How often has your child had to switch high school guidance counselors?

[Anonymous]

Straw poll here - has your child had a different guidance counselor every year, either by policy or by attrition? Is there a concrete advantage to building up a relationship with a guidance counselor or is it better to develop grit by adapting to a new person every year? Has your school ever decided to redistribute students among existing counselors, by making Mr. Smith the counselor of students A-F one year instead of A-G the previous year?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Straw poll here - has your child had a different guidance counselor every year, either by policy or by attrition? Is there a concrete advantage to building up a relationship with a guidance counselor or is it better to develop grit by adapting to a new person every year? Has your school ever decided to redistribute students among existing counselors, by making Mr. Smith the counselor of students A-F one year instead of A-G the previous year?

Just graduated senior had 3 different counselors, current 11th graders is on the second. Two of the changes were a counselor leaving, and one was a redistribution of caseload. Honestly, I don't think it matters for most kids. If they are on track to graduation and don't have real need for counseling, then switching counselors doesn't impact them. I wouldn't have my kid try to develop a relationship with their counselor for any special purpose like college recommendations - that's a waste of both of their times. Kids that truly need the counseling services will actually still continue to see their old counselor, if they have a good relationship and it is best for the student. Kids that are struggling to meet graduation requirements often also have an administrator and another leadership person looking out for them. They get a team approach.

[Anonymous]

Do kids meet with guidance counselors? I don't think I ever met with mine in HS, maybe once around college application time.

[Anonymous]

I have a rising junior who has the same GC for all three years. GC has been at the school for many years.

[Anonymous]

I’m a school counselor. I think there’s a lot of benefits to having the same one throughout when possible. People leave, of course, and you can’t help that. I’ve always been assigned a portion of the alphabet. Middle schools tend to do it by grade, but they usually cycle with the kids. I always ask students for an info sheet that’s somewhat like a resume, and request an interview meeting with them too if they’re new to my caseload at college admissions time. I want to write the best letter possible. If you’re in this situation, I’d advocate for this kind of meeting with the counselor.

[Anonymous]

Counselor again—MCPS also has a first in first out policy, so I’ve been moved (not by choice) a couple times. I think that policy needs to be revisited.

[Anonymous]

OP here - maybe I should add that my student has a 504 plan, so we actually do yearly meetings together. It looks like our school has a formal mechanism for requesting a continuation of the same counselor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here - maybe I should add that my student has a 504 plan, so we actually do yearly meetings together. It looks like our school has a formal mechanism for requesting a continuation of the same counselor.

Yes, counselor here. I'd email your counselor, copy the principal to say you want to continue along the path (bonus points if you say something nice about him or her!) and then also do the formal process. I hang onto students when I think it's in their best interest. I always do some "trading" with other counselors before school starts so we can give students who need it some extra consistency. I'm sure this also happens elsewhere. We don't ask permission though--we just do it. Sometimes thats the best way to go in MCPS! So maybe reach out first to the counselor and ask for some guidance.

[Anonymous]

My older DD had two, but I wish she’d had three! The second one was just awful and stayed with her 10-12th. He was incompetent, lazy, and rude. And I used to be his colleague so he bragged that he made special efforts for my DD as a professional courtesy. If that’s the case, I shudder imagining what he was like for other students. He retired a couple years ago. No one was sad to see him go.

[Anonymous]

My kids H.S. assigns alphabetically so both my kids had the same all through H.S. I wish they switched them around because we aren't a fan of the GC. I've heard him tell the same story about how his sister selected college at least 4 times... he acts like we are stressed out parents if we ask the smallest question.

[Anonymous]

We had a 504 plan but GC did nothing beyond required yearly meeting during which he rolled over the accommodations in about 10 minutes. I would love to see the college letter that he wrote as he really did not know my kid at all. Had 2 in the 4 years.

[Anonymous]

Mine had one but she went on maternity leave twice during his 4 years and there wasnt a great back up system. The second leave was fall of senior year in the heat of college applications which was a bit challenging.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Mine had one but she went on maternity leave twice during his 4 years and there wasnt a great back up system. The second leave was fall of senior year in the heat of college applications which was a bit challenging.

Oh, goodness! That's a tough one! If I were in charge I would have reassigned that counselor to only sophomores and juniors that year. I can see why it's so tough to assign counselors.

[Anonymous]

My child's counselor is no longer on the school's website but she is listed on the MCPS directory as still being at our school. I don't know who he will have this year given she was removed from the school website but the MCPS directory wasn't updated.

[Anonymous]

That's weird--the mcps directory should be updated. I just noticed the opposite about a teacher at my school--on the school website but listed as unassigned on the county website. weird.