MASCA
MASSACHUSETTS SCHOOL COUNSELORS ASSOCIATION
VOL. 46, NO. 8
Keeping a Positive Outlook By CHRISTINE EVANS MASCA President
CHRISTINE EVANS
T
he school year is nearly three-fourths completed, and there is still so much to do. In my school we are busy with a wide variety of tasks, from chasing the last of procrastinating seniors to send out their college applications to working on course selections with the eighth-grade students and their parents. All of this — with dozens of other tasks in between. Early spring finds students restless, faculty tired and working hard to fit in more content before spring break, and administrators knee-deep in the budget process. The pressures make the month of March seem longer than it really is, and everyone is left looking forward to vacation. With budget cuts being announced, tension and discouragement in my school are on the rise, and morale throughout the system is at its worst. Conversations with colleagues reveal that my observations are not unique. School personnel everywhere are feeling the same way. With the current economy, rising above negative vibes can be a challenge. But in order to be successful in helping our students, we need to find ways to overcome getting bogged down in the doom and gloom.
This is easier said than done. As school counselors, we have the skills, resources, and knowledge to encourage students when they are down. We help them by listening, responding with care and compassion, and pointing out possibilities. Our students respond positively to these acts of kindness and concern. When our colleagues feel unappreciated and disillusioned, we can use the same skills and extend the same kindness to help lift their spirits. Although we may not have the power to make the financial worries go away, we can do our part to take care of ourselves, our students, and our colleagues. We can rise above negative talk and keep a healthy perspective on our worth. In doing so, we can avoid falling into the trap of becoming part of the problem. As we head into the busy spring season, I urge everyone to take up the charge to make things better in our schools. Each time we overcome the tendency to fall into negative thoughts and words, we do much to raise the morale in our buildings, and we help everyone in the building do a better job. Ultimately, our students will benefit. Stay positive. Put focus and energy into the things you can impact for the better. It is easy to be at our best and enthusiastic when the going is good. The real test of what we bring to our schools is how we lead others to do what is best for students when times are tough. A smile and sincere words of encouragement can go a long way in showing that we care. It costs little to make the effort to brighten someone’s day. In these difficult times, I wish you brighter days ahead. ■
APRIL 2010
Public Agenda Report: ASCA’s Perspective
A
recently released study by Public Agenda illustrates what can go wrong when there are not enough school counselors to support students and when school counselors are placed in positions preventing them from performing the functions they were trained and hired to do. Although the American School Counselor Association, the American Counseling Association, the American Psychological Association, the American Medical Association and other organizations recommend a pupil-to-school-counselor ratio of 250-to-1, the national average is 460 students to one school counselor, with some school districts as high as 1,000-to-1. The result, as this study confirms, is a significantly decreased ability of school counselors to work individually with stu(continued on page 14)
MASCA 2010 Spring Conference Connecting Counselors in the 21st Century April 11-13, 2010 Crowne Plaza Boston North Shore GREAT PROGRAMS GREAT PRICES GREAT SPEAKERS