Jaclyn Dehner is a School Counselor at Findley Elementary in Des Moines. She will be joining the ISCA board as 2016-17 President Elect-Elect.
From the very beginning of our graduate programs, as professional school counselors, we are educated on the importance of advocacy. It is our role to advocate for those who do not have a voice; students with unmet needs, families with barriers, and even teachers without support. We are bred to be the change agents in the field of education, rising to every obstacle, in hopes of making a difference. However, as education reform continues, it is time for us as school counselors to stop and view advocacy from a new perspective. There is an old proverb that states: “Give a man a fish and you will feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you will feed him for a lifetime.” This proverb can effortlessly connect to the relationship between advocacy and students. As school counselors, it is natural for us to advocate on behalf of our students but teaching them to advocate for themselves is much more atypical.
At Findley Elementary School, we refer to all of our students as dreamers. From the moment students’ walk-in through the front doors, they are reminded of their ability to dream big, aim high, and believe. A natural culture-and-climate of this statute allows students to feel an overall positive sense of self-worth and importance. It only seemed fitting, as the school counselor, to teach students their ability to advocate on behalf of their beliefs. Inspired by the proverb mentioned, I decided to make a conscious effort to teach my elementary students how to use their voice to make a difference. With the assistance of my fifth-grade teachers, we selected students to attend the Iowa School Counselor Association’s (ISCA) Visit the Hill Day held last March.
In best efforts to enhance the overall experience of visiting the State Capitol, I invited ISCA’s lobbyists, The Capital Group, to Findley, where they educated the students on government, lobbying, and current bills. This insight allowed the students to mentally and intellectually prepare for their visit to the hill. On March 7th, with the assistance of Billy Kirby from the I Have a Dream Foundation, we escorted six Findley Elementary students to Visit the Hill. After having the opportunity to hear from multiple speakers and learning how to give “elevator speeches,” we headed straight for the State Capitol where we first started our visit with a private tour from one of the restoration artists on site, Zack Bunkers.
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| Pradeep Kotamraju, CTE Bureau Chief and VTH Keynote Speaker |
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| Representative Ruth Ann Gaines |
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| Senator Dick Dearden |
After learning about the prestigious history of the State Capitol building, students were eager to start “calling out” legislators. At only the age of 10, Findley students exuded bravery and passion as they spoke to both Senators and Representatives on educational topics relevant to them including student-to-counselor ratios, funding, conservation efforts, and college and career readiness.
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| Representative Tedd Gassman |
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| Calling out Senator Dick Dearden |
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| Senator Dick Dearden |
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| Miss Iowa |
Following the Visit the Hill event, students invited the Director of the Iowa Department of Education, Dr. Ryan Wise, to Findley Elementary School. Dr. Wise’s visit included a tour of the school and a meeting with the six students who lobbied at the State Capitol. The meeting with Dr. Wise allowed the students to reflect on their experience as well as open a discussion for their opinions on important educational topics.
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| Iowa Department of Education Director Ryan Wise visiting Findley Elementary |
No longer was I standing alone, as the school counselor, speaking on the behalf of my students and colleagues. Instead, I stood tall and proud as I observed my students “fishing” on their own; using their own voice to advocate for what they believed to be impactful on their education.
