Show and Tell Time!

The author of this entry is Aimee Hospodarsky. Aimee has served on the ISCA board as elementary VP for the last four years and is now the President Elect-Elect.  Aimee is  currently an elementary school counselor in Monticello, Iowa.

As school counselors, we often talk about advocating for our positions and our programs, whether it be to administrators, other staff in our districts, school boards, parents, community members, legislators, or any other audience.  In spite of this, in my conversations with other school counselors, I find this is often an area where counselors feel uncomfortable.  Sound familiar?  Raise your hand if any of these reasons sound like why you might feel uncomfortable with advocacy:

• I don’t like to “blow my own horn”.
•  I’m not enough of an expert.
•  People will think that I’m bragging about what I do.
• I’m uncomfortable talking to groups of people, especially ones I don’t know.  
• I don’t know what I would say.
•  I am not sure people care/are interested.
• The word “advocacy” sounds intimidating to me.  
• I think others are better suited for that than me.

Believe it or not, I have heard all of these and more…and maybe have thought a few of them myself.

However, what if we replaced the word “advocacy” with “show and tell” or “sharing”? Think back to when you were in elementary school and it was your day for “show and tell”.  Maybe it was marked on the calendar on the fridge as a special day.  Or perhaps you are a parent and have helped your own child with his/her own “sharing” day.  Most kids, even shy ones, enjoy those days where they can share something personal to them.  I remember my little brother as an alternative kindergarten student sharing ME one day with his class.  Though he couldn’t say his “r’s” and was a bit quieter than his talkative older sister, it was a special day for him because he was sharing something important in his life.  And, even today as I observe in elementary classrooms as students share things, it’s not only the students who are doing the sharing that seem to enjoy themselves.   What I’ve noticed is the students on the listening end are really attentive when one of their peers is sharing something they are passionate about, even if it’s not a personal area of interest for the listener.

When you get to the root of it, being an advocate really is very much the same thing as “show and tell” or “sharing”.  It’s a few moments of talking to people about something you are passionate about – working with kids as a school counselor.   All you really have to do is tell your story.  Talk about the students you work with in real life situations.  Give examples of challenges in your job.  Explain ways that you’ve delivered interventions to help students conquer hurdles in their lives.  That
is being an advocate – and it doesn’t have to be so intimidating.

This summer, I had the opportunity to attend the ASCA conference in Phoenix.  Being able to go to a national conference is a unique and enriching experience, and is also a unique opportunity for a little “show and tell”!  Here are some of my ideas related to the conference to advocate, share, and promote school counselors/counseling:

• Before you go, let your staff, especially your building principal, know that you are going, and any mention any specific sessions you are planning to attend and what you hope to gain.

• During the conference, use your social media of choice - tweet, post, blog, whatever - about things that you are learning.  Attend sessions specifically about advocacy.  Network during the conference with counselors from all over the country; learn about how they are advocates and share ideas of your own.  

• After the conference, share resources with colleagues in your district or at your school.  Present some learnings from the conference to your staff, school board, PTO, or another group.  Post things from the conference in your office as talking points.  Reflect on your learnings and set goals for your program.  

Becoming a good advocate is a process that doesn’t happen overnight.  However, realizing that we all are advocates worthy of sharing our stories is a step in the right direction.