I believe all students have the ablility to achive goals, however, not the same goals. Students are not all capable of performing on the same level whethe we are talking about academics or we are talking about social/emotional skills. Every child is a different person with different needs, therefore, requiring different goals be made for each child. I don't think it is fair to assume that all students should be performing on a certain level depending on age when we already know that our bodies development at different rates. I think it's also important not to push college or a certain future on students but rather let them figure out their future goals, themselves and help to obtain them!

It a school counselors job to advocate for every student. This means going to administration, school boards, or even stake holders to be sure they realize the importance of school counseling programs and what the students in the buildings need. Advocating for students also means that the counselor works with teachers of the students to develop plans to help the child be successful both academically and socially. After developing the plan it is also essential to followup to check on the plan and to revise if needed. 

The ethical standards put out by the ASCA guide the work of counselors, by providing them with" standards for school counselors’ aptitudes, including the facilitation of direct and indirect services" (Mullen, 2016). Having standards helps to protect both counselors and their students by giving a set of rules/ imaginary lines not to be crossed. Especially in today's society, it is important to have a list of things you can and cannot do so that there are no misunderstandings; this is also important when working with so many people at one time. 

Using the ASCA model, I will aid all of my students with “academic development, career development, and personal/social development” (Baker, 2011). Afterall, these three areas of a person’s life tie together, in the end.

Baker, S. B. (2011). The state of primary prevention in the American school counseling profession: Past, present, and future. Turkish Psychological Counseling and Guidance Journal, 4(36), 105-113. 

Mullen, P. R., & Lambie, G. W. (2016). The Contribution of School Counselors’ Self-Efficacy to Their Programmatic Service Delivery. Psychology in the Schools, 53(3), 306–320.

            https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.21899