The new instructional schedule for the ES has been provided to all ES staff.

Our school counselor has solved student problems, met with parents, and worked with teachers in the class with difficult situations.

Due to the new schedule, Mon-Friday, Counselors are now required to be with the classes during the 1 hour of Grade Planning time.

With six grade levels, plus Kinder, the counselor will now be spending 5 hours each day covering classes. When an IEP is held, or Local screening, he/she will be unavailable. When John shows his privates to another kid, our School Admin. will be unable to pull the counselor out to discuss this with the student & his parents.


Our Counselors are now reduced to babysitters.

Chime in!

I don't understand this completely. Can the IEP's be scheduled around the counselor's "in class time"? Does the school admin. need the counselor to be there when they talk to parents? When I grew up there was no elementary counselor so that's how it worked. Isn't the IEP under the purview of the SpEd teacher anyway? Isn't that an educational document and not related to "counseling"? What is the counselor's role in the IEP? I have been at many IEP meetings where there was no counselor there.

It occurs to me that the classroom needs extra help and maybe this is the only way Garza can get it. Maybe it's the best she can do. Do you consider teachers to be "babysitters"?

I have to say that there are sure a lot of people working in schools who do not want to go into the classrooms.

When Johnny shows his private parts, shouldn't the administrator be the one talking to parents? What does the administrator do that is more important than that (or is that person "out at a central office meeting"?).

I think Garza has the right idea to get most people in the building engaged with kids instead of "being available" in case of who knows what.

For the Johnny issue...... Our Admins are pulled out of the school for many meetings. Usually one of the designated Principal replacements are in the building. Our counselors report the number of incidents that occurred each year. Usually they are needed to meet forty to sixty times per year to mediate small issues. My school must have many socially awkward kids.

Our counselors lead discussions and a series of lessons for various grades.

I am hoping a Counselor posts to give their input/ perspective.

Teachers teach. They do not babysit.

Counselors do go into the classroom; it is the new way that they are being used this year. They are filling a gap. Tomorrow the E S counselors will meet Countywide. The room will be a flutter with questions and comments!

Keep in mind the context of elementary school. Johnny might be young enough that the "why that was wrong" conversation is significantly more important than disciplinary actions for it. In all experiences I've had, school counselors are far better equipped to have these types of conversations than administrators.

Many counselors pursue their field during college, drawn to the idea of helping kids with socioeconomic, emotional, and all other kinds of specific needs that require a certain temperament. Admins were almost always teachers first, some moving into administration because they feel a calling for it, but many others simply attracted by the salary or lack of classroom responsibilities.

I vote for keeping the counselors in their offices. They might not keep as constantly busy as classroom teachers, but I don't think days go by for them with lack of things to do or students to help.

Programs that the counselor has done in the past, will be put on the back burner. In order to cover 45 to 60 minutes of Designated team planning time. Specials do not cover the entire planning time. Not a good idea
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> Keep in mind the context of elementary school.
> Johnny might be young enough that the "why that
> was wrong" conversation is significantly more
> important than disciplinary actions for it. In all
> experiences I've had, school counselors are far
> better equipped to have these types of
> conversations than administrators.
>
> Many counselors pursue their field during college,
> drawn to the idea of helping kids with
> socioeconomic, emotional, and all other kinds of
> specific needs that require a certain temperament.
> Admins were almost always teachers first, some
> moving into administration because they feel a
> calling for it, but many others simply attracted
> by the salary or lack of classroom
> responsibilities.
>
> I vote for keeping the counselors in their
> offices. They might not keep as constantly busy as
> classroom teachers, but I don't think days go by
> for them with lack of things to do or students to
> help.

counselor at my kid's school is completely clueless -- barely qualified to sweep the floor. babysitting is probably beyond her capability.

Curmudgeon, I don't doubt your situation at all, but I do think it is far from the norm.

In today's society, it is wonderful to have skilled and trained counselors in the school. For those that aren't volunteering in the school, or working in the ES, you would be surprisd how much a counselor does.

Kids being too shy and are unwilling to speak up for themselves. I know my kid's had a school counselor that pulled small group sessions at lunch.

I am fortunate that my experiences have been positive!

Quote

Curmudgeon, I don't doubt your situation at all, but I do think it is far from the norm.

i very much hope you're right.

It saves money and if you are against this you're a Liberal.

Today I started year number 32 as a classroom teacher...something I have always loved!! I can say I still love the kids and the teaching but no longer believe I can be what the job has morphed in to. We are now all being required to be in a planning program known as Indistar ( Goodness only knows how much this fancy program costs---maybe that's why our salaries have virtually stood still for years). Doing Indistar was always a "threat" if your school didn't make accreditation. Now our school system has decided that ALL SCHOOLS should do this "amazing program". NEWS FLASH: Teachers will begin to leave this valuable meaningful profession because an exercise in paperwork has become more important than actually teaching the skills. — feeling sad.

It's called ass-covering. Public education today is run by politicians, and therefore it is all about talking the talk without walking the walk. One only needs to look like and sound like one is doing something - even when the effort required to do that prevents the real job from getting done. That's why I left. Public education sucks, and until we, the parents, take back control, it will only get worse.

Virginnieee Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Today I started year number 32 as a classroom
> teacher...something I have always loved!! I can
> say I still love the kids and the teaching but no
> longer believe I can be what the job has morphed
> in to. We are now all being required to be in a
> planning program known as Indistar ( Goodness only
> knows how much this fancy program costs---maybe
> that's why our salaries have virtually stood still
> for years). Doing Indistar was always a "threat"
> if your school didn't make accreditation. Now our
> school system has decided that ALL SCHOOLS should
> do this "amazing program". NEWS FLASH: Teachers
> will begin to leave this valuable meaningful
> profession because an exercise in paperwork has
> become more important than actually teaching the
> skills. — feeling sad.

I just looked at the Indistar website. What a bunch of horseshit. I feel sorry for the teachers - and, oh yeah, the students - who have to deal with this crap. Reminds me of why I left the Federal workforce years ago - all sound and fury signifying nothing. Someone is getting rich off of this inanity - but it sure isn't the teachers or the kids. I couldn't handle this if I was a teacher.

I also explored the Indistar website. It looks like someone swallowed Common Core whole, then vomited educational jargon all over the place.

This is a perfect example of why all the SOL/Common Core reforms are nothing but a huge charade. These reforms are not simply a waste of time and money. They have had a monstrously negative impact on American education.

VDOE indistar at its worst!




-------------------------------------------------------
> I also explored the Indistar website. It looks
> like someone swallowed Common Core whole, then
> vomited educational jargon all over the place.
>
> This is a perfect example of why all the
> SOL/Common Core reforms are nothing but a huge
> charade. These reforms are not simply a waste of
> time and money. They have had a monstrously
> negative impact on American education.

It is up to the Admins in each school to decide if the counselor will cover the specials. I would rather have my child in an extra art or PE class than having a counselor watching them!

Is this in FCPS?

Hopefully the counselors will be avail when a kid is in crisis!

^ If my kid were "in crisis" (whatever that means), I would probably want a 911 call to be made (because this sounds like a psychotic break or something). In elementary school (for sure and at the very least) I would want to be called (as the parent) and be on my way to the scene of the "crisis". Can you give an example of what these types of crises look like?

I work at a school where the 2 nd to 5 th graders do not have coping skills. They have been displaced from their homes, or may have one or both parents deployed in the military.

The term crisis used above, was meant as in a melt down. Those kids that don't handle change and tend to cry a lot.






-------------------------------------------------------
> ^ If my kid were "in crisis" (whatever that
> means), I would probably want a 911 call to be
> made (because this sounds like a psychotic break
> or something). In elementary school (for sure and
> at the very least) I would want to be called (as
> the parent) and be on my way to the scene of the
> "crisis". Can you give an example of what these
> types of crises look like?