College Admission Help

Time to Thank a Counselor


Super Sunday has come and gone, and Phil the groundhog has sentenced us to six more weeks of winter. But did you know that the month of February features National School Counselor Week? It’s the perfect opportunity to thank the professionals in our schools who work with teachers to make sure students have stronger self-esteem, clearer academic and career goals, and brighter futures. While counselors may be better known for fixing schedules and doing lunch duty, there are hundreds of thousands of students out there who are college-bound, drug-free, in safer homes, or simply alive, thanks to the behind-the-scenes efforts of these highly committed individuals.

If your holiday budget was entirely spent on guacamole dip last month, don’t worry. The three best ways to thank these low-key workers are free:

First, thank them directly. Counselors are busy people (nationally, there’s only one counselor for about every 400 students), so if all you do is call, write, or walk in to say “I heard it’s School Counselor Week, so thanks for all you’re doing”, that will be more than enough. Any time a counselor gets a message they don’t have to respond to, you’ve made their day, and this is especially true if that note is one of gratitude. The price is right for you, and the value is immeasurable to them.

Second, thank the principal for what counselors are doing. Most of what counselors do is so behind the scenes, others at school often don’t know what’s being done, including the principal. Your word of support reminds principals of the value of counselors, and may get them to think twice before giving counselors duties that take them away from serving students in a professional capacity. Sure, someone has to sharpen the pencils for testing week, but why does it have to be the only person in the building who’s trained in crisis intervention? Your thanks will help balance the perspective.

Third, encourage the principal to hire well-prepared counselors. Budget cuts are leading some schools to lay off counselors, or hire individuals who don’t have the expertise in personal, career, and college counseling needed to help students and their families make strong change and healthy choices. Learning is the top priority at school, and counselors help students learn about themselves, so they can be better students and stronger people. Use your voice to make sure students can find theirs.

Challenging times require us to find ways to live with what we have. Because of school counselors, students understand more about the wealth of what they have, who they are, and what they can become. That’s something we should be thankful for all the time, but especially this month.


Time to Thank a Counselor