Mrs. Will is our guidance counselor here at the high school and also at the grade school. She says that she loves her job most days, but there are some days that are really hard and weigh heavy on her mind even after shes gone home. This year is actually Mrs. Will´s 16th year working as Palestine guidance counselor, and in those 16 years, only a few things seemed to have really changed. First, all state testing is now digital. When she first started, all tests were done on paper. Also, since COVID, SAT/ACT scores’ importance have diminished. The other thing that has changed is that there is more awareness of the importance of student mental health, and because of that, more parents and teachers are reaching out for the mental health needs of the students.
Mrs.Will’s day starts at 7:45 am at the high school. Her biggest challenge is teacher and student schedules. She has to make sure all students are meeting all of their requirements and staying on track to graduate. She also works with seniors to help them prepare for life after high school—college planning, distributing and filling out scholarship applications, and career exploration. Mrs.Will is also in charge of all state testing. She coordinates all testing for freshmen, sophomores and juniors, making sure everything is planned out, anticipating any problems that may arise, and ensuring students with any testing accommodations are fulfilled. Mrs.Will talks to students about not only school issues, but personal issues as well. She is very thankful when students feel comfortable sharing things that are bothering them because she wants to help in any way she can.
When she’s at the grade school, she primarily works individually with students who may be struggling with personal or behavioral issues. Mrs.Will visits elementary classes and gives lessons on problem solving, emotional intelligence, and resilience. Each student is given a “toolbox” and learns a set of 12 tools to help them. Like at the high school, she is in charge of all state testing at PGS. She coordinates all tests, making sure students are in the correct rooms and given the appropriate testing accommodations according to their needs. The high school is able to test in one day, but the grade school testing takes three days, and there are always make ups for students who were absent. Her day ends at the grade school around 3:30 pm, but occasionally she has other responsibilities like the high school National Honors Society Induction or Awards Night but she says she gets most evenings to spend time with her family.
Mrs.Will says that she thinks she just looks busier at PGS because she’s out and about with students, but at the high school she´s usually just very busy on her computer.
What made Mrs.Will want to be a counselor was that she’s always known she wanted to help people. When she was younger she said that many people told her that she’s good at listening, so she thought being a counselor was a good fit. Being a guidance counselor was actually kind of what she was going for when she was trying to figure out what she wanted to be. Her first professional role was a mental health counselor at a child and adolescent center. After two years of working there she says she felt like she could be more helpful and supportive by working in a school setting. To prepare for her job she got her Master’s degree in mental health counseling and a certification in school counseling.
Despite the fact that she does so much for the school, she still enjoys it most times, and she still finds it fun even after 16 years.
