Every Teacher is a Counselor: Imagineering the Classroom Managers' Activities in Counseling Students

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

Not all public schools in the country have Guidance Counselors that is why some classroom managers were tasked to become teacher-counselors. However, one designated counselor is not enough to handle populated school and to maximize the peace and order and strictly monitor students’ academic development, classroom managers are expected to partner with them in classroom base. The main objective of the study is to assess how school teachers involve themselves in several activities related to counseling students. Comparing their current practices to what they imagined/ expected to do which leads to their effectiveness as counselors.

METHODS

Descriptive research design through survey is utilized in the study which is participated by 35 randomly selected teachers in Looc Integrated School for SY 2018-2019. A holistic development of teacher-counselors capacity which is limited in the discussion of how teachers perform counseling with their students with academic, attitudinal and home related concerns. A survey was administered and assessed the actual and expected duty of classroom managers in counseling students.

RESULTS

The study revealed that most teachers worked 21%-40% of counseling duties in a day for almost 10 years and below experience. It also showed that there was a significant difference between teachers' estimated practice of counseling activities to what was desirable. It was evident that most of them seldom do it on a typical day compared to often times standard which meant that they were somewhat effective in counseling. They were more comfortable of dealing with individual counseling than in program evaluation and assessment which was the same preference of their school administrators.

DISCUSSIONS

Proper facilitation of individual counseling should be discussed in School Learning Action Cell (SLAC) since this was the most convenient way teachers do to counsel students. Classroom managers were advised to do counseling often times and this could be done through devoting greater percentage of counseling duties wholeheartedly. They should also work hand-in-hand with the teacher-counselors or guidance counselors assigned in the school for the proper way in counseling students, this will lead to a more effective attribute of a counselor.