BY SUFIA AZMAT, JULY 8, 2014
Many schools do not have any dedicated counselors. And this is not a problem that Islamic schools face alone.
In fact, if schools do have guidance counselors, they’re usually the first to be cut when there’s a budget deficit. Even though The American School Counselor Association recommends a ratio of one counselor to 250 students!
So what’s an Islamic school to do?
Teachers: Embrace Your Inner Counselor!
Whether or not you realize it, you’re already a counselor to every one of your students.
You’re in a unique position to help students build their self-esteem and self-confidence, develop better peer relationships, improve organizational skills, and improve behavior and anger management skills.
You’re probably already doing this. But there are strategies available to help you improve your counseling skills.
The problems faced by your students may be academic or behavioral. Schools usually have a plan in place to help students academically.
Regular progress reports are sent home to keep parents and students up to date. Extra help is offered at lunch or after school. Parents are recommended to obtain a tutor or enroll the student in an after-school or summer program.
But what about behavioral problems?
The secret to improving student behavior is improving relationships. The goal is to get students to feel connected – to their school, to their classmates and especially to their teachers.
Why do any of us want to please someone? Because we respect and admire them! If we treat our students with genuine kindness, let them know that we care about each one of them as individuals; they will want to behave for us.
We must validate students’ feelings. We must validate what students are already doing well and acknowledge how difficult their problems may be.
Find two minutes a day, ten days in a row, to have a personal, casual conversation with a student and you will be amazed at the progress you will make!
Schools without enough or ANY counselors have to be able to rely on teachers. But at the same time, we must know when professional counseling is needed.
It’s important to keep administrators informed if there is more to a student issue than you can handle in the classroom. Keep parents in the loop and reach out to the community to find Muslim counselors for those students that need them.
This post is based on a workshop Sr. Sufia Azmat delivered at the ISNA West Coast Education Forum in January 2014. Sufia Azmat is the Executive Director of the Council of Islamic Schools in North America (CISNA) and serves on the ISNA Education Forum Planning Committee. She is the Head of the Middle School Division, and serves on the School Executive Council, of Noor-Ul-Iman School in New Jersey. Ms. Azmat attended the University of Chicago majoring in Political Science and the Graduate School of Business at Northern Illinois University, where she majored in Marketing and Management. She has taught for 18 years and conducts workshops on Bullying, Counseling, Effective Communication, School Climate and more.
Many schools do not have any dedicated counselors. And this is not a problem that Islamic schools face alone.
In fact, if schools do have guidance counselors, they’re usually the first to be cut when there’s a budget deficit. Even though The American School Counselor Association recommends a ratio of one counselor to 250 students!
So what’s an Islamic school to do?
Teachers: Embrace Your Inner Counselor!
Whether or not you realize it, you’re already a counselor to every one of your students.
You’re in a unique position to help students build their self-esteem and self-confidence, develop better peer relationships, improve organizational skills, and improve behavior and anger management skills.
You’re probably already doing this. But there are strategies available to help you improve your counseling skills.
The problems faced by your students may be academic or behavioral. Schools usually have a plan in place to help students academically.
Regular progress reports are sent home to keep parents and students up to date. Extra help is offered at lunch or after school. Parents are recommended to obtain a tutor or enroll the student in an after-school or summer program.
But what about behavioral problems?
The secret to improving student behavior is improving relationships. The goal is to get students to feel connected – to their school, to their classmates and especially to their teachers.
Why do any of us want to please someone? Because we respect and admire them! If we treat our students with genuine kindness, let them know that we care about each one of them as individuals; they will want to behave for us.
We must validate students’ feelings. We must validate what students are already doing well and acknowledge how difficult their problems may be.
Find two minutes a day, ten days in a row, to have a personal, casual conversation with a student and you will be amazed at the progress you will make!
Schools without enough or ANY counselors have to be able to rely on teachers. But at the same time, we must know when professional counseling is needed.
It’s important to keep administrators informed if there is more to a student issue than you can handle in the classroom. Keep parents in the loop and reach out to the community to find Muslim counselors for those students that need them.
This post is based on a workshop Sr. Sufia Azmat delivered at the ISNA West Coast Education Forum in January 2014. Sufia Azmat is the Executive Director of the Council of Islamic Schools in North America (CISNA) and serves on the ISNA Education Forum Planning Committee. She is the Head of the Middle School Division, and serves on the School Executive Council, of Noor-Ul-Iman School in New Jersey. Ms. Azmat attended the University of Chicago majoring in Political Science and the Graduate School of Business at Northern Illinois University, where she majored in Marketing and Management. She has taught for 18 years and conducts workshops on Bullying, Counseling, Effective Communication, School Climate and more.
