How (and Why) to Contact Your Teenager's Guidance Counselor

These days, schools are so crowded that it can be difficult to get anyone on the phone. Most parents have given up trying to reach Principals and teachers, but occasionally, you can locate a guidance counselor more quickly. There are several reasons why your teenager's guidance counselor would be a good contact person, and there are also a few circumstances in which the guidance counselor can be of help in your teenager's education.

First, as mentioned above, you can usually get a teenager's guidance counselor on the phone more quickly than you can get in touch with a Principal or teacher. They usually have their own offices and a dedicated direct line and they are out and about less often than a principal. Further, most schools separate guidance counselors by grade so that they have a lighter workload than in time's past.

It can also be beneficial to contact your teenager's guidance counselor because he or she often keeps student files in the office. Rather than sending a teacher all over creation looking for a single document or test grade, you can talk directly to a guidance counselor and get the information right away. Sometimes, files are kept in the Principal's office, but the guidance counselor usually has an office nearby so it isn't much of an inconvenience.

But why would you want to talk with your teenager's guidance counselor? Over the past several years, the role of guidance counselors has moved from advocate and aid to college preparer. They rarely interact directly with students and they are more concerned with analyzing and interpreting test results and taking care of administrative tasks. However, guidance counselors are supposed to act on behalf of the students should a problem arise, and they are your best bet when your teenager is having trouble at school.