The end of a school year is a very sacred time to me. After every marker has run dry, after every pencil has been sharpened down to the stub, and all the homework has been turned in a graded, I feel like educators can sit back and breathe. They can breathe a sigh of relief that we have made it through another year, take a deep breath of a job well done (or at least finished with all they had), or maybe just gasp for air as they cross the finish line. Any way you look at it, I still feel lucky every year that I have a job that still has somewhat a beginning and an end. This year proved no different.
However, this year was unlike any other end to a school year I have ever experienced. First off, I didn’t get to end the school year in school. Being on maternity leave with twins that arrived five weeks early can cause that. But the other change was that I am switching school districts next year. So this year, as I returned to pack up my office with two 6 week-olds in tow, I will admit, the nostalgia was running high. This has been my only school. I have been THE school counselor here for eight years. I knew the kids, parents, and teachers; and they knew me. Things were great, and I was happy. But like everything else in life, things change. I became pregnant with twins, which no one plans on. I commute 30 minutes to work one way, and money all of a sudden became a huge factor. Long story short, you all know what happens. I apply for a job and get it. I submit my letter of resignation and life goes on. Things like this happen all the time in school districts right? But here’s the thing: i loved it at my school. Sure, all schools and school districts have their issues, but at the end of the day, I loved my job, and the second home that had been created there. As I move onto my new position as a school counselor, even with eight years of experience I have some fears and reservations. If you have ever moved to a new position, I know you have felt the same way. Or if you are moving to a new place, here are some words of advice that I have, and plan on reminding myself of in the year to come: Be patient. Good things take time. Great things take even longer. I know my new school is going to feel different at first. I am going to have to remind myself daily that it will take time for this place to feel like home. But if I give it a fair chance, it can feel like home some day. Be grateful. I am very lucky to have a job in my profession that I love! There was a moment when we toyed with me staying home with our twins, but ultimately we decided financially that I needed to go back to work. Here's the thing: I am not sad about that choice. Do I wish I could spend every moment with my boys? Absolutely. But being a school counselor is a part of who I am, and I feel that going to work every day will make me a better mom. Make connections. It can be really easy to sit in your office and wait for students or teachers to come to you. But you cannot do that. Do something that will make you NEED to talk to every teacher; whether that is creating a monthly character award where a student from each class is nominated, or creating small groups and you are looking for teacher input on students who need to attend. DO SOMETHING. Teachers are your on the frontline when it comes to helping students. You cannot know your students without knowing your teachers. Connecting with teachers will help you become more connected with the school and ultimately make you more happy. Be prepared for some resistance. People do not like change, its a given. There is going to be someone (teacher, student, or administrator) that doesn't like your new idea or wants you to do things the way the old counselor did them. Expect this. Embrace it, and try not to take it personally. We all walk into a building and have a picture of the great things we are going to do. In reality, I know I will only able to accomplished a few of them in my first year. If there is something you want to implement and try, really advocate for it! But if it requires a major role change for your position, try to find a subtle way to implement the change over a few quarters or years. I am not saying to NOT make waves, just be strategic on how you do it. And at the end there will always be someone who is still not happy with what you do, but remember it probably really has nothing to do with you at all. This is a short list of words that I hope will get me through my first semester at my new school, and I hope they can help you too if you are making a professional move of any kind. Change is hard; but sometimes it is necessary. So as I packed my boxes and said my final goodbyes, my heart ached for what I was leaving behind. Eight years of hard work, lots of wonderful memories, and hopefully some touched lives. When I look back at these eight years, I look at how much I have grown personally and professionally. This was my first school counseling job. I truly put my heart and soul into this; I gave it everything I had. And in return, what I received was so much more than I could have expected to gain. My new job and school will not be my first, but it will be new to me. And I intend on putting everything I have into it as well. That's what we do as counselors, we give it all we've got. Here's to the next chapter.
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