115. That One Student – Ending the Year with Impact

Carol: You're listening to the Counselor Chat podcast, a show for school counselors looking for easy to implement strategies, how to tips, collaboration, and a little spark of joy.

I'm Carol Miller, your host. I'm a full time school counselor and the face behind counseling essentials. I'm all about creating simplified systems, data driven practices, and using creative approaches to engage students.

If you're looking for a little inspiration to help help you make a big impact on student growth and success, you're in the right place. Because we're better together.

Ready to chat.

Let's dive in.

Carol: Hey there, counselor friends.

Welcome back to Counselor Chat.

This is the podcast where we celebrate the chaos,

the victories, and the deeply meaningful messiness of school counseling.

I'm your host, Carol Miller, and today's episode is titled that One Student Ending the Year with Impact.

Because let's face it, every school year has that one student.

Or in this case, for me, it was a whole family of them.

And you know the ones. I mean,

that student or students who made you laugh,

cry,

stress,

eat an entire sleeve of Oreos and then reminded you exactly why you said yes to this work in the first place.

This episode is emotional for me,

so I'm going to try to get through it without the tears.

But let me tell you about my students,

because this year,

my one student wasn't just one.

It was a family.

Four siblings,

and it was a whole household in crisis.

I mean, this was a family with very few resources,

minimal support,

and circumstances that no child should ever have to live through.

But these kids,

they showed up to school every single day.

Were they always cheerful?

No.

Sometimes they were grouchy,

sometimes they got into arguments,

sometimes they fell asleep in class.

There were visits to the nurse,

visits to me.

But most of all,

they tried.

They were grateful,

they were kind,

and they were resilient in ways that blew me away.

There were multiple reports to cps,

and not just from the school, but from neighbors, the community,

and even other schools.

This family had been on the radar for a while.

And then one day,

after the kids shared some scary concerns with me,

the call was made.

And this time,

cps,

it actually stepped in.

These four kiddos were removed from their home.

And let me tell you, finding a foster placement for four children,

well, that's. That's no easy task.

But CPS kept them together.

They weren't placed with the family.

They were placed in a group home.

And for a couple days,

nothing. I mean, no word, no idea where they were.

I was a nervous wreck.

And two days later, they walked back into school.

And here they came down the halls. They had new clothes, new shoes,

and the biggest, brightest smiles on their faces.

They ran up to me with excitement and questions.

So many questions I just didn't have the answers to.

Like, when do we go home? What's going to happen?

Are we staying here?

And I had to say again and again,

I don't know.

I mean, this situation, it wasn't ideal.

They were now technically in a different district and we needed special transportation to and from school.

Sometimes the transportation didn't come on time.

Sometimes they waited in the office until well after school ended.

But these kids,

they kept showing up smiling,

grateful.

And when I checked in with them, they said things like, when I'm stressed, I color.

I've been writing in my journal.

I always try to think about what I'm thankful for.

And I thought, wow, those are my words.

Those are the things that we've been talking about in class.

But now, these words, they're their words.

I mean, they were listening,

they were learning,

and they were healing.

I think it's amazing when we really get to see the impact we've made on students.

But what's even more powerful is when they impact us.

I mean, these kids, they've reminded me to count my blessings.

They reminded me that even when life is messy and questions go unanswered,

they're still good in the day.

They showed me again and again that gratitude isn't a one time thing.

It's a lifeline.

And even when everything around them was so unstable,

they came to school with hope.

And they brought me hope too.

So, counselor friends, here's your challenge.

I want you to think about the student or students who impacted you this year.

Maybe it was a success story.

Maybe it was someone who just cracked your heart open a little wider.

Write a note,

a journal entry,

a Dear Me letter,

and capture what they taught you.

Remind yourself why you do this work.

This is heavy work.

This is hard work.

And my friends, if you're feeling brave,

I want you to share this note that you write with a colleague or tag me on Instagram or send me an email at Carol CounselingEssentials.

I'd love to celebrate these unforgettable student stories together.

Because at the end of the year, it's not the data that keeps us going.

It's these moments,

the smiles,

the I've been practicing my gratitude.

Victories,

school counseling.

It isn't just about the big programs or the perfect SEL bulletin boards.

It's about presence,

it's about connection.

And it's about being the steady voice that helps the child. Say,

I don't have all the answers, but I know where to go when I need help.

So to all the students who changed,

who changed us this year,

thank you kids and to all the counselors listening,

you are making an impact even when it doesn't feel like it.

Until next time counselor friends.

Take a deep breath,

count your blessings and I hope you have a really great week.

Bye for now.

Carol: Thanks for listening to today's episode of Counselor Chat. All of the links I talked about can be found in the show notes and at counselingessentials.org forward/podcast.

Be sure to hit follow or subscribe on your favorite podcast player and if you would be so kind to leave a review, I'd really appreciate it.

Want to connect? Send me a DM on Facebook or Instagram at counselingessentials. Until next time. Can't wait till we chat.

Bye for now.