https://padlet.com/kerleyk/mjgulv5hvwmp en-us 2018-08-25 15:42:27 UTC 2018-08-26 21:24:57 UTC hello@padlet.com kerleyk https://padlet.com/kerleyk/mjgulv5hvwmp/wish/275321406 Upon completion of a Master of Education in Guidance and School Counseling, I hope to be employed as a school counselor in secondary education. I will aim to help students not only with their academic goals, but their personal and social needs as well. 

]]> 2018-08-25 15:45:54 UTC https://padlet.com/kerleyk/mjgulv5hvwmp/wish/275321406 kerleyk https://padlet.com/kerleyk/mjgulv5hvwmp/wish/275321758 The top five legal and ethical issues I learned while interviewing Tori Talbert and Julie Lewis, both school counselors at Wester Middle School, are:

1. David's Law - Since David's Law was passed in 2017, school counselors and administrators are now having to deal with issues of cyberbullying that comes through students' phones, even if the bullying doesn't take place during school hours.
2. Confidentiality - School counselors are required to keep a lot of information to themselves. It can be hard from a teacher's perspective not knowing the full story about what is going on with a student and thinking the counselors are choosing to withhold information, but really they have a legal obligation to only share certain information.
3. Bullying - Bullying has been a major issue in middle school. Children are transitioning to bigger schools, they are meeting new people, hanging out with new friends, and trying to figure out who they are and where they belong. This age of kids are very susceptible to following the crowd or doing what the cool kids are and it becomes a stage for bullying to take place. 
4. Suicide - With suicide being on the rise in recent years, counselors' roles are more crucial than ever to help students.
5. Crossing Lines Happens Often - After speaking with these counselors, I learned they have to rectify problems a lot more than I realized. School counselors are often having to clean up messes other people made, such as teachers crossing certain lines with students or parents. Even though the teacher may think all he/she is doing is being helpful, the counselors sometimes have to reiterate there is a line that cannot be crossed. ]]> 2018-08-25 15:53:42 UTC https://padlet.com/kerleyk/mjgulv5hvwmp/wish/275321758 kerleyk https://padlet.com/kerleyk/mjgulv5hvwmp/wish/275325472 Arming Teachers - An article from Education Week reiterates the problem of school shootings and whether or not arming teachers will be the best solution (Education Week Staff, 2018). The article describes a very split vote on the issue.]]> 2018-08-25 17:00:31 UTC https://padlet.com/kerleyk/mjgulv5hvwmp/wish/275325472 kerleyk https://padlet.com/kerleyk/mjgulv5hvwmp/wish/275325639 Free Speech - An article from Education Dive describes a battle of whether or not free speech limits what is taught on university campuses (Paterson, 2018). The article describes an initiative now in place to "highlight issues about campus media and advocate for laws protecting them" (Paterson, 2018).]]> 2018-08-25 17:05:19 UTC https://padlet.com/kerleyk/mjgulv5hvwmp/wish/275325639 kerleyk https://padlet.com/kerleyk/mjgulv5hvwmp/wish/275336614 In step two, I identified the topic of arming teachers to solve the current issue of school shootings in the United States. As a teacher myself, I strive to make sure students feel safe in my classroom every day, and the thought of these children being killed in what should be a safe environment is sickening. ]]> 2018-08-25 21:47:43 UTC https://padlet.com/kerleyk/mjgulv5hvwmp/wish/275336614 kerleyk https://padlet.com/kerleyk/mjgulv5hvwmp/wish/275374184 While researching this topic through the Angelo State University library, I came across an article that efficiently describes the lack of evidence proving that arming teachers will make students feel safer and more secure in classrooms.

Rajan, S., & Branas, C. C. (2018). Arming Schoolteachers: What Do We Know? Where Do We Go From Here?. American Journal Of Public Health, 108(7), 860-862. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2018.304464]]> 2018-08-26 15:08:18 UTC https://padlet.com/kerleyk/mjgulv5hvwmp/wish/275374184 kerleyk https://padlet.com/kerleyk/mjgulv5hvwmp/wish/275375688 In this article, the implications of arming teachers is explored in depth.]]> 2018-08-26 15:32:13 UTC https://padlet.com/kerleyk/mjgulv5hvwmp/wish/275375688 kerleyk https://padlet.com/kerleyk/mjgulv5hvwmp/wish/275375953 2018-08-26 15:36:09 UTC https://padlet.com/kerleyk/mjgulv5hvwmp/wish/275375953 kerleyk https://padlet.com/kerleyk/mjgulv5hvwmp/wish/275378161 After researching the important topic of whether or not to arm school teachers to protect their students in case of an active shooter situation, there is an overwhelming response to not arm teachers. In the article titled, "Arming School Teachers: What Do We Know? Where Do We Go From Here," the article discusses how the school climate could change if teachers were armed. The article states, "Specifically, school climate includes a range of characteristics that help define the quality of a child's learning environment..." (Rajan and Branas, 2018). This quote stuck out to me because it all boils down to the fact that students need to feel safe at school. We, as educators, need to do everything in our power to ensure the quality of a child's learning environment is as positive, safe, and nurturing as can be so that our students can be the best they can be, and this article really made that clear for me.

In the second article, "Arming Teachers and School Staff," I learned more about how important this topic is to educators because it is the safety of ourselves and our students. I also learned more about the responsibilities and liabilities that would come with arming school staff. Questions are posed that really made me think about all the ramifications arming teachers could bring. I also thought after reading this article that instead of arming teachers, we should "arm" schools with more counselors who are qualified to talk about mental illness with students. My future work relates to this topic because schools need counselors who can determine who needs significant help so that issues like school shootings could potentially be prevented. 

In the end, I have learned that giving teachers guns could have more consequences rather than benefits. Instead, if we take a more natural approach and have counselors talk more about mental illness then there would be a great chance to see positive changes. ]]> 2018-08-26 16:09:19 UTC https://padlet.com/kerleyk/mjgulv5hvwmp/wish/275378161 kerleyk https://padlet.com/kerleyk/mjgulv5hvwmp/wish/275380612 Arming Teachers and School Staff. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.schoolsecurity.org/trends/arming-teachers-and-school-staff/

Nadworny, E., & Cardoza, K. (2016, November 04). Middle School Suicides Reach An All-Time High. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2016/11/04/500659746/middle-school-suicides-reach-an-all-time-high

Paterson, J. (2018, June 19). No consensus on how to handle free speech on campuses. Retrieved from https://www.educationdive.com/news/no-consensus-on-how-to-handle-free-speech-on-campuses/525872/

Rajan, S., & Branas, C. C. (2018). Arming Schoolteachers: What Do We Know? Where Do We Go From Here?. American Journal Of Public Health, 108(7), 860-862. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2018.304464

Staff, E. W. (2018, August 24). Should Teachers Carry Guns? The Debate, Explained. Retrieved from https://www.edweek.org/ew/issues/arming-teachers.html ]]> 2018-08-26 16:52:10 UTC https://padlet.com/kerleyk/mjgulv5hvwmp/wish/275380612