Have you asked to switch HS counselor

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't worry. they will be switched again and again and again, whether you request it or not.

Whew! I thought they remained the same all four years!

It depends on the school and then if the principal changes so can the decision about whether counselors change.

Not sure about RM, but at Wootton, students have the same counselors all 4 years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't worry. they will be switched again and again and again, whether you request it or not.

Whew! I thought they remained the same all four years!

It depends on the school and then if the principal changes so can the decision about whether counselors change.

Not sure about RM, but at Wootton, students have the same counselors all 4 years.

I think most HSs try this. They all have too many kids to really get to know any except the most challenged, though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The HS counselor assigned to my child at the IB program is making several mistakes in course assignments to our alarm. Before we go ahead and requested a switch, I wanted to see if anyone has asked for a different counselor and has the request been approved? This is for Richard Montgomery. Also, how much do the kids need recommendation letters from the counselors for HS? TIA

Some are drama queens. Watch for a lot of drama

[Anonymous]

I think you may have to bear it. If you complain, there's an 80% chance they'll do nothing.

[Anonymous]

Tell your child to find the counselor they can bond with. Then Ask them in senior year to write the teacher rec too because they have a closer bond. The counselors may not agree but I bet they would. There’s no law or policy against it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Tell your child to find the counselor they can bond with. Then Ask them in senior year to write the teacher rec too because they have a closer bond. The counselors may not agree but I bet they would. There’s no law or policy against it.

Counselors don't have time for extra kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Tell your child to find the counselor they can bond with. Then Ask them in senior year to write the teacher rec too because they have a closer bond. The counselors may not agree but I bet they would. There’s no law or policy against it.

Counselors don't have time for extra kids.

I’m a counselor. If a kid connected with me I’d make time for them. It all balances out. One of my students is likely to connect with one of my colleagues.

[Anonymous]

It is possible to switch, but you need a really good reason, and you need to make your case to the head counselor, and possibly to the grade-level AP and maybe the Principal.

I was able to do it (not at RM), but it used up a lot of time, energy and political capital. And, it was worth it for my DC. FYI, I am a poster from another thread who is still in touch with the counselor after all my kids have graduated HS. Someone said I was a unicorn

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is possible to switch, but you need a really good reason, and you need to make your case to the head counselor, and possibly to the grade-level AP and maybe the Principal.

I was able to do it (not at RM), but it used up a lot of time, energy and political capital. And, it was worth it for my DC. FYI, I am a poster from another thread who is still in touch with the counselor after all my kids have graduated HS. Someone said I was a unicorn

I’m the PP who is a counselor. Please be careful when making requests for a different counselor that you don’t denigrate the current counselor. Make it more about the connection with the new one. Otherwise, that can cause problems for the one you want because it can create ill will in the department, especially if you’re getting admin involved.

[Anonymous]

I switched counselors but our first counselor made an issue with my child’s IEP. They sent us an IEP with our child’s name but the info in it was clearly another’s child’s. It was like they cut and paste. The problem was this went to all our child’s teachers and had very personal incorrect information.

We were assigned a new counselor and that counselor actually left after one year. Our new counselor has been AMAZING.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes

The incompetence was astounding

Most of them stink.

My four kids had the same counselor throughout high school and she was amazing! YMMV.

Which HS?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DD is also at RM and I would love for her to be able to switch counselors but I don't think it's possible given they divvy up the kids by last name. So it's not like if our last name started with W, she could get the counselor for last names starting with As.

How did this counselor make mistakes in course assignments? Could it be a case of your DC requested Class A as first choice with Class C as the second or third choice but was scheduled for Class C? If so, that may have been done because Class A wouldn't have fit in the same schedule as Class B so the only way to make the schedule work is by putting your kid in Class C.

OT, but how do your RM students know which classes they are in for the Fall? Is this on StudentVue already?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DD is also at RM and I would love for her to be able to switch counselors but I don't think it's possible given they divvy up the kids by last name. So it's not like if our last name started with W, she could get the counselor for last names starting with As.

How did this counselor make mistakes in course assignments? Could it be a case of your DC requested Class A as first choice with Class C as the second or third choice but was scheduled for Class C? If so, that may have been done because Class A wouldn't have fit in the same schedule as Class B so the only way to make the schedule work is by putting your kid in Class C.

OT, but how do your RM students know which classes they are in for the Fall? Is this on StudentVue already?

Sometimes they accidentally post schedules visibly before they should. It is in no way final, though, so don't get too happy or discouraged yet.

[Anonymous]

Is it normal for school counselors to ask questions multiple times to children about what gender do they identify with?
Once kid answer the question I wonder why do they repeat such questions? Do they think the kid will give a different answer?

What is the purpose of all these repeated questioning? What curriculum is being thought here?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Tell your child to find the counselor they can bond with. Then Ask them in senior year to write the teacher rec too because they have a closer bond. The counselors may not agree but I bet they would. There’s no law or policy against it.

bond with? You assume that counselors have the best interest of kids in the mind. It may not be the case given so many incidents involving coaches and teachers in MCPS schools