Tanklefsky 1

Jack Tanklefsky

Kailen Stover

Teacher Cadet

December 8, 2018

Shadow Reflection Essay

It is often said that the most valuable members of the team are those behind the field.

Those that whose impact is often overlooked, those who live to help other and do not get the

same recognition as the ladder. These hidden heroes are school counselors. They are the bridge

between student’s academic success and college, being paramount to the success of the students

they help. If counselors did not exist, myriads of transcripts would go unsent, students would be

stuck in classes they cannot succeed in. Because of this, counselors play a key role on the school

grounds.

The counselor is a tool used by the students who need help with their schedules or need

tweaking in their schedules. They have access to student’s schedules and are in charge of making

sure students have taken all the classes they need to graduate. If students have not taken the

necessary classes, they are called down to the office to speak with the counselors and their

schedules are adjusted accordingly. They also assist students with understanding what is needed

to further their education in college by offering instructions regarding their transcripts, FAFSA

and other financial aid, and looking with students at colleges of interest. Outside of helping with

college, they also are the delegators for student needs such as potential usage of a 504 plan or an

IEP. If a student’s particular needs require a new plan or a tweak to their old plan, the school

counselor is responsible for meeting with the student, their parents, and the teacher(s) affected to

help the student the best they can. All of these meeting contribute to a busy school day.
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Their typical day, especially around application time, consists of many senior meetings,

where students and aforementioned counselor discuss the highschool experience and what is still

needed for students to further their education toward being college-bound. When shadowing, I

spoke with an intern who described her job as “intaking things that come up. Answering

questions, doing the necessary follow up work when these “things” are dealt with. These

questions are can be addressed in person, through the phone, or over email. I work kind of like a

“jack of all trades,” and it’s a really interesting job.” Her day is filled with many walk-ins and

scheduled meetings with students, and because of this, her job comes with many unexpected

surprises.

It was surprising to see the sheer volume of kids that come in requesting assistance with

college work, or for a schedule change. It seemed like there was a new problem or assignment

needed to be dealt with every five-minutes. The counselors, however, responded with celerity

and grace to the items brought to their attention. Seeing how many tasks the counselors had to

juggle at once was interesting, as it seemed with every additional task came an air of confidence.

The counselors demonstrated excellence in multitasking, hardly skipping a beat with every

additional or finished task at hand. A counseling job comes is a vocation that provides many

benefits, such as adjunct satisfaction.

It was inspiring to see the smiles on the student’s faces while they were leaving the room

after being helped. The counselors were consistently able to garner to their students needs,

remedying the problems or helping with possible issues as they were brought to the attention of

the counselors, but it was challenging to see the amount of times in a day that the counselor has

to drop what they were doing to assist a student in need or help someone. They often are left

multitasking, dealing with multiple problems at once. It seems like it would be hard to find time
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to enjoy lunch when you are having meeting after meeting, needing to send transcripts in, and

dealing with student problems as they arise.

To contribute to the overall school environment, the counselors are there for delegation of

school’s problems. They help with 504 plans and IEP’s, proctoring the meetings and calling

attention to the possible classroom difficulties. They help to make sure that the students are

getting all the possible accommodations necessary to promote a healthy, rich learning

environment for all. The counselor helps to make sure that all needs of students are being

accounted for and listened to; However, this level of work does not come without its

prerequisites.

To work as a school counselor, applicants must have a counseling degree. Some

counselors were hired with previous school experience of other degrees, however. They also hire

interns of whom are interested in working in counseling from local colleges and provide them

with the opportunity to learn the trade. It is typical that a counseling-germane masters degree is a

prerequisite, as masters degree is a requirement. Past teachers experience an adjunct plus, of

knowing what the classroom is like and applying this knowledge to counseling.

In a counselor’s shoes, I would handle their responsibilities once problem at a time.

Because I am often forgetful when presented with many tasks, I would finish one task, then

address another. The counselors are very good at multitasking, working on multiple items at

once. I would finish sending a transcript before meeting with a teacher regarding a concern, or

vice versa, rather than stopping in the middle of a transcript to meet with a teacher. If I could

change one thing, I would make a tighter schedule. It would be hard for me to deal with many

walk-ins, when they can schedule a meeting with me, the counselor, to make a tighter, more

organized schedule. The counselors here are often very flexible to changes in their schedule,
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something that might cause for a lapse in focus when one or more items are brought up at once.

It is important for me to have a well-organized schedule, so that I am able to help many students

with their many academic needs.

Although counselors do not often get the credit they deserve, the real satisfaction of the

job is seeing the people that they help succeed. They reside in the background, but are imperative

to an operational school.

Rubric rating submitted on: 12/20/2018, 2:50:46 PM by kailen.stover@bvsd.org

3 2 1 0

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