Well, it's August 1, 2020 and that means there's only one thing on every school counselor's mind. What in the world are we going to do to support our students as we reopen school? First, let me explain that when I say "reopen," I mean starting the school year - whether that's virtual, hybrid, or fully in person. No matter how students rejoin our school community, we will need to be ready as school counselors to support them and their families in navigating school during a pandemic.

We're all coming back different. Not everyone is traumatized - some kids have had a great time at home, some kids are excited to come back to school, some kids are dreading the restart of the school year. Some kids had loss, some did not. No matter what, everyone is different. As counselors, I think we need to be cautious about going in to the school year assuming that all are traumatized. Let's find out how our students are really doing first.

How are you as a school counselor or school counseling department a part of the school's back to school transition support. If you are not able to hold "meet the teacher" nights, 9th grade orientations, or Kindergarten parent nights - what can you do instead. I think this is an area where we will grow and develop as a school community. Our new ideas might allow for more participation than traditional evening events and we might decide to keep them moving forward. Plan some type of back to school transition support for all students, not just new students or the first grade level for your building (K,6,9 etc). 

If you are going back to school in person - consider how you are communicating safety measures with students and families. Psychological safety is just as important as physical safety in welcoming our students. If students feel unsafe at school, their ability to learn and grow is negatively impacted.

We can't know how students are doing until we make a connection with them. There are two types of relationships we will need to consider: teacher-student relationship and counselor-student relationship. For teachers, they are likely feeling completely overwhelmed by the logistics of teaching in a pandemic and are nervous about all the missed instruction that students experienced in the spring. Check on your teachers. They may not be OK. Work with your administrator to create a plan for supporting the social emotional well being of your staff. Once you've supported your staff then ask how you can support teachers in creating opportunities for relationship building in their classroom. For some teachers, they will begin the year in virtual environments. This is a new challenge for everyone! They may need some support. Here is a great article from Cult of Pedagogy that might help. 

After students have started their days with their teachers, we will need to make sure that we have opportunities to build counselor-student relationships. This is particularly tricky if you are in a virtual environment. Like all aspects of a comprehensive school counseling program, we have to think about core opportunities for connection with all students. Core counseling instruction might look different this year. I anticipate that it might be harder to get time during instruction to teach lessons. You might need to get creative to incorporate social emotional learning into academics. You might need to ask to be a guest reader or have a quick drop in during class meetings instead of a full lesson. Conversely, you might be asked to be on the specials rotation to provide coverage for teachers. Make a plan for how you will have (virtual or in person) face time with every class/student on your caseload.

Some kids are not OK. For a variety of reasons, their world has been turned upside down and they need more help. Questions to consider:

• Does your school have a referral process for staff and families to refer students for more support from the school counselor? How might this process need to change?
• Does your school have a referral process for students to self refer? How might this process need to change?
  
• Does your school do any data based problem solving to proactively identify students who might need additional support? 
  
• Have you sought the perspective and voice of your stakeholder groups? Have you ensured that marginalized voices have been heard?
• Has your school considered the impact of the Black Lives Matter social movement on your staff and students of color? Have you allowed for time to discuss, process, and consider how you will go about school differently as a result? 

If there was ever a year that you cannot wing it, this is it. Make a plan. Take the time to make a comprehensive counseling plan. I personally use the ASCA National Model but I know that's not everyone's jam. To get started, I suggest:

• Create SMART goals
• Make a Core Lesson Scope and Sequence for the Year
• Keep a detailed calendar

I double pinky promise that if you do these two things, you will see a positive impact on your ability to be proactive and productive with your comprehensive school counseling program. Here are some tips. 

Hey counselor - you got this. You can do it. 

Hello my school counseling heroes. I know that you are all working hard right now to support your students, staff, and families during the COVID-19 crisis. Our work is always hard and now it's been made harder. One of my colleagues said "it's like our muse is gone." Couldn't agree more, without the kids, it's like the best parts of our jobs are whittled down to the notsofun parts. Hang in there, this too shall pass. 

My co-author, Alicia Oglesby, and I had the opportunity to host a #scchat with ASCA School Counselor of the Year extraordinaire Laura Ross. I feel like Laura was there from the beginning chatting with us and supporting our work. Thanks Laura!  We chatted all things interrupting racism when it comes to being a school counselor during school closures. 

So many people came to the chat and, let me tell you, y'all showed up. I could barely keep up. Here's the transcript, in case you want to take a look at some of the amazing thoughts of our school counselor colleagues. What kinds of things are you thinking through right now? My brain is currently spinning on return to school. Stay tuned for more thoughts!

I am about to head to Boston for #ASCA19 and am preparing for my presentation with Alicia Oglesby (co-author), Ignite Change for Equity and Inclusion. As I prepare, I am particularly reflecting on the ethical mandate for school counselors to interrupt systems and lead the way for systemic change when it is the very system itself that is preventing students of color from accessing rigor and achieving. 

As a white woman, I am particularly responsible for using my white privilege and my power as a school employee, to speak up and interrupt racism when I see it. I pulled heavily from the article on white silence from Robin DiAngelo, Nothing to Add: A Challenge to White Silence in Racial Discussion. If you are a white person, I highly recommend that you read this article and then her book, White Fragility. In our presentation Saturday and in this post, I want to discuss the role of the school counselor specifically. 

Have you ever not said something when you see or hear racism? I have. I strongly believe in equity and inclusion for all students but I know that I have chosen to let a comment slide by or to turn away when I see or hear something that makes me uncomfortable. I have to admit that to myself and to you if I am going to do better. DiAngelo states “when whites employ silence to maintain some degree of comfort, that silence functions (albeit seldom explicitly) as a means to regain white dominance.” Guess what? My comfort doesn’t mean more than yours. And it really doesn’t mean more than my students’.

If the cause of white silence is that keeping racial perspectives hidden protects us from being challenged. If we see race as “not something you bring up in polite society,” then what are the effects? DiAngelo shares these: leaving others to carry the weight of the discussion, no learning occurring, implying agreement with resistant participants, and invalidating the stories of others who do share. Let’s look particularly at this implicit agreement with resistant participants or racist comments/actions. I think this is even more important when we are a staff member who doesn’t speak up. Particularly in front of students. Let’s say that you overhear another adult make a comment about “those kids that ride that bus.” Students hear this comment and then see you say nothing. What message does that send to students? I would assume that you agree with the speaker or you didn’t think it was out of line. I always want my students to see me as their number one supporter, and I bet you do too. If speaking up is hard, or you want some great tips, check out Teaching Tolerance’s guide, Speak Up at School. 

There are also times when white people shouldn’t speak up. DiAngelo gives these highlights: When you are intentionally trying not to speak first and most. When a person of color has spoken and you feel drawn to re-explain, clarify, or add to their point. When people of color are discussing the sensitive issue of internalized racial oppression. Because sometimes as a white woman, I have nothing of value to add to the conversation. I can stop talking and listen, showing my support by using my active listening skills, and hear the truth that another person is telling me.

It’s time for me, as a white woman, to speak up more. To be a voice alongside. To be an active ally. Because ally is a verb. 

We hope to see you at our presentation on Saturday if you are going to be at #ASCA19. We will also have an informal lunch chat on Sunday in the exhibit hall. If you’re #notatASCA19 then you can check out our presentation here and read in more detail in our book. ​

Each meeting has a similar flow that allows for some learning by students and ample opportunity for them to talk and share. Before the meeting, students are given an article related to the topic of each meeting. In our first meeting, we read the article: Lives Turned Upside Down: Homeless Children in Their Own Words and Photographs

Here is an example agenda:

• Introduction/Greetings
• Warm Up Activity
• Team Norms
• Discussion: What were your thoughts or feelings about the article? ​
  • Brian says that he lives in a house with his family but has no electricity. How do you think this affects Brian?
  • What do you think some of Brian’s biggest worries or struggles would  be?
  • If Brian was a friend of yours, what questions would you want to ask him?
  • What do you think would help Brian feel comfortable and relaxed at school?
  • If Brian was a student at our school, would he be successful here?
• ​Ideas for action: How can we take what we've learned and make our school more inclusive for all students?

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It's been such a pleasure to see the conversations that students have! Other topics to include: Disability, Race, and Bullying. 

Next, I'd like to think more about how we can leave time and intention for action. We fill our entire time together with discussion and I'd like to add sessions for action or activities between meetings. Have you ever led a Student Voice Group? What topics did you discuss? I'd love to hear all about it!