[00:00:10] Speaker A: Welcome to Owlcast, the official podcast of ACS Athens.
This is the president's edition.
Listen to the exciting story of the american community schools of Athens.
The president of ACS Athens, Dr. Peggy Bolonius, engages with various stakeholders in our community, education and thought leaders, distinguished personalities, and experts in international and higher education.
Here's your host, John Pavadakis.
[00:00:47] Speaker B: Welcome to the first episode of the outcast President's edition with Dr. Peggy Pelones, president of ACS Athens.
In this episode, we unbundle and explore the vital role of K twelve counselors and advisors in our education system of international schools. We're exploring the multifaceted importance of these professionals in ensuring the safety, well being, and holistic development of our children. In recent years, schools have faced an escalating mental health crisis among students, from anxiety to depression. The emergence of these issues has underscored the crucial role counselors play in providing essential support and intervention. But it's not just about individual cases, it's about taking a systemic approach. By breaking down the compartments within the school operation, we can work towards a common goal of fostering a supportive environment for every student. Yet there's a hurdle to overcome the it's not my job mentality among FU teachers. We'll discuss how educators can become the first responders in addressing student issues, bridging the gap between classroom instruction and emotional support 2020 was a milestone year, unveiling the depth of mental health challenges exacerbated by social isolation and emotional strain of the COVID years. Mixed messages, especially regarding the response to initiatives like DeijB, diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, and belonging, further complicate the landscape for students. So what should we teach students to prepare them for an uncertain future? We'll explore the balance between technical skills and social emotional learning, emphasizing resilience and adaptability. Moreover, we'll discuss the importance of fostering global perspectives and personality development while encouraging local action for global impact. After all, problem solving profiles evolve with age and developmental stages, but success doesn't happen in isolation. The discussion highlights the critical role of deliberate programs involving faculty and parents in the success of counseling intervention. It's not just about showcasing counseling on posters around the school. It's about integrating into the curriculum. From allied groups to leveraging technology for innovative education, we're exploring ways to redefine success beyond traditional metrics. Resilience and managing expectations become essential tools for navigating the educational journey. Joining today, Dr. Pelonis are Cheryl Brown, founder and executive director of International School Counselor association. She has an MA in international affairs and french studies. With over 13 years of experience in international schools, Cheryl has demonstrated her passion for education through her extensive work in high school counseling across six countries. In addition to her background in education, Cheryl has made significant contributions to NGOs, multinational corporations, and government organizations worldwide. Also with us today is Brooke Fesler, founder and associate executive director of ISCA. Brooke has MMA in counseling and since 2005 she has worked across five countries, making a significant impact in the field of education. Before her career in counseling, Brooke gained valuable experience working in advertising and marketing for major agencies in the United States. Brooke is also the co developer and co researcher of the International Model for School Counseling programs. Published in 2011 and 2022, this podcast was recorded as the annual conference of the International School Counselor association was being held in Athens March 7 to nine, where the focus was keeping our students safe through diversity, equity, inclusion, justice and belonging. This theme shaped the in person, two and a half day event offering workshops, keynote talks, panel discussions, and workshops from counselors and leaders in the field. Centered around deijb principles, the International School Counseling association provides leadership and advocacy for the profession of school counseling in international schools through resources, professional development, and a collaborative network benefiting student success in the global community.
Here's Dr. Peggy Palones.
[00:05:24] Speaker C: First of all, thank you both for being here. Cheryl and Brooke, it's been a long time since ISKA has come to Athens, and it's really exciting to have you both here. And I just want to start with, the theme of this year's conference is safe and sound, keeping our students safe and our programs strong. Can you tell me a little bit about what inspired you to think about this? What brought this about?
[00:05:46] Speaker D: Yeah. When we think about just different things happening around the world and what we really want for our students, the experience that students can get from their schools is we know that it's really important, first, for students to be able to grow mentally, emotionally and physically is to know that they're in a safe environment. And so that was a big part of what we wanted to focus on for our conference was the programs that counselors are helping develop. Being a part of in their schools is all about keeping kids safe. And the sound part of the theme really is making sure that it's comprehensive, that there's a strong foundation of what we want students to learn out of the programs, that counselors, and not just the counselors, but the entire community of the school. Because we always like to say that counselors are the heart of the school, where we understand what's going on in the classroom, we connect a lot with our administrators. And so we have a different focus than others in the building about the student body. And so it's really important for us to make sure that students in everything we're doing in a school, they have a caring adult, that they feel safe, and that what we're teaching through the different areas of our school, that it's a strong program that's comprehensive and a firm foundation.
[00:07:05] Speaker C: I'm glad to hear, Cheryl, that you said this is not just a counselor thing because it's so important. I think we are witnessing the rise of the mental health crisis. We certainly are seeing it in the schools. And I know that there are many reasons for this, and we can elaborate on that a little bit. But it's so important to see this systemically. And it doesn't rest on the shoulders of the few, the counselors in the school to do certain things to fix whatever issues are, but it has to be everybody involved. What do you think about that?
[00:07:40] Speaker E: Yeah, absolutely. It's a shared responsibility of all of us, parents, faculty, teachers, administrators, leadership, counselors, to care and support for the children. And we have to work in harmony to do that. I think it's easy sometimes to compartmentalize and you do this and you teach science and you teach first grade, and that is your zone. But we know that we create better schools and better children when we all work together. The idea of it takes a village to raise a child, and it really does. We can only do that when we're working well together. And so while, yes, we do have our program, a counseling program, it is a shared responsibility of all of ours to develop the social emotional capacity and skills and knowledge of students. And we have to work closely with our parents in that as well, that they are partners in that process. Of course, they have, I feel like one of the hardest jobs in raising children. And to be partners with the school and the different people who connect with your child is really important. And one of those being the counselor. So, yeah, I think it's systemically, it is about the programs that we're developing to raise children well throughout K to twelve.
[00:09:04] Speaker C: And I think one of the comments that I'm hearing throughout is there's an element of fear attached to this because the teacher will often say to you, well, I'm here to teach biology. I'm here to teach first grade. I'm here to teach, I see a lot of caring people. Obviously, to be in education, you have to care about kids, otherwise you have no business being there. Right. But the fear of I'm not a professional I don't know what to do. Where do I take it from here? That is a big part of the or one more thing I have to learn to do. I'm trying to get kids to get through the exams. I'm trying to get kids to get to their colleges. One more thing I have to do.
[00:09:41] Speaker D: Yeah, we hear that a lot. And through what we do at Isco, we are also trying to help build the capacity of teachers to know that we're all, Asbrook said. It's a shared responsibility and so we also have offerings for teachers. There's a really great program called Youth Mental Health First Aid, which really gives teachers some more capacity to understand. Here are some ways that it won't be so fear based thinking of working with students who might be going through some difficult times. They're not the counselor, but it gives them more language that they can use. So it helps the teacher for any of the fears that he she, they may have to know what language they can use, what questions to ask, so then they can get the student help. So no more are they going to say, this is not my job, I'm not the social emotional adult in the building, but knowing that through training they can become even more confident about dealing with the first wave of a situation that may come up for a student in their classroom. Because one thing that we recognize too as counselors is we don't see our students every day. It's the teachers out of anyone in the entire school. I mean, of course the parents see their child every day, but the teacher is really the first line of defense, so to speak, because they're seeing their students every other day. Some schools it might be every day. So it's really important to also give the adults in the building the training that they need. So understanding where that fear is coming from and then trying to find a solution to help them not be so fearful of the conversations because we really do rely on the teachers to do a scan in the room of maybe what might be different for the student today and for them to maybe hopefully feel comfortable asking a couple of questions through some of the training that they may do and then get the student to the counselor or make a referral to the counselor so we can figure out a little bit more what might be happening with the student. But it's really the teacher who sees the students every day. And that's why it's important for all of us in the building to work together and know how it all fits together.
[00:11:47] Speaker C: And it's so natural for a teacher to notice, as you said.
[00:11:51] Speaker D: Yeah.
[00:11:52] Speaker C: So we try to do through our advisory programs to offer that opportunity for them to touch base other than academics. And so they notice and asking the question, how are you doing today? So what you're really doing is providing, as you said, the language and giving them permission to ask certain things until it goes beyond their scope. And then they can refer to counselors and so on and so forth. That's so important. So as we're talking about this, let's talk a little bit about the mental health crisis. What is going on? You've been in so many international schools, both of you, and certainly international schools. Do they pose more of a challenge than national schools? What's going on? Why is this rising?
[00:12:38] Speaker D: One thing that we've seen, I think all of us can have. We have that the year in our mind very clearly, 2020, where so many things changed for all of us. And one thing that I've heard and experienced with a lot of counselors around the world is they're seeing how things are different after 2020, where maybe students were just like many of us. We were socially isolated. We didn't have the friends around us. And now when they've come back to their campuses, and as we think about this, a lot of schools came back at different moments of time. Not everyone came back in person right away. In fall 2020, we had schools in Asia who were still doing online learning. And so it's an interesting phenomena that's happening even now. And what I'm also hearing is that the phenomena is still happening in universities. So I always ask counselors, like, when they're seeing a lot of instances of maybe anxiety, depression, I ask them what year was the student in? 2020? And so, for example, maybe right now it's a grade eleven student or the grade eleven student body. They work backwards and see where that student was in 2020 and start to really understand, okay, maybe they weren't even at our school because as you said, Peggy, we have lots of countries around the world with a lot of great, say, mental health services and then some that maybe they don't have as many mental health services servicing international students in the language that they need. I think that's also a big issue, too. Some countries students don't have as much access to mental health services in the language that the student needs. And so when counselors are thinking about the timeline of 2020 and where the student is now, it helps shape it up a little bit more. And we feel that it's so important for us to have strong programming because of that. So through our SEL program. I love that you mentioned advisory. I think that's such an important part of a school's curriculum, is having advisory run through and to help with some of those relationship building and having students understand themselves, know who the trusted adult in the building is. But it is a phenomenon that I'm seeing, too, with a lot of the mental health issues happening in the world, but the main ones I'm hearing about are anxiety and depression, and unfortunately, it's continuing into university. What do you think, Brooke?
[00:15:08] Speaker E: Yeah, I think there are a lot of factors at play, obviously, with international students, but across the world, I think know since COVID mental health, we're talking about it more and the stigma has gone away. And so I think between the conversations that we're all having, the fact that we're normalizing, it allows other people, it gives empowers them to be able to talk about what they're going through and seek support.
I think through social media, we've seen a lot of young people going to social media to work through their challenges and find support, so they're having a lot more exposure to it. And again, it's normalizing some conversations.
So I think definitely there has been an increase, but I think there's also just been an increase in awareness and conversation about it. Definitely in our international schools, we have that extra layer of our cultural identity, our home identity, going through transitions and changing schools and the process that that takes. So those layers for international school students are still really present on top of all of the other social emotional challenges that they experience on an everyday basis.
So I'm encouraged by the conversations that we're having around mental health and the support that people seem more willing to give and to receive. I feel like since I've been in working as a school counselor in the past, I would say like five or six years, there's more acceptance from families to seek support for their child more, like I said, conversations around that, but there's definitely a lot at play.
And I think as things start to settle down, we're kind of coming out of a bit of some of the effects of specifically COVID. But of course, there's situations happening around the world right now that are really challenging. And so I think we have to really consider how we are all processing the impact of all these, what's happening in the world.
Are we talking about it? Are we giving skills to the kids to be able to understand it, to process? Yeah, there's a lot of heaviness out there.
[00:17:35] Speaker C: There is. And I agree with you that it's something that we talk more about and the stigma is slowly disappearing. But the idea that we all go through issues doesn't mean that there's something wrong with us. It's just life. Sometimes you cope better, sometimes you don't cope as well. And even adults, even those of us who are psychologists or counselors.
So do you feel that the anxiety and depression, the rise in anxiety and depression, that's primarily due to COVID, due to the skills that were not learned? Or is it more existential in the sense that because of this chaos right now in the world, so many things happening, the fast pace, things changing very quickly, overwhelming. I'm hearing a lot of questions to the effect of what's the point? What's the point of getting a degree anymore or doing the world's changing. AI is changing everything. Tomorrow there won't be jobs for us, blah, blah, blah. The other thing is, why would I want to move in any one of those traditional directions when everything is so unknown? Is that part of it? Or is it the skills that were not developed during that time?
[00:18:51] Speaker D: It's hard really, to pinpoint, but I think the best answer is there's a lot of things happening because I'm just sitting here reflecting too, of other things that really rose up during COVID in 2020. We also have to add in that there was a lot of talk too, about racial injustice.
So we're also seeing that big rise of Deijb work.
It's confusing. It's confusing in the sense, are we moving fast enough as an international school community? And then we layer that on with maybe what's going on in other countries, because even when you look at what's going on in the US right now, we have some states that are actually disbanding their Deijb work because they feel it's not important. So I think there's a lot of mixed messages for students. One thing I loved about what came out of COVID was students'voices really rose up. Maybe for some schools, it was hard to hear the truth of students, students who felt maybe there was racial injustice happening in their own international schools. But it made us start talking about these issues. And I think we have to also make sure we're giving students the skills to be able to handle these conversations, to maneuver through the difficult conversations, because we're going to see that for a long time around the world. When we think of even the civil unrest happening in different countries around the world, a lot of that also deals with maybe a difference of opinion, difference of religion, lot of different factors. So I'm hoping students are not saying what's the point? But we as adults, the adults in the building, we need to start thinking of what skills do we need to teach students. It's not a matter of just their english class, french class, mathematics class. It's about their social skills so that they can maneuver as smooth as possible through their adult life. And that's really for us, it's like that's really the role of the counselor in the schools. We're not the only ones teaching that, but we're always trying to keep that in the forefront for everyone. It's not about making sevens on every IB score, every IB test. It's about having students have the skills so they can also do well and thrive in university. Because I think that's another thing that's really happening is students maybe some of the effects from COVID not having all the social skills that were maybe missed during the COVID time, but we're also just seeing students not be as successful in university. And to me that's also a sad point to bring up because we know too the mental health crisis in universities. They are feeling the crunch where a lot of universities don't have enough counselors at the university level to deal with what they're seeing on the university campus. And so it doesn't just end in high school, it's continuing to university. And so one of the best things that we can do is give students the skills as early as possible.
Remember that they're human beings and not just someone who is really good in math, someone who's really good in science. But we're really here to develop the human, really having them feel firm about who they are so they can maneuver and be able to pivot when they need to.
[00:22:17] Speaker B: You are listening to outcast President's edition. Stay with us as we unpack the many layers of importance surrounding the function of K twelve counselors and advisors and envision a future where every student thrives. Talking to President Palones are Cheryl Brown, founder and executive director of International School Counselor association, and Brooke Fesler, founder and associate executive director of ISCA.
[00:22:52] Speaker C: We talk a lot about building psychological muscle in the school and creating these mindsets of kids positioning themselves to be problem solvers so that they're not feeling victims of circumstances, of change, of technology, all of these things. And if you do that, I think from an early age and you build that psychological muscle, then there's a meaning, they develop a meaning, they have a purpose, then they define their purpose. Eventually, and they initiate projects. And one of the ways I think that to be able to do that is to help them contribute to what we call improving life and living on the planet. Improving my life, somebody else's life on the planet. Right. Do you agree with this? Is this something that fits? Because I know you developed a model, international model for school counseling programs, and I want to know more about that because it sounds like a comprehensive model. And what do you think about getting kids involved into being problem solvers and initiating change and initiating impact and creating local action for global impact and things like that?
[00:24:02] Speaker E: It's fantastic. That's amazing. I think that's great. That that's a focus that you have at the school. It absolutely goes along with what our student standards address, which are really focused on what do we want students to know and be able to do. And so it's looking at social, emotional, global perspective and identity development, their academic and their career. So that is focused on those skill developments, being problem solvers. Right. Understanding how to navigate difficult circumstances, being self aware. And so that is the work that the standards are out there for all schools, anyone at the school to use it is not specifically for the counselor. Again, it's the shared responsibility of all of us to impart those skills and work on that with the kids from pre K up to twelveth grade. What does it look like to be a problem solver? And that's something that we have in development, is breaking down what that looks like at the different ages and stages for a child. Those standards, again, specific for students, not just for counselors to develop in their program, but for students, so teachers can be developing lessons around them. Counselors can be developing lessons.
The program that you're talking about could be using these to help guide. What are those things that we believe students need to know and be able to do? Being a problem solver, being one of those. So that's the work that we've been doing. The model in general supports. What are the elements of a school counseling program, the why, what and how, and specifically the standards are looking at? What is it that we want students to know and be able to do? And it is pinpointing those priorities at the different grades or at the school.
What are the standards that are supporting the mission of the school? It's incredibly important. It sounds like you have a really nice program in development. I like the theme that you said, improving life and living on the planet. That's really nice. And I think what's great about those kinds of themes and that priority is that language becomes embedded into the child at a young age. Right. So I just wrote that down like, great, I'd like to talk to my kids about that. I'd like to use that phrase at home because when we teach that, it becomes part of what they say and do and it changes the way that they frame and see things. And I think a school has the ability to put those structures and that focus in place for the student and for the parent, too.
[00:26:39] Speaker C: It was funny, somebody was talking to me the other day, the principal, the elementary school principal, about a second grader who was involved with, we talk about the sustainable development goals as a way to provide a bigger picture out there so that if you work here, you can also have impact there. And that second grader said, we're supposed to achieve all of these goals by 2030, but I don't think we're going to make it. But maybe we can all do something that will make a difference in this part of the world and then that will add to it. And I think just getting kids to think in that direction, that, yeah, I am a piece of the puzzle and I can't do it here. And then as they grow older, they develop their own projects and initiatives and so on. So, and think that way. That's the most important part, problem solve and position themselves.
Can you share some successful strategies of the program that have been implemented in international schools to support student mental health and well being?
[00:27:43] Speaker E: What have we seen other schools doing that has been through your program?
[00:27:46] Speaker C: Yeah. That they've used that has worked. It's a challenge because, as you said, with the different nationalities in different schools, sometimes they're not ready, other cultures are not ready to accept the mental health, the support things need to stay in the family, so on and so forth. But as you said, the more we're talking about it, I think the more they're realizing that it's not anything to be ashamed of. So what has worked from your perspective?
[00:28:11] Speaker D: Yeah, I mean, there's a lot of great programs going on in international schools that counselors are maybe heading up or they're with a group of people in their schools. And I think some of the things that we've heard would be really paying attention to some of their set lessons that they are delivering through the counseling program and or say advisory or homeroom program. It's about being very deliberate in delivering programs around mental health, not having a stigma. So whatever way it might work in their country that they're doing some really great things, other activities. We've heard counselors talk about that we've seen to be really successful is really engaging the parent community. A lot of counselors will do parent book clubs, so really grappling with some really heavy context of books, because what we usually find is parents want to understand this for their student, for their child, but they also need to understand it for themselves. So we're seeing some really great programming with parent groups. So parents doing a book club, parents being at the parent coffee. So a lot of times counselors are part of the parent coffee, where one thing I used to love to do when I was at one international school was ask the counselor anything. So we would be there at the parent coffee just to find out what's on the parents minds about anything. Anything goes because we want to hear from them. We want to also have a chance to educate them. I think other things that have been really helpful when we're talking about mental health is counselors. Traditionally when they go to a school, they want to find the mental health resources in their country, in their city, their country, or online. And one thing that's been really great to see happening in many schools is that is also extended to the faculty. So really making sure that faculty members also get that resource list, or there's reminders to faculty members about the traditional dip that might happen in November or in October where we're missing family. We're waiting to go back for our holiday break, but reminding faculty too that your mental health is important. So having programming around that, not being the faculty member's personal counselor, because as you know, as school counselors, we're not in long term care with anyone. Students are our number one clients. Every now and then maybe a faculty member might ask for help, but having that resource list is so helpful in helping the faculty member maybe get the help that he she, you know, successful programs have also included. There's one organization that we really love in Isca. It's called Erica's Lighthouse. And Erica's lighthouse has really great programming around depression. And so a lot of counselors are using those lessons to teach. I think it goes from fifth grade all the way through twelveth grade. So not holding back on those tough issues from student protection, from anxiety, depression, bullying prevention. So we've seen a lot of creative ways that counselors are bringing this to the forefront for their school. And this is happening in all know, talking about conservative countries, schools in the Middle east, when they keep the students as the focus of our work, then everyone can gather around why we're talking about, especially when we talk to parents about we're doing this work so your student can thrive after they leave high school and go out into the world, into university. But, yeah, some really great programming that we've seen. Counselors are doing an amazing job along with the teachers that they're working with and administrators that are also helping the counselor give them what they need, the resources that they need to run the programs.
[00:31:57] Speaker E: I would just add, I think one of the things I've seen at schools that have been successful with this is that they truly prioritize mental health and sel through not just their words, but through their actions. So where in the schedule are they providing time for those conversations, that curriculum to be delivered? So whether it's through advisory or through separate classes, how do they show that? I've been in places where they've dedicated that time 60 minutes once a week or five days a week for 40 minutes. And there are times when other interests or challenges come up in the schedule, and that is something that gets cut. And so I think schools that are doing it well have really committed to and prioritized it, again, not just through their words, but through their actions. Where do I see that in the school?
Where do I see it on the walls. But where do I see it in the schedule? And where do I see it in the training of the teachers? As you were talking about earlier, some teachers are fearful of delivering or having some of those conversations. So how are we supporting our teachers with professional learning? Again, their skill development, giving them tools and empowering them. And then I think the other thing, too, is protecting the role of either the advisor, the counselor, the people who are delivering that curriculum, or that support to the children, they need to be protected and their skills need to be developed. And when I say protected, meaning we can't be pulling on them to do 50 million things, we have to really say, it is really important that you are a strong advisor. And so we're not going to have you do all of these duties because we're prioritizing your teaching and your role as an advisor. And therefore, there's other responsibilities that you don't have. Other people who aren't advisors will step in and do those, and there's that fair share distribution across the school. But I think we really have to focus on protecting the people who are delivering those services so that they can really focus and not. I've had so many times when I've been in a meeting with a student, I'm like, I'm sorry, I've got to go to a meeting right now. And I don't feel like I can't not go there, but I need to be protected that that time with the student is sacred and it's not competing for something else that maybe is not as important.
[00:34:29] Speaker D: One more thing to add, too, that I think is I definitely want to highlight this is like schools are also having ally groups. So for students who maybe identify as LGBTQ to I, plus, giving students that opportunity to be together, to talk, because that's the other thing that's really important for our programming, is giving students that chance to express themselves.
Also with DeijB, we're seeing more clubs that have been popping up in international schools for kids to come together and see what changes they can make either in their school, locally, globally. So I think we're seeing a lot of that happening, too. Sometimes led by the counselors, sometimes team teaching with another faculty member. But that's another really positive thing that we're seeing in schools are these ally clubs coming together.
[00:35:19] Speaker C: The parents will still say, and I feel for them, I'm a parent, yes, but our kids still have to be competitive. They still have to get the scores, they still have to do the tests, they still have to get into the colleges in order to create a future for themselves. Because education still remains in a traditional form. We haven't quite made the leap to what education could be with all these technological changes so on and so forth. So that adds to the already existential anxiety and depression. So obviously, we all know here that being well and having a strong foundation of who you are and feeling safe and secure and whatnot, from there you can thrive. But it's still a reality that being competitive is an important part of schooling right now.
[00:36:13] Speaker D: Yeah, a big part of my focus as a counselor in international schools has been on the college counseling, and I think having the groundwork, everything that we've actually talked about is leading up to that. For students to not feel like they're knocked down or if they are knocked down, that they can get back up. So being resilient because we're always going to have challenges in our life, I mean, that is definitely something that we all can say. And it's so important for us to give students opportunities in our schools to grapple with some of those challenges. So when maybe in 9th grade, the student is upset about a geometry test and the grade they're going to make. So through talking with the student, letting him her, they express themselves with the counselor, with teachers. We're also trying to show them the skills of this is how you can recover from this so hopefully, by the time they come to twelveth grade, maybe they didn't get into that top competitive college. They're not going to see it as such an upset, because hopefully through their college counseling, they're going with a lot of different variety of schools that fit them academically, socially, and financially. I think a lot of times when we think of competitive, we think of those top schools. But my question always is, can we afford that top school? So through the whole programming, having students and families understanding the fit academically, socially, and financially, and so if they don't get into that competitive school, they're not knocked down. This is just a setback. I'm ready to come back because I'm more resilient through the opportunities that I've had in school to talk about when I'm upset. I know how to deal with different upset situations in my life. I think it's so important for us as a school, from preschool all the way up, to teach these skills, because that's going to be the impressive thing to colleges, actually, when a student can talk about some of their setbacks in life, those can be some of the most compelling stories a college hears. And sometime when a student's making all sevens or all A's, they're not as an interesting candidate to a college than someone who can talk about how the setback has made them more resilient to move forward.
[00:38:27] Speaker C: Just a final question. As you're getting ready for this incredible conference with people from all over the world, what does the future look like for Isca? What are some of your goals, your vision? What would you like to see happen in the next five years?
[00:38:40] Speaker E: Good question.
Got a lot of goals?
[00:38:43] Speaker D: Yeah, we have a lot of goals. One of our main goals really is having, because there's 13,000 international schools, number may even be right now, 14,000, because we know it's a tough job. As you remember, Peggy, we wear many hats, and we want counselors to know that they're not alone, that they have an organization that they can connect to. One of the things I think people say about Iska is the community, the very accepting community. They can reach out, get help from others around the world that are in the same role as they are, because some counselors are the only counselor in that city, the school counselor in that city. So having a community like Iska has been really positive for many counselors around the world. So I know one of my personal goals is to make sure that we have a member in every international school. And why that is, is we know that having a member in each school, that school counselor is really going to help in that student development at their school. So all of the things that they're learning from their own professional learning, also through ISCA and just having this big community that they can tap into would be one of our biggest goals. The other really too, is raising the profession of school counseling. When we think of in the US, school counseling comes from the US. It was developed in the US. There's very clear guidelines. The 50 states, what you need to do through your board of education. We don't have that in the same way overseas. You might have your ministry of Education, but sometimes the ministry of education doesn't really understand the school counselor. So that's another big advocacy piece for us, is helping counselors explain their role at their local level. But I know my last school I would talk with the Ministry of Education about what a school counselor does. So we want to help counselors advocate for their position. And with that advocacy, it really does help our school counseling profession grow and become stronger and where we can have more impact in the world with our students.
[00:40:47] Speaker E: Yeah, and I think adding on to that, when all counselors, as Cheryl was talking, know, when we have ISCA members and we're using the same language and we're using the same model, we build consistency across schools, across the world and for the student experience. So when my child moves from Barcelona to Athens to Oman, that they are receiving the same kind of support from the counselor, they're being exposed to the same kinds of standards in terms of student standards, in terms of SEl, kind of what they're being taught. So one goal is that we are all united in our diversity, which is the different places we are in the world, the different backgrounds that we have, the different trainings that we have. But we are all using the same model to create a framework for our program so that there's consistency for when our students change and transition from one school to the next, from one division to the next. And we're seeing a lot more of that. The more conferences we have, the more trainings that we do, the more awareness, new counselors coming in from programs or counselors who've maybe been trained in other countries and who are now going overseas, the more united that we are and focused on creating a common program that's not the same. We all have our own flavor to it. Again, it's a framework so that we're using the same framework for our programs, I think is going to create stronger schools and stronger experiences for students and stronger safety nets. Yeah, exactly.
[00:42:18] Speaker C: So, Brooke and Cheryl, thank you so much. First of all, thank you for the very significant work that you're bringing to the schools, the unity, the commonality, alleviating a lot of the stigma, getting people to really get the support that they need. And thank you so much for joining us here today at ACS Athens. And all the best. I'm looking forward to this wonderful conference in the next few days. Thank you for being here.
[00:42:43] Speaker E: Thank you. Thanks for your support.
[00:42:45] Speaker D: Thank you.
[00:42:48] Speaker A: You have been listening to Owlcast, the official podcast of ACS Athens. Make sure you subscribe to owlcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google and Amazon podcasts
[email protected] this has been a production of the ACS Athens Media studio.
