High School Guidance Counselor

As schools cut budgets, counselors feel a pinch

In all, Wagner has to register 600 freshmen in this high school in a suburb north of Miami for their next year�s classes, and help another 200 12th-grade students through college applications and graduation. There are recommendation letters to write, crises to handle. On the one hand, she must monitor low performing students; on the other, she must shepherd a bevy of meticulous students at this A-rated school vying to get into the nation�s most prestigious colleges.

The caseload wasn�t always this high; before, Wagner used to handle just one grade. But two years ago, one of the school�s four guidance counselors retired, and the Broward County School District � the nation�s sixth largest, now facing a shortfall of nearly $172 million � hasn�t replaced her. That left Wagner with the 600 students she previously guided and a portion of the retired counselor�s caseload, divided among the three counselors who remain.

Researchers think these high counselor-to-student ratios are partially to blame for why more students don�t go on to graduate from college. A recent study from Harvard University, for example, cited the nation�s weak guidance counseling system as one of the reasons why more students aren�t making a smoother transition into post-secondary education and careers, and said that many other developed counties dedicate significant more time and resources to counseling.

Even with her limited time, Wagner�s impact is noticeable. Banners to colleges where students have been accepted hang from the walls � this year�s graduating class includes students going to state colleges and prestigious Ivy League universities. Parents and students send her letters of thanks. �It has been an amazing turnaround,� one parent wrote.� �He is now on the honor roll (all As) and seems happier than ever and is planning on college.�

She advises her students with the candor of a strict supervisor and the concern of a caring mother. On a recent weekday, she is scheduled to help register about 20 freshmen for next year�s classes. For many, it�s the first time she�s meeting one-on-one with them. They�re pulled out of a gym class and wait to be called in from a small lobby outside her office.

Families, often reacting to the high caseloads assigned to public school counselors, are increasingly hiring private counselors to help their children get ahead. And the persistent struggles linked to the recession � parents losing jobs, foreclosures that have displaced families for their homes � mean many children are coming to school with a host of worries they didn�t have before.

Battle Red Bag, Vol. 5: My High School Guidance Counselor Used To ...

I am currently in Pittsburgh, PA. That is really of no import to you, but it should explain why the Bag was a tad late today.

Due to the size of this week’s Bag, I had to leave out four or five questions. I’ll use them next week. Promise.

In this week’s bag, we tackle things I hate, kinetic bombing, mythical-animal-based transportation, some movies characters, JJ Abrams, the Texans, 4th of July prep, hypothetical brawls between Texans, cat poop, faked deaths, 16 year old chicks, Halloween costumes, coffins, and my own personal regrets.

First, however, we attempt to frame a very important discussion that every man should have with his wife. Enjoy!

“anonymous”:

How do I get my wife to do a threesome with another chick?

If you listen closely, you can actually hear Tim berating himself for ever suggesting that I do a weekly mailbag.

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