (ASCA, 2020). One, “Time to Speak Up,” acknowledge the challenges of supporting students after racial incidents or horrific injustices. Author Derek Francis writes, “School counselors are called to do the social/emotional work of fighting racism…It’s also our job as school counselors to promote social justice.” Francis indicates that we must speak up and work to effect change while promoting equity within our schools. We must also reach out to students and provide supportive spaces for them to connect with staff and other students, and we need to provide intentional learning opportunities that help students process past and present events. Most important, we must work now, more than ever, to develop comprehensive school counseling programs that will help us level the playing field for our students.
Another challenge is responding to the needs of students who have experienced traumatic events over the past year. School counselors are key players in promoting a trauma-sensitive environment in schools. We are in a unique position to identify students affected by traumatic events and can provide needed interventions and resources, such as the development and implementation of multitiered systems of support (MTSS). ASCA has partnered with CASEL and others to create Reunite, Renew, and Thrive: Social and Emotional Learning Roadmap for Reopening School. This document emphasizes the critical need for social/emotional learning (SEL) in our schools, indicating that our country is currently experiencing multiple extraordinary events including a global pandemic, economic crisis and systemic racism. The document states, “To rebuild thriving schools, we need to prioritize safe, supportive, culturally sustaining, and equitable learning environments that promote the social and emotional competencies of both students and adults. . . . SEL offers a critical foundation for supporting students and adults in the midst of great uncertainty and stress, and a long-term path for sustaining thriving communities. ” School counselors must lead the efforts in ensuring that schools adhere to best practices in SEL, while promoting a positive learning environment for students and staff and providing resources to help support families.
The Washington School Counselor Association met in August to begin the discussion on how we will move forward this year supporting work for equity and social justice. Each board member and committee chair developed a work plan that incorporates the implementation of equity, advocacy, and communication within their 2020–2021 goals. Read the WSCA Statement on Equity, Social Justice, and the Necessity of Systemic Change to read more on our position and goals for future work.
Yes, we all have mountains to climb this year with much work to do. Many are depending on us, and you can count on WSCA to help support you through your challenging journey. Margaret Payne’s story reminds us of the importance of rising to the occasion and meeting challenges head on with courage. She gave us these words of wisdom as we march forward, “We can all scale our own mountains and make a difference at any age, one step at a time.”
Contact Jenny Morgan, WSCA past president, at Jennymorganwsca@gmail.com.