INTRODUCTION
Generally, the term “teacher-counsellor” has two separate meaning of the two words ‘teacher’ and ‘counsellor’ which can be discussed separately. Since the inception of education in the olden time while imparting knowledge, whether it is religious or academic the teachers or the guru had occupied highest position in the society. There were no concrete structures of educational institutions as we have today. They handed down wisdom, knowledge, religious and cultural values to their next generation verbally.
A teacher is a person of knowledge and wisdom who imparted his knowledge and wisdom without holding back for himself. A teacher is a person who helps others to acquire knowledge, competences or values or a teacher is said to be a guide, mentor, maker, and implementer, applicator of various rules and regulations for the welfare of the child.
Both teacher and counsellor can be professionally trained and can be appointed in educational institutions, but their works will differ from each other. Though the words can be used interchangeably a teacher has to do both works as teacher and as a counsellor in the school.
To be a good teacher whether it is professional trained teacher or untrained teacher, holding position in the educational institution, as a responsible person of shaping and moulding the children personalities and future for the development of the self, society, and nation as a whole, whether economic and social development a teacher he or she should keep in their mind that they should posses some socially acceptable qualities and characters in life while imparting and inculcating education and knowledge to the young students or children because they are the imitators of their ideal teacher. The behaviour of the teachers their way of life and dealing with them may affect deeply in students life.
THE ROLES OF TEACHER-COUNSELLOR IN THE SCHOOL
Teachers have an important role in the education of their students because, as models of citizenship and work, they not only promote academic learning, they are also a source of social learning. Each one of us, as adults, in analysing our individual path finds many of the foundations of who we are in ‘our’ teachers. These foundations supported future projects as well as the knowledge, and above all, the knowing of who we are, that shapes us today.
Thus, it is important that teachers seek to engage in supporting the career development of their students through the infusion of career development activities in curricula. These activities can begin in the first years of schooling and extend through the following ones, adapting the contents to the needs of the student. In this way, it is possible to transmit values, develop attitudes and behaviours that can gradually be internalised and used in the management of the multiple transitions of career development.
The accomplishment of these objectives, in a work articulated between teachers, parents and psychologists, will enhance the adaptability necessary to define a life project and the management of the multiple transitions along the educational and professional path.
Specifically, teacher-counsellor can play the following roles and others in the school:
- Build rapport: This is the first step a teacher-counselor should take. Make the student feel comfortable in your presence, until they are at ease and start to talk. Remember that the student is trying to gauge if you are trustworthy. It is important to use a good combination of verbal and non-verbal communication at this stage.
- Allow students to express themselves: When the student starts talking about the challenges faced, allow them to vent. Listen to everything that the student has to say and do not interrupt the flow of thought. Also, as a teacher, you can paraphrase the student’s thoughts to ensure that you have understood the problem correctly. This will provide clarity to their thought. “This is how I’ve understood your problem and I believe you can approach it through so-and-so method. What do you think?” This could be one of the ways. Assist the student to think about ways to overcome or address the problem instead of providing ready solutions.
- Be non-judgmental: A teacher should be empathetic and compassionate towards the student. For instance, if a student comes out saying they have had 60 cigarettes per day, the teacher should not say “Oh that’s so bad !” One needs to practice self-restraint.
- Consistent in emotions: As a teacher, the person should be consistent in their thoughts and emotions. They should try to not let their moods and emotions rub off on the student who comes to them for help. They should maintain their composure.
- Maintain complete confidentiality: Make the student understand that the information they share will remain confidential and not be leaked to anyone. (If the issues shared by the student are harmful to themselves or others, then it should be brought to the notice of the school management.)
- Planning: Teachers can foster planning when: they help students relate what they learn and the goals they have for their lives, in order to promote a forward-looking perspective with confidence; help students identify learning objectives and plan what to study and how to study; value the role of school and work for the realisation of life projects.
- Autonomy: The autonomy of the students can be promoted by teachers when they promote initiative in general, they help to identify barriers and support to the accomplishment of objectives; when they help students reflect on decisions they take (or not) in different domains of their life; when they help to describe attitudes and beliefs that positively and negatively influence decisions; when they encourage persistence when faced with difficulties, they listen to their students with genuine interest.
- Curiosity: In preparing students for the work and social world, it is particularly important for teachers to foster in their students the reflective capacity for themselves and for the school and professional reality. Students’ reflection on themselves can be made through dialogue focused on the personal impact of academic experiences, confronting new content, themes and academic experiences (e.g. study visits, curriculum extension activities, etc.) to foster new interests and skills.
- Trust: Teachers can foster the confidence of their students when they promote academic success, the exploration of skills and competences, the realisation of abilities and aspirations, positive attitudes towards themselves and their school performance, alternatives and unconventional solutions to solve problems.
- Cooperation: In the teaching of their classes, teachers can facilitate cooperation when they use pedagogical strategies that imply cooperation to achieve group goals, introduce academic content that promotes knowledge about the specificities of minority groups with respect to beliefs, values and styles of life, stimulate sensitivity to alternative points of view, facilitate cooperative work with students of different cultures and social strata, alert to the need for tolerance towards minority groups (e.g. gender, ethnicity, religion, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation) through respect for beliefs and values of these populations.
CONCLUSION
From the foregoing, it can be conclude that, the the roles of teacher-counsellor in the school cannot be overemphasize. The integration of guidance practices in a school context is based on a comprehensive and integrative view of educational practices. In this perspective, guidance activities are complementary to other educational activities and their effectiveness depends, to a large extent, on the capacity to create synergies between the different educational agents, and between them and the community.
Teachers can, at different times in the educational process, play a complementary role to that of other educational agents (e.g. psychologists and parents) in promoting career development. In this sense, it is important to know how to support students in building a career project. However, that on its own is not enough. It is necessary to articulate their practice with other educational agents, in order to contribute to comprehensive interventions and avoid isolated actions, with little consistency and, therefore, less effective in responding to students’ needs.
REFERENCES
Anand, S. P. (2009). Counseliing in Schools, Bhubaneswar: Global Printers.
Bhatia, K. K. (2012). Principles of Guidance and Counselling, New Delhi: Kalyani Publishers.
Sharma, R.A. (2014). Fundamentals of Guidance and Counselling, Meerut: R. Lall Book Depot.
Sharma, Shashi Prabha. (2008). Career Guidance and Counselling, Principles and Techniques, New Delhi: Kanishka Publishers, Distributors.
