I have enjoyed being back in the schools and working with students. I taught elementary students for six years before making the decision to stay at home with my daughters. I have enjoyed my time home with them but I have been ready to get back into the working world. My counseling experience has given me the opportunity to feel like a professional, of course without the pay! That would be a bonus! It is great to feel as though I am helping these students, either through my guidance lessons or individual counseling sessions. I also feel that this is great experience for my future job hunt. It is amazing at how much has changed in the education world in the past three years that I have been home with my girls. I can now pursue a career as an elementary teacher or as a student counselor, given that I complete assignments and pass the dreaded exit exam! Actually having the opportunity to counsel students and observe counselors has given me a greater insight to what is actually involved in student counseling. It seems so many of my graduate courses have not been specifically related to student counseling, which did not give me a clear picture of what they do on a daily basis. I feel that I have developed through this experience by gaining knowledge and more confidence.
My first choice for my career in education would be student counseling. I do wish that student counselors could spend more time in their day actually counseling students though. They seem to have many duties and responsibilities in the school system that takes away time that they could be spending counseling with students. Spending time with students and making a difference in their lives is what excites me about counseling. I recently had a student tell me that his day had gotten better after speaking with me in an individual counseling session and that was a great reminder of why I am pursuing this career!
Like you, I have noticed that the typical school counselor spends alot of time on administrative and other tasks outside the realm of counseling. I think that is why couselors need to promote their profession, either by speaking as a group to district leaders or by promoting their duties through the use of a personal counseling webpage. Especially in today's society, children need counselors to be there for them -- not tied up in adminstrative tasks.
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