Studies have shown that academic achievement is contingent upon effective classroom

management (Buchanan, Mynatt & Woodside, 2017). Therefore, a school counselor must excel
and be knowledgeable with the appropriate skills to create success in classroom teaching and
effective classroom management. Personally, I do feel confident in my communication and
delivery skills, however ensuring topics and information are relatable and understood by all
students will be the challenge. It is up to the school counselor to prepare his or her materials to
support each student in the classroom.
Another potential obstacle is the relationship with the students. The students need to trust
and understand who is speaking to them. This is another reason why building relationships is so
important at the beginning of the year. Having a positive and open mindset will create a positive
and open environment when the school counselor communicates to the students. ASCA National
Model shared that school counselors are spending abou 45% of his or her time in the classroom
(Buchanan, Mynatt & Woodside, 2017). Behaviors such as rule setting, nonverbal
communication, using wait times, reinforcing, processing, and facilitating cooperative learning
activities were among the skills identified as necessary for effective classroom management
(Buchanan, Mynatt & Woodside, 2017). Therefore, I personally am excited to see this during my
internships, because I am sure I will learn a lot more and I am more of a hands-on learner.

References

Buchanan, D. K., Mynatt, B. S., & Woodside, M. (2017). Novice school counselors' experience
in classroom management. Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision, 9(1).