SPRINGDALE, Arkansas — The 2020-2021 school year has been more challenging than normal for educators as they navigate the coronavirus pandemic.
School counselors have an especially challenging job, but a rewarding job as well.
This week, Feb. 1-5, is National School Counselors Week.
At Har-Ber High School (HHS), it’s been a different year like it has been at every other school due to the pandemic.
5NEWS spoke with students to hear just how much their counselors mean to them and how much they’ve helped them through this hard year.
For Jax Nalley, his school counselors have had a big impact on his senior year, especially in the middle of a pandemic.
“They’re definitely one of the cornerstones of the school," said Har-Ber senior Jax Nalley. "We couldn’t function without them. They’ve taken care of a lot of scheduling issues, letters of recommendation, applications, and taking care of the whole college process.
But along with helping students like Jax in his untraditional senior year, school counselors helped students like Ryker Bowman, who have had a hard time adjusting to the new normal.
Between no group interaction and doing most of her school work on a computer, Ryker said it sometimes left her unmotivated.
“It’s very different. No one talks in class anymore you can’t mouth to your friends or talk everyone is less social. It’s hard to get school work done because you’re not entertained," she said. “When work starts to get hard, I feel like counselors help you get back on track, and they’re invested in you personally.”
Ryker said her counselor had been a personal connection she has needed this year more than ever.
“You feel like someone is listening, and you feel like someone is actually helping," she said.
Whether dealing with elementary, middle school or high school, counselors said they’ve all seen a bigger need this year.
Jennifer Sugg, a counselor at HHS, said, “It’s made it a little more difficult to see kids face to face and track them down, but it’s never changed the roles that we have carry and things we have to do, but we’re all learning a new normal and how to make it happen.”
Whether helping academically or mentally this year, they all have one goal.
“Our heart really is we want to help kids make a difference,” said Sugg.
Students at HHS expressed the sentiment that one week isn’t enough to show their appreciation.