Disturbing event in Florida

You may have heard about the recent incident in Florida where a high school boy allegedly tracked then beat an 8th grade girl over text messages. As more information is released, it actually becomes more disturbing. It is easy to judge the Florida school & its community environment, but the incident speaks to us on a different level. My 5th grade students continue to tell me that texting is harmless and chat rooms are fun. They say cyberbullying is not an issue, adults over-react. Many of my students have Facebook or My Space pages despite the age requirements. We can all point fingers, wring our hands, and admire the problem. What is our role in all this? How can we contribute to the solution?
When we look to the ASCA Model, there are more than a few ways we can help. Infusing cyberbullying, safety, and anti-bullying strategies into our curriculum is necessary no matter what our intended topic is. We can educate teachers on ways to empower bystanders in addition to providing them tools to identify and speak with students of concern. By providing workshops, speakers, attending PTO meetings, and updating our web sites we reach parents.
I suspect that the alleged perpetrator had demonstrated signs of his inability to cope. He belonged to a class, a counselor, and a family.
We ca think of our influence as a minor replica of Pay It Forward. If our actions help one child, educate one parent, empower one teacher, we have used my skills to chisel away some of the ills that plague our society.
On behalf of all school counselors, we extend our sympathy, empathy, and support.

Recently Nathan Mains, President of Communities in Schools of PA, asked the question - can you name the country with the following education problems?

• One in five ninth graders fail to graduate from high school.
• Two in five minority students fail to graduate on time.
• 170 students drop out every day.

Somalia? Afghanistan? The answer isn't a country at all, the answer is Pennsylvania! We rank in the bottom 10 of all states in graduation rates. Shocking, isn't it?

If we don't make a concerted effort to improve our schools, our students will continue to be at risk. Did you know that the achievement gap between groups is widening? Students who drop out of school are more likely to be incarcerated - 75 % of inmates do not have a high school diploma. Dropouts are four times more likely to be unemployed.

So what can we do? We can convey our expectations that all our students will graduate. We can support teachers so all students are prepared for some form of post-secondary education. We can find new ways to collaborate with parents to help them help their students. Elementary level counselors can place the same emphasis on academic and career standards that we tend to place on personal/social standards. Middle level counselors can work with students to develop career portfolios, focusing on future goals. We can work towards making our schools a safe place for all students. "School counselors not only play a significant role in school improvement efforts; they also hold the heart of the school in their daily work with students, teachers and parents." (Vicki Phillips, Transforming School counseling, 2007)

I believe that school counselors can bring about the changes that will help students be ready for the world of work in addition to helping them gain the necessary skills to make positive contributions to society. If we don't believe that our professional can make a difference, why should our stakeholders?

Did you know that nine out of ten students reported hearing "that's so gay" or "you're so gay" to mean stupid or worthless. Over 1/3 of students experience physical harassment at school based on sexual orientation and more then a quarter on the basis of their gender expression. LGBTQ students are 18 times more likely to drop out of school and their attendance is lower than their peers. And most disturbing, almost half of students said that school staff were present when the homophobic remarks were made and that staff often left the remarks go unchallenged.

In most of our districts, you or a colleague could be fired in PA because of sexual orientation. (Orientation describes the attraction one feels towards either or both sexes, NOT behavior displayed.)

Think this is relevant for our middle or high school colleagues? Just last week I spoke to a school counselor who had a transgendered first grade student. He now dresses like a girl and has feminized his name. And the expereince isn't the first one I've heard from elementary school counselors.

So what can we do? We can start by confronting negative assumptions about gender and sexual orientation. Education is key; the October/November 2009 NEA magazine has an article titled The Power of One with more sobering statistics. The best thing we can do is to advocate for safety for all our students. Regardless of our own beliefs, when we stand up against prejudices, stereotypes and derogatory statements, we create a safe learning environment for all students, and not just those who are the object of negative comments. We know the role of bystanders and how they, too, are effected by bullying. Create a safe place by putting up a sign that says: this office is a safe place for all students, no matter who you are. Let your students know that you do not accept harassment of any kind.

So next time you hear a student say "that's so gay" go ahead, address it.

Professional Development

University of Phoenix has a few online courses relevant for school counselors. Counseling 532: Overview of School Counseling is a "how to" course for the ASCA National Model. It takes you through each component of the model; assignments vary from creating an annual calendar to writing a proposal to be presented to the school board. It is an amazing course if you want to explore the model or if you are thinking about taking on a comprehensive guidance program.If you compare the model framework to our ethical standards you will discover a very strong connection between the two documents. It makes sense that what we do would be tied to expectations of how we behave. We are fortunate to have both documents to guide us in our professional practice.
I encourage you to maintain professional and personal growth through coursework, in-services, conferences, and networking.
Think spring!

Welcome to President's Corner

How aware are you of our ethical standards? Have you read them lately?
Today I was trying to find this blog and was having considerable difficulty navigating through "blogspot" when I remembered part of one of our standards. E.1.c states, in part, the professional counselor "strives through personal initiative to maintain professional competence including technological literacy..."
How many times have you heard a colleague say, "I'm no good with technology?" I just heard it at our local association meeting. (No, it didn't come from me but it easily could have.) So this is my attempt to stay current while keeping PSCA from falling too far behind. We are investigating a change to the PA Counselor possibly turning it into an online magazine. Also in the works is an online newsletter so you can receive training notices and news in a timely manner.
Please let me know what you need from PSCA. As you know, counselors aim to please!