Badass Teachers Association: BAT member highlight: Increase the number of school counselors in our schools!
Heather Marcus has been a member of Badass Teachers Association for four years. As a member that joins in on our conversations often, she began to have that moment of realization that it was time for more than just talk, it was time to act.
Heather is a school counselor in the Philadelphia School District. Having gone through the Philly school system herself and with both parents being educators, it was a natural pathway for her to follow in their footsteps. After teaching for seven years, Heather went back and got her Master’s in Elementary and Secondary School Counseling. Teaching was a great foundation for her current position. Heather is now employed as one of three school counselors at an academic magnet school. While this school is one of the top schools in the state with a 100% graduation rate and all students moving on to four year colleges, all students need support from school counselors so the job can be very overwhelming.
Being one of three school counselors at a school with 1200 students means that Heather carries a caseload of around 400 students; students that span grades 5 to 12. Currently only two of these counselors are actually funded by the overall district budget. The current principal of the school recognizes the importance of students having access to counselors and funds one of the positions out of the building’s discretionary funds. But that still is not enough. Working with middle and high school students simultaneously comes with many challenges. For example, approximately 60% of the seniors seek early admission into colleges. Early Decision/Early Action college applications are due on November 1 each year. All eighth graders must apply to high school, and this year the District moved the deadline to November 2. So, counselors are working with seniors and eighth graders on applications while also helping students in all grades with mental health issues and other difficulties.
Other responsibilities are carried by these counselors, as are found in any school. Helping students make post-secondary plans, supporting academic and social-emotional needs, meeting with students, families, and teachers when grades are dipping to make support plans CONTINUE READING: Badass Teachers Association: BAT member highlight: Increase the number of school counselors in our schools!
