Take the Lead, and Take Flight

We school counselors might not see ourselves as leaders. Often, we think of our leaders in the building as being our administration; however, we are agents of change and leadership. I like to think of our role in terms of air travel. It starts with the administration in the control tower. They are stepping back and checking/looking at the bigger picture to see that flights are safe and on their routes without incident. The teachers and school staff are the flight attendants. They are attending to the students and meeting their needs through teaching and so much more.

Now we have the pilot: the school counselor. We are using our skills and training to lead the plane (our school) to its destination. Pilots and school counselors are at the controls. This means that we must communicate the needs of our plane/school to the control tower and listen to the teachers and the students. School counselors are working and advocating toward the success of each person on the plane. Through education, prevention, programming, advocating and more, we see to it that our plane lands successfully at its destination.

This is a team effort and for the plane to arrive successfully we must work together. Communication is key, data is helpful and our passion for students energizes us when it comes to school counselor leadership. Our toolbox is full of other wonderful and helpful tools that assist us in our leadership.

I’d like to thank you for flying the friendly skies and for your leadership here in New Hampshire. 
 
Contact Jonathan Cheney, NHSCA past president, at jcheney@wrsdsau59.org.