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When you do not look like your students.....

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In completing the School Counselor Competency Assessment, at first, I felt like I was missing too much, however, I then realized that I am at the beginning of my schooling and this is to be expected. The mindset section made me feel that I am ready but as I progressed through I started to feel like I am missing many components to becoming a school counselor according to the ASCA National Model. Some of the assessment asked questions that I felt I really couldn't answer at this point because I am not a school counselor. The assessment is an eye-opener to the responsibilities and standards of a school counselor. It allows me to evaluate myself and determine if I will be able to handle the job. The assessment also encourages me to complete this degree. I am excited about all I will learn throughout my journey to a school counselor. I wish there was an assessment for the position I currently hold.

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This is a lesson I taught to 4th and 5th grade girls.

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The results said that I have a strong automatic preference for straight people over gay people. I never thought that my preference was that obvious. I have several associates that are gay. I think that my strong preference recently became more obvious. My daughter has recently disclosed her preference and I have since become very cautious of who and what she is exposed to.
I have to do a better job with acceptance and not reflecting my personal preference onto people.

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The results determined that I have a slight association of harmless items with white people and harmful items to black people. I do feel a bit surprised at these results. I do not feel like white people are less harmless than blacks. I realize that some people regardless of their skin tone may have a tendency to be dangerous. As a counselor I must pay attention to any bias I may have and learn to separate this from my work.

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I Selected To Read the article: Attending To Basic Needs: Implementing Reality Therapy In School Counseling Programs To Enhance Academic Achievement And Career Decision-making Skills. This article is important to me because it discusses the significant gap in achievement in underprivileged students. While prison systems are being built based on the achievement of current elementary school students, what are we doing to help improve academic success?  I believe that our public school system is not designed to tackle the growing achievement gap. When I mention our public school I am referring to the school district that I serve as a literacy assistant. A few years ago, I watched the Ron Clark Story and I admire his philosophy and teaching style. All children are not driven by the same motivation and can not learn or become successful in a one size fit all education. This article addresses this concern and focuses on Choice theory and Reality Therapy to help.

Reality Therapy helps students learn how to help themselves. It helps them to learn more about themselves and their needs and to be in control of their lives. On the other hand, the choice theory is the why and how of our functions. Both focus on building relationships.

Several studies have been completed to support the benefits of reality therapy in schools.

As I have stated before, my interactions with school counselors have always been limited. It was like they were there if you had a problem. Guidance counseling programs throughout my schooling were not very proactive. In high school, they were there to help you, if you needed them as well. I remember my parents assisting me with college planning and career goals, not the guidance office.

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ATTENDING to BASIC NEEDS: IMPLEMENTING REALITY THERAPY IN SCHOOL COUNSELING PROGRAMS to ENHANCE ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT and CAREER DECISION-MAKING SKILLS

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This is a short preview of the document. Your library or institution may give you access to the complete full text for this document in ProQuest.

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I believe that all children have the ability to learn and achieve, no matter their circumstances. Last night as I sat down to do my discussion, I received a notification that one of my scholars was missing. Earlier that day there was a shooting in the neighborhood. I felt so hurt. As I have mentioned before, I am at a school that serves three of the largest low-income housing projects in Charleston. Our school’s parent advocate immediately jumped on the phone to contact mom. Other teachers that are advisors for our school girls group started getting prepared to go join the search for her. As I was putting on my shoes, we received confirmation that she was at a friend’s house and was now home.

After all the excitement, I just put my stuff away because my nerves were shot. These children live in environments were 🤬, killing, staying out late, and partying are all the norm. However, I believe that these scholars need a change and some encouragement. They need to know that someone genuinely cares and believes in them. They are in the middle of a generational dilemma. By changing the thought process and focus of these scholars we can make a difference. If you know better you will do better. We must teach them better. My goal as a school counselor is to advocate for these students and make sure that they are receiving everything that they need to succeed. I am a strong believer in EXPOSURE, EXPERIENCE, AND EDUCATION. I will do my best to make sure that I advocate for all my scholars to ensure that they have the opportunity for exposure, experience, and education. Ethical standards guide the work of school counselors by giving specific guidelines to help counselors understand and acknowledge their responsibilities as a counselor.

Every student can be a scholar and deserves the chance to succeed. The road to becoming a scholar comes with trials, disappointments, and difficult emotions, however, this does not mean one should give up. Change begins with experience, exposure, and education. As a counselor, I will do my best to make sure all students, regardless of their back story, will be treated as scholars and have every opportunity possible to experience, exposure, and education.