I believe all students have the ability to learn, all students should be treated with respect and care, and all students are capable of great things with the right supports. Most importantly, I believe that all students are deserving of support, belief, trust, and kindness. All students have the ability to achieve their own version of success. Every individual is just that, an individual, and each student will have a different set of needs and a different ability to achieve in their own way. Part of the concept of justice is that we treat each individual the way they need to be treated. While it is good to generally treat all as equal, in reality, all are not equal and some need extra help, attentions or resources. As The Practioner’s Guide to Ethical Decision Making states, “treating equals equally and unequals unequally but in proportion to their relevant differences”.

As previously stated, each individual will have their own set of needs and a school counselor’s role in advocating includes making sure that an individual student’s needs are being met regardless of the needs of other students (barring any safety issues). Simply put, one student’s needs do not out weigh another’s, but that does not mean that student should not be provided for in another way, if possible. Another part of advocating for students come in the form of teaching students to advocate for themselves appropriately. Additionally, we must look outside of the school setting for additional resources when needed and familiarize ourselves with what is available. This may result in advocacy beyond (such as to the county or state) that if the resources a student needs are not available or offered. I also feel it is important for school counselors to remember we are the student’s advocate, not the schools or the parents. Sometimes the school or parent(s) will disagree with us or what a student needs, but if a student’s needs are not being met and there is evidence that a student will benefit from some type of intervention or resource, we need to push and continue to advocate for that child, even when it is hard. This can help student’s confidence as well, knowing that there is someone out there that cares and is willing to fight for them and their needs.

Ethical standards provide us with the guidelines to make the right decisions in difficult situations as well as everyday situations we may face. These standards provide us with the framework for what our jobs should look like, regardless of what school, district, or state we work at/in. They also protect us when we follow them, allowing us to point to the ethical standards as the source for our choices and actions and support for any issues we may be questioned on. 

All students will be provided with resources, attention, and respect according to their needs as individuals that are unique with a unique set of issues and/or difficulties. When provided with a positive, supportive, and safe environment, all students are capable of success and growth in academic, social/emotional, behavioral, and college and career readiness areas.

Forester-Miller, H., & Davis, T. E. (2016). Practitioner’s guide to ethical decision making (Rev. ed.). Retrieved from http://www.counseling.org/docs/default-source/ethics/practioner’s-guide-to[1]ethical-decision-making.pdf