Self Evaluation
The 2013-2014 school year has been a whirlwind for me; I have learned so much in my first year as a professional school counselor! My experience working as a K-12 school counselor at Colo-NESCO Community School District has been the most challenging, yet most rewarding experience of my career by far. I have definitely experienced moments where I felt like I was in way over my head but I have also had times where I knew with certainty that I do have the potential to be a great school counselor.
When I first sat down and read through the twelve State of Iowa School Counseling Standards it was difficult for me to determine which standards are my strengths. I am always very critical of myself and it was hard for me to say with certainty that any certain standard was a strength of mine. However, as I started to look back through my first year and dig through various documents that I could use as artifacts, I began to see how much I really have accomplished and the areas of strength became more apparent to me.
The three standards that I identified as areas of strength for myself are: standard 3, fostering of relationships; standard 5, career development, education, and postsecondary planning; and standard 7, professional orientation. Working as a K-12 school counselor, sometimes I think it is easy to get lost in paperwork and forget about the relationship aspect of my job. Despite this, I believe I have done very well building relationships with the 500+ students I serve, their parents, the faculty and staff, and the community as a whole. I make time to meet with students individually and in small and large groups. I also hold parent conferences frequently. I make sure to consult with various faculty and staff members about student issues and other activities pertinent to them. I keep the community well informed of what is going on in the Colo-NESCO School Counseling Department using the school website. I believe I excel in career development, education, and postsecondary planning. I have been able to provide students with numerous opportunities to learn about careers and postsecondary education, such as the Colo-NESCO Career/College Fair, trips to college events aimed at specific career fields, and visits from various college representatives—just to name a few. I know professional orientation is a strength of mine; I am constantly seeking out professional development and learning opportunities. I am well aware that there is much about school counseling that I do not know and I am not afraid to admit that and seek out opportunities to improve myself.
The three standards that I identified as areas in need of improvement are: standard 6, assessment and evaluation; standard 9, classroom management; and standard 10, curriculum. In my work as K-12 school counselor, I know there is room for improvement in my utilization of various methods of assessment and evaluation. I am still learning about the education system as a whole and various standardized tests that are often used. I know I can improve my data collection methods and use the results to build a more comprehensive school counseling program. Another area I know I need to work on is my classroom management. This is my first experience teaching large group lessons in a school setting and I know my classroom management skills leave something to be desired. It is comforting to know that many educators experience this; however, I know I must actively work to improve these skills. Curriculum planning is yet another area that I know I can improve upon with experience and continued professional development.
When I first sat down and read through the twelve State of Iowa School Counseling Standards it was difficult for me to determine which standards are my strengths. I am always very critical of myself and it was hard for me to say with certainty that any certain standard was a strength of mine. However, as I started to look back through my first year and dig through various documents that I could use as artifacts, I began to see how much I really have accomplished and the areas of strength became more apparent to me.
The three standards that I identified as areas of strength for myself are: standard 3, fostering of relationships; standard 5, career development, education, and postsecondary planning; and standard 7, professional orientation. Working as a K-12 school counselor, sometimes I think it is easy to get lost in paperwork and forget about the relationship aspect of my job. Despite this, I believe I have done very well building relationships with the 500+ students I serve, their parents, the faculty and staff, and the community as a whole. I make time to meet with students individually and in small and large groups. I also hold parent conferences frequently. I make sure to consult with various faculty and staff members about student issues and other activities pertinent to them. I keep the community well informed of what is going on in the Colo-NESCO School Counseling Department using the school website. I believe I excel in career development, education, and postsecondary planning. I have been able to provide students with numerous opportunities to learn about careers and postsecondary education, such as the Colo-NESCO Career/College Fair, trips to college events aimed at specific career fields, and visits from various college representatives—just to name a few. I know professional orientation is a strength of mine; I am constantly seeking out professional development and learning opportunities. I am well aware that there is much about school counseling that I do not know and I am not afraid to admit that and seek out opportunities to improve myself.
The three standards that I identified as areas in need of improvement are: standard 6, assessment and evaluation; standard 9, classroom management; and standard 10, curriculum. In my work as K-12 school counselor, I know there is room for improvement in my utilization of various methods of assessment and evaluation. I am still learning about the education system as a whole and various standardized tests that are often used. I know I can improve my data collection methods and use the results to build a more comprehensive school counseling program. Another area I know I need to work on is my classroom management. This is my first experience teaching large group lessons in a school setting and I know my classroom management skills leave something to be desired. It is comforting to know that many educators experience this; however, I know I must actively work to improve these skills. Curriculum planning is yet another area that I know I can improve upon with experience and continued professional development.