Counselors, School Support Staff Toil Amid Scant Resources
From social workers to health clinicians, those who work with teachers to meet students' social and emotional needs are feeling the squeeze
Just three years ago, before his Oregon middle school had a counselor on-site full time, Jeff Steindorf found himself playing that de facto role. Well-liked and trusted at his school, the health and wellness teacher often had students and parents confiding in him about problems with classes, in social circles, and at home. At times, even administrators checked in with Steindorf for his advice on students with behavior problems.
"It fell into my lap," says Steindorf, who is in his seventh year teaching at Yamhill Carlton Intermediate School, in Yamhill, Ore. "It probably took up 35 to 40 percent of my day dealing with these issues that a counselor would take on, … and sometimes I felt I was over my bounds as far as my job title," he says. "But how can you turn away a kid that has a problem?"
The school was eventually able to get a full-time counselor on campus by creating a hybrid role for a counselor and district "behavior specialist," using both...
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