Friday, March 13th, 2020 will always be a day where details are vivid in my mind. We had just announced that we would be taking an extended spring break due to COVID-19 and at the end of the day, one of my seniors came into my office and said, “Mrs. McAulay, I just wanted to thank you for all the help and support you’ve given me.” I thanked the student and asked what prompted this comment. He shared with me that he wanted to express his gratitude in case we didn’t return to in-person classes. At that point it time, I couldn’t begin to fathom not coming back to school for the rest of the year and I tried to calmly assure him that I’d see him again before the school year was finished. Little did I know that my calling as a school counselor, a career I only saw as being in person, would be changed that day. A school counselor’s main purpose is to meet students where they are in order to support and advocate for them. That takes the shape in the form of social-emotional counseling, academic counseling, and college and career counseling. Being a successful school counselor is in part dependent on collaborating with parents, teachers, and administrators, building rapport with students, and knowing community resources. All of which is easier to do in person. The shift for schools in our Diocese to move to e-Learning for the remainder of the year required school counselors at Guerin Catholic to test how flexible and creative we were. Here at GC, the community aspect is such a prevalent, tangible, and important experience. I truly believe it makes our school special. How were we going to meet students where they were when we were all confined to our homes? Outside of all academic uncertainties that came with the drastic shift to e-Learning, one of the things that ran through school counselors’ minds was how are we going to especially support our students, for some of whom, school is where they love to be? God has created humans to be social. We are meant to be part of a larger community outside of ourselves and this is especially important for school aged students. In the new lifestyle we were living and all the anxiety that came with the unknown, and the extra stress of being at-home-learners with family 24/7, hope, faith, and a lot of patience and grace helped us and our students to finish the year. It would have been impossible without teachers and parents being as willing and open to adjust to each student’s academic needs. We at Guerin Catholic are so grateful for the partnerships we have with our families and with our teachers. School counselors could not sufficiently do what we need to without that collaboration. Mrs. Emily McAulay School Counselor (J-P) QuaranTime capsule COVID-19 PANDEMIC 4 IMPACT MAGAZINE • FALL 2020 Counseling through Quarantine
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