Introduction
Education often requires a systematic approach that allows achieving greater heights of academic knowledge. In transition periods, the need for support and guidance becomes especially evident. The role of a school counselor is to provide such support and guidance. According to Curry and Milsom (2013), an important part of a counselor’s work in relation to facilitating transitions is to ensure that students and parents are aware of all possible educational alternatives. The second and one of the most crucial counselor’s roles components is working with students to assist them in formulating their transition goals (IRIS Center, n.d.). It is paramount to preserve the maximum level of freedom to the learner in choosing his or her career and education path that matches his or her wishes and abilities.
Main body
Consultations are the tools through which a counselor provides his or her services to those in need. Frequent consultations with stakeholders could improve the transition at each level due to the changing nature of learner’s abilities, skills, and desires (Curry & Milsom, 2013). At the end of elementary school, students usually possess basic social interaction skills, self-knowledge, and education-work relationships. The strategy here could be to enhance those essentials with knowledge of time-management, self-discipline, control, leadership, and teamwork.
Middle-to-high school transition is equally important as career options and other concerns start to pressure students more often. In this case, one of the adequate assistance strategies to implement would be to arrange meetings of parents and their children with high school teachers. In preparation for transitions from high school to college, apart from working with GPA and stressing its importance, it is equally critical for counselors to help students have adequate post-education goals (IRIS Center, n.d.).
The choice of college will depend on what plans a young person has. The success of this selection will depend on how well they establish their goals. As for career readiness, Curry and Milsom (2013) suggest that all developmental aspects of a learner’s education are vital. Having a well-rounded worldview and a developed mind and body seem to be the keys to choosing a suitable career.
Communication with stakeholders is an essential tool for soft guidance and assistance. With families, the strategy will be to confer the idea that a student should develop his or her own preferences based on a variety of information. Parents need to be persuaded to be open to the student’s ideas and talk to him or her more often about education and career. School personnel needs to be informed to encourage students to explore themselves and keep track of their skills, interests, and affections to be able to navigate through education into a career (Curry & Milsom, 2013). The strategy here is to engage the representatives in meaningful collaboration with students and other officials.
Organizing meetings between those parties could be highly beneficial for students and their career choices. Counselors should also communicate actively with community agencies as they may act as future employers. The latter should be encouraged to inform families and students of the employment opportunities.
Conclusion
It was a pleasure for me to share the information about my role as a counselor. I sincerely hope that it clarified any issues you might have had before and encouraged you to approach education choices with greater concern. Should any questions remain unresolved, you are welcome to address me in any convenient way.
References
Curry, J., & Milsom, A. (2013). Career counseling in P-12 schools. Web.
IRIS Center. (n.d.). What is the school counselor’s responsibility in the transition planning process? Page 4: Overview of a school counselor’s roles for transition. Web.