Author Olivia Carter and first grade students having a class meeting – Picture Credit: OLIVIA CARTER
“You are safe. You are loved. And our school is not complete without you.” This is how every single class meeting ends during my counseling lessons. I am the school counselor at Jefferson Elementary in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. My purpose is to ensure that every student in our building knows that they have a home here.
From the outside looking in, you may see that I teach lessons, work with students experiencing difficulties in the classroom and meet one-on-one to help students navigate tough personal and academic moments. But if you look a little more closely, you see that I collaborate on projects with teachers, disaggregate data to find gaps in how we work with students, and help coordinate programs to ensure students get food for the weekends. In a nutshell, what I really do every day is build relationships.
My journey to school counseling was fairly linear. I earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and started volunteering with Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. Through this incredible organization, I saw the impact that schools have on the community and the importance of relationships. I decided to pursue my master’s in school counseling. During this time, my “little” consistently reassured me that I would be a great school counselor because I was “such a good listener.”
As I moved through my master’s program and into the profession, I found that being a good listener continued to be fundamental. I listen to students when they tell me their names so that each morning I can greet them by name and remind them that I am glad they are at our school. During class counseling, I listen as students tell me the one thing they would like for me to know that day. I listen to students’ challenges and stories. This inspired my colleagues and me to decorate our school with posters of world change makers who are diverse in race, gender, life experiences, and careers. It’s important for students to see themselves reflected in our halls.
Through these foundational practices, I have the opportunity to support each students’ academic, social-emotional, and career development. I teach my students about their brain, so that they have the tools to regulate and learn. I connect their interests and what they are learning to future careers through exploration. I help them learn how to resolve conflicts with their peers through restorative practices. By listening and teaching through a trauma-informed, equity-centered lens, I am better able to connect students to our school and their learning.
OLIVIA CARTER
My hope and passion are that students feel empowered to advocate for themselves and confident in their ability to succeed. They will know their strengths. And above all, they will feel seen, heard, understood, celebrated, and loved in our school.
School counselors have the unique perspective of seeing the whole student. We are the bridge from home and community to the school. By listening to our students and centering their needs, school counselors make schools a better place to learn. Moving forward as the 2021 School Counselor of the Year, I hope to instill a sense that all school counselors make their buildings more complete.
Olivia Carter is the school counselor at Jefferson Elementary in Cape Girardeau, MO, and has been named School Counselor of the Year by American School Counselor Association (ASCA). Motherhood to two young children has further ignited Olivia’s passion for equity-centered, comprehensive school counseling programs.
Article Credit: forbes