The feeling of excitement and revitalization was palpable and contagious at our July 2017 New Mexico School Counselor Association meeting. Many of us had just returned from attending LDI and the ASCA national conference, and once again were inspired and motivated to move the important work of school counselors forward in our state. New Mexico is more committed than ever to build our association’s membership and uplift our profession by highlighting and promoting the importance of developing a professional identity as school counselors. We forget how we all have professional relationships and community connections that are often untapped resources and missed opportunities to build our professional identity within the school, community and statewide. We have been fighting for a seat at the table at the state level and feel frustrated with our limited success and lack of political capital.
We all know school board members, legislators, business owners, non-profits and champions for our work. Our goal is to create and share a common message with these stakeholders to help them understand what we do and why our work is so important. We will invite these folks to our board meetings, annual conferences and school counselor events – inviting them to a seat at our table to partner with us in supporting all students’ success. We want to legitimize our work, show how we impact learning and instruction, support social/emotional skill building and growth, set goals and keep data.
We believe we will increase visibility, gain more of a legislative presence, and increase association membership while creating and supporting the professional identity of school counselors.
Here’s to working smarter, not harder, in the 2017-18 school year!