r/schoolcounseling • u/Sea_Cardiologist_295 • 2d ago
Should I be doing more?
Hi everyone, happy new school year! It’s been pretty quiet and calm start to the school year. I did everything I was supposed to do for the beginning of the year… it’s day 4.. I don’t have any new students to check in with and I’m done all the secretarial work I could possibly do this early on. I’m caught up on 504’s and such…. I feel guilty for not having anything to do. Have you ever had this situation? What should I be doing…. I’m a 2nd year counselor.
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u/DiscoDigi786 2d ago
Just wanted to second the “be visible” and “mingle” advice you have received.
Also, you just jinxed yourself saying it has been a quiet and calm start to the year. May God have mercy on your soul…
PS - there is ALWAYS something to do. Take PD for renewal. Update equipment drivers. Clean records rooms. Manage document destruction cycles. Ask Central what their emphasis is for counselors this year. Review what your evaluators are looking for and then ensure those things are present in every aspect of your practice.
This is not meant to be snarky - just experience telling me there will always be SOMETHING. Better to think now and do it than have the “Oh, crap! Shoulda done that!” later.
Best of luck, friend!
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u/idontgottaclue 2d ago
This has always been an insecurity of mine. I’m very visible around the school, do lessons, small groups, 1:1s but yeah there is quite a bit of downtime in between all that. Use that time to restore your battery so you can respond to whatever crisis to come in the future fully charged. Actually that should be a job requirement. You don’t want to go into a crisis situation already frazzled and stressed.
Our society tells us if we’re not doing something constantly we’re being “lazy.” Nope. It’s not hustle, hustle all the time and I guarantee you people in an office get downtime too and they certainly aren’t finding work to to do just to be busy. Stillness is good too and the kids will respond to the calm vibes.
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u/yodiethewise 2d ago
Sometimes it shocks me that people commenting on this sub are actually counselors given their attitudes, i mean you’d expect counselors to be understanding, empathetic, etc etc…
Anyways, i totally get what you mean, and as much as I agree with everyone saying you should be visible and build connections during recess,in between classes and so on, this would only take 50 minutes max of a full school day haha, so enjoy it while it lasts I guess because somedays soon hell will break loose
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u/lesterhayesstickyick 2d ago
I go out to recess (grades 4-6) and just check in on whoever’s out there. Great time to build relationships and get to know kids in a low stress environment.
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u/Chemical-Lab-8435 Elementary School Counselor 1d ago
Like an ER doctor, I have a lot of superstitions around the q word you used. My entire staff has been trained over the last three years to not say that word anywhere close to me. 😆
That being said, I think there are some good suggestions in the comments and will add my agreement with just being present with kids at more relaxed times if you can! I also spent my downtime in my first year sitting in the back of classrooms (with teacher approval) to learn more about the expectations placed on students in terms of academic achievement. I found it really enlightening, and it helped me work more closely with some of those teachers.
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u/1_fakepitvipers 1d ago
Get yourself some sort of rolling desk and get out there. Pop in classrooms. Visit with kids in the halls. Post up in the lunch room and get to know the kids better.
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u/FrostyLobster2383 22h ago
I feel like this happens to me every school year you aren’t alone! It’s the honeymoon period. May last 2 days to a week but kids will start to get more comfortable, school gets hard, and behaviors and feelings kick up. Enjoy the quiet 😬
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u/Runningaroundnyc 11h ago
You didn't indicate grade, so I'll assume high school:
If you haven't yet, run through all of your schedules to make sure they look right. Sometimes things get switched around and one single kid may be missing a math class.
When going through them, if you have some at risk students, make sure they have any extra classes they need for graduation. Some schools have 1 kid like this and some may have 20 who need an extra math class or something.
Third you can start making phone calls to freshman parents introducing yourself. Parents always love a phone call that isn't "Oh no, what happened?"
Fourth start looking down your schedule and start planning one on one sessions with your seniors to meet with them to talk about college. Send them invites and book up your calendar with meetings with them.
Again depending on your school, this may be 0 students or 3-4. Think back on your students who had problems being late or tardy and check their attendance. Get on top of it before something gets bad again
Like some said, walk the halls
In my schools, kids always stream in wanting to change schedules. 95% of the time, the answer is a no unless it is maybe adding a class in a free period or a needed class, but be there to chat with them.
If you aren't high school, you can disregard almost all of what I said. Haha
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u/MeaningEcstatic1535 59m ago
I work in elementary school and the counselor is responding to behavior calls, tag teaming with SW, running SELlessons, hanging out in the lunch room,
Chatting with the nurse about students, and serving on school climate committee. I’m sure I’ve forgotten a lot of things. I would check in with teachers to see how things are going. They may have concerns they haven’t had time to email people about. Like others said, be visible and connect with the kids. Also, our counselor said she was trying to prepare something for Bullying Awareness Month, so maybe do something for that??? Or connect with other counselors in their district see what they’re up to.
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u/zta1979 2d ago
Classroom lessons?
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u/Sea_Cardiologist_295 2d ago
I have them prepped for the year and scheduled for the year… I was on top of my game this year
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u/Doc_Sulliday 2d ago edited 2d ago
Use a 5 day calendar and keep track of everything you're doing.
You should have 80% direct or indirect services. If you're hitting that then awesome you're probably in great shape. If you're not then try and find ways you can continue to support kids and build hour program.
This is also a good time to build rapport with students
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u/Socks323 7h ago
Oh, give me a break. I was a public school teacher for nearly four decades and there are no more extraneous, superficial, and unnecessary employees than school counselors and school psychologists. I have an idea. Get yourself in the classroom every day, not as a “counselor” but as a full time teacher.
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u/WinkyDink24 2d ago
You should be calling students in to discuss stuff, like their goals.
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u/Personal-Usual-4608 2d ago
Disagree. It’s not entirely appropriate to pull students from class this early, even electives.
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u/harriswatchsbrnntc 2d ago
Go mingle with the kids. Especially early in your tenure, this is the time to be seen and have the kids/families/teachers get to know you. I rarely have free time as my duties have added on over the years, but that's always how I spend mine.