Step One in Training Teachers as Advisors and Helpers to Offer an Open Door for Troubled Students, Parents, and Colleagues

Training teachers as advisors and helpers to intervene, guide and support troubled teens, parents, and educators  is a win-win program for our secondary schools. Why? Let's do the math.  A high proportion of these schools enroll 2,500 or more students.  It's unreal for policy makers to think that a few guidance counselors, socal workers, and school psychologists can meet the growing personal needs of at- risk teens, parents, and educators. A constituency  heading towards the margins of school and community life and becoming locked in a permanent cycle of failure.   

So what's the answer to this growing problem? Who do we turn to  join  in this effort to help  members of the school comunity when they encounter tough times and need a caring adult to guide them out of their troubled lives?  Again , let's do the math. The obvious answer is teachers on the frontlines of the school who daily observe students in need of intervention.  However to get teachers involved as advisors and helpers they need to be sold on this new role, be well-trained in the helping-intervention-referral process, and expected to act, not look the other way, when intervention is clearly needed. No, not every teacher will become a become a great helper but they need to understand, be required, to give it their best shot.  That means helping students, parents, and colleagues becomes a critical element in  the supervision process between administrators and teachers.

This new role for teachers, I called it a "dual" role,  being both an academic teacher as well as personal advisor and helper, calls for an expanded definition of  what is " the work of teachers." For far too long we have allowed teachers to define their role in academic terms. When they observed teens heading for trouble their reaction has often been to say, " not my job to help, that's the counselors job," or to quickly refer these students and absolve themselves from further responsibility to stay involved.  Given the increasing personal problems of students, parents, and colleagues, that definition of " the work of teachers" demands change. 

However any proposal for teachers to take on a dual role will be no walk in the park. We should expect great resistance from teachers to come on board with this new role. And much of their resistance is understandable.  We simply can't expect teachers to embrace this new helping role without vocalizing their discomfort  and anger . They are right when many of them say, " I'm not trained to be a counselor." In  selling this new role it is important to hear their voices, understand their anxiety, and in this beginning process demystify the helping role. That is make it seem doable so resisiting teachers can see themselves as being able to handle this new role without appearing inadequate or a failure. 

One of the best ways to proceed is to help teacher remember how they were helped or not helped with personal problems by a teacher, coach, school nurse, or  administrator..  What helping words and interventions worked to help them solve problems? What were these helpers like? Caring? Involved? At their side when all seemed lost? And what words and interventions did the helpers who  failed them use? What were these helpers like? Aloof? Too busy? Quick to refer them to others? Too busy with college admissions counsling and scheduling? Not a priority?

Using the teachers own personal history serves to help remind them how they were helped or not helped and what words and interventions worked. Words and interventions they can adopt in  this new role and remind them one does not have to have a M.A. or Ph.D in  counseing to help others. And remind them that what is important in helping is one's caring, accessibility, and ongoing support.A person to be counted on. And to suggest by becoming advisors and helpers they will get to know their students, parents, and colleagues well, learn to embrace them on a personal level, and stop hiding behind " I am just an academic teacher" " In  the process, become a real person to others and themselves.

In Step Two to follow I will provide a training process that can be offered by a team composed of skilled counselors and  teachers along with the support of key staff resources such as a school nurse and  administrator. Because of the limit of space this is a simplified version. In Step Two I will list where followers can find a more detailed training process.