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School Counseling: Advocating for Students

sbultsma
Jan 25
2010

School Counselor Glee

Posted by: Shawn Bultsma

If there is one thing that the recent FOX television program got right, it is the gender and age of the school counselor on Glee.

With Wednesday night class, I have seen about 15 minutes of three different episodes of this new program.  As I was watching the glee club teacher and another character (Emma Pillsbury) hook up last night, my daughter informed me that she was the school counselor.

Yep, you fans of Glee could have saved me the surprise by cluing me in weeks ago.

Inspired to post my surprise here, I did a Google search to find out more.  I came across the following blog written by Richard Wong posted on the Ohio School Counselor Assoication Web Site.  Read through this blog and share whether or not you think we should get out of shape in terms of the way Ms. Pillsbury is portrayed on the show.


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Comments (2)add comment
kellerro
Robin : ...
Although I have not seen the show Glee, I have seen tv shows like it. While I agree that the way the counselor is portrayed is not in the best light, I feel like those types of shows are anything but accurate. In almost all shows about high school life, they negatively portray some important character in untrue and unfair ways. I'm not saying that it's right, I'm just saying that no one is specifically targeting the role as a counselor. This is simply the media's way of attracting audiences and getting their numbers up.
1

June 11, 2010
Votes: +0
clays
Sue Clay: ...
Television can portray the school counselor in either a positive or negative light. Too often these tv characters have so many personal issues of their own that they can be easily ridiculed, doing real damage to the public's perception of the capable counselor's skills and programs that support the healthy development of students.
An exception to that is how the principal (formerly a trained school counselor) is portrayed on NBC's drama Friday Night Lights. In an episode last season, the counseling skills (and by implication the ethical standards of the profession) of the character Tami are called upon to help a 10th grade pregnant girl as she struggles to decide what course of action to take. The counselor's language and demeanor are exemplary as written into this script. Tami's actions served to educate the television-watching public about the correct and very difficult role when ethical decisions need to be made. It was refreshing to see a school counselor portrayed in this way. Sue Clay
2

August 16, 2010
Votes: +1

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