Reading through my favorite hometown newspaper, I stumbled
across Lauren Devine
’s column and it really caught my attention. She wrote about
several issues occurring at Live Oak, and when she complained about
the way Live Oak counselors treat students I had to totally agree
with her.
Reading through my favorite hometown newspaper, I stumbled across Lauren Devine’s column and it really caught my attention. She wrote about several issues occurring at Live Oak, and when she complained about the way Live Oak counselors treat students I had to totally agree with her.
Unfortunately for me, during high school I needed the help of a counselor because at times my asthma would be so severe that I would have to miss fairly long periods of school. I’ve always been academically motivated and it was important to me to keep up with schoolwork.
Even though I had a medical release, my absences would often offend teachers. The help of a counselor to intervene would have been very beneficial. Sadly, the chances of me becoming the first female president were greater than my getting an appointment with a Live Oak counselor.
Devine talked about leaving the counselor’s office crying, but for me, just talking to the receptionist was enough to bring on the waterworks. Instead of being greeted with a “Hi, how can I help you?” I’d hear “What do you want?” Then the grumpy, unfriendly person would inform me that there was no way to make an appointment with a counselor and there was nothing she could do for me.
Isn’t that helpful? It was so refreshing to know that when going to the counseling office I could always find help and guidance from whom? The janitor would be more willing to help than they ever were.
It seems to me that the essential goal of a high school counselor should be to prepare students for their college or post high school career goals. But parents, if you’re entrusting counselors with the responsibility of your student’s education, you might be making a huge mistake. The only way most students are able to get their counselors involved is by having their parents advocate a special meeting.
And even that isn’t easy. My mom, who was also teaching while I went through high school, could only meet with a counselor after 3 o’clock, which apparently was impossible for the counselors. Finally, after countless unreturned phone calls, my mom had to take a day off from work, leaving her first graders with a substitute, so she could go to the counseling office and arrange an appointment.
Is this a little ridiculous, or is it just me? Now, I know that being a high school counselor to hundreds of a students isn’t easy and it’s impossible to be personally involved with everyone. But if a student is in need of academic counseling and they can’t it get from the counseling department, there’s something wrong. Maybe there should be more counselors, maybe there should be more counselors who actually care about students’ academic progress – whatever works, but Live Oak’s current program obviously still isn’t cutting it.
It seems that the moment a student walks in the door, before the counselor even knows what they need; students are treated like immature nuisances. So many of my friends refused to even try to get help from their counselors. From the counselor’s standpoint, it may be easy to judge a 17-year-old boy walking into your office with an automotive tool pierced in his ear, tattooed-on shirtsleeves, and blue spiked hair as some rebel without a cause. But if you actually gave him a chance (you know, the guidance you were hired to give in the first place) he may graduate from high school and go on to be the next Bill Gates.
I have more horror stories than can fill this column.
The counselor I have at San Jose State is incredible, and I can guarantee you she has to counsel a lot more students than the ones at Live Oak. She considers all of my concerns and questions without any hesitation and never makes me feel stupid. When registering for classes this semester, I was worried I might be trailing off the General Ed track, so I left her a message about my scheduling concerns. She called me back the next day after looking at my schedule, and she advised me on my course load according to the year I wish to graduate. She’s there to help me reach that goal and she’s actually involved and concerned about it. She probably sees thousands of students a year but she still manages to give them the time and respect that they deserve. I completely trust her, and she’s the first counselor to make me feel that confident.
You see, I believe that Live Oak counselors have no excuse for the way they treat some students. It’s not just about how busy they are, or how many students they have to counsel. It’s about how much they actually care about them. They could stop eating their sandwich and take the time to help the student with the problem. Instead of giving students the brush-off that Devine and I (and many others) experienced when making the brave step over the terrifying counseling office threshold, they could work to create a climate of mutual respect. That respect and encouragement would instill hope and confidence in students who face a daunting future.
Chrissy Bryant is a sophomore at San Jose State University. The Live Oak grad writes A College View about local college life and things that catch her fancy. Contact Chrissy at ed******@**************-s.com
