Attending high school is an interesting experience for all the youth involved. While attending high school, students are fully engrossed in the culture of the school. Girls may rush home after school crying about classmates teasing her about her hair. Boys may return from sports practice battered and bruised from bullying. Popularity amongst peers is often the most important thing in these students’ lives; though by the standards of the outside world, high school popularity is almost completely useless. The fact that high school students are all focused on their high school life, it is up to the adults to guide and protect the youth that will eventually be the leaders of the United States.

This is particularly true when it comes to transitioning students from high school to college, and eventually into the real world. While many students will have the drive and determination to ensure that they will succeed in life, the same can not be said about the majority of high school students. As such, many students will rely, often unknowingly, on their school counselors. School counselors, also known as guidance counselors, are to be honored during National School Counseling Week. In 2010, the week will run from February 1st to February 5th with a “Celebrate School Counseling” theme. A school counselor is responsible for guiding students in the rights direction, fitting potential colleges with students according to the talent and potential of each student. A school counselor should be praised for the many things that school counselors are responsible for. These responsibilities include:

• Encouraging students to work diligently to help them develop to their maximum educational potential. This may include talking with students about problems and complimenting them when they do a good job.

• Help students adjust and grow to the changing society of today, effectively preparing them for the dynamic real world after school.

• Work to provide students with skills necessary to learn and succeed in educational institutions.

• Assist students and faculty in preventing violence

• Help students plan their future career and choice of college

• Manage organizational processes and tools that reflective needs of the school

A school counselor is an individual that many students will lean on, as they are hired to qualify to address the needs of all students, young and all, proper and disruptive, through a school counseling program. School counselors around the nation will be acknowledged in the coming week, allowing students, parents, and school faculty to show their appreciation to the hard-working school counselors at the thousands of schools in the United States. Their contribution extends beyond the common conception that school counselors only help students plan their futures. The truth is, a school counselor is responsible for the development of students into successful, productive citizens of society. Through their leadership, advocacy and care, school counselors are relied on to be an adult presence in a student’s life that understands the intricacies and pressures that come with being a high school student.