Many school counselors began their careers as teachers and may find it less intimidating to conduct guidance lessons than a school counselor who has never been a teacher. Changing your professional identity from teacher to school counselor can be challenging, however. School counselors who are former teachers are often described as more authoritarian, directive, and prone to giving advice than their non-teaching counterparts, because of their previous experiences.
For this discussion respond to one of the two following scenarios:
Current Teachers or Former Teachers: If you were (or are) a teacher studying to become a school counselor, respond to this scenario:
You are leading a classroom guidance session on study skills for middle-school students. The students are inattentive and restless. You find yourself beginning to discipline the students as you would have when you were a teacher. What strategies will you use to present a classroom guidance session as a school counselor rather than a teacher? (What different strategies would you use as a school counselor?)