ABSTRACT
An elementary school counselor stands on the playground animatedly greeting students. Although she isn’t assigned playground duty, she feels that being visible and available, for students and parents alike, is an important part of her position. Before she is inside the door, a parent may have pulled her aside to discuss a concern over her son being bullied, the principal may have flagged her to quickly suggest implementing a peer mediation program to assist with playground conflicts, and a child may come to her upset about forgetting her homework. As she travels to her office, the counselor may be stopped by a fourth-grade teacher who wants to refer a student to the Cool Kids (anger management) group, and a second-grade teacher mentions that the class needs a lesson on listening skills as she leads them noisily through the hallway on the way to their room. Arriving at her office, the phone is already ringing; a coun-
seling colleague needs ideas on running a school-wide career day. She quickly hangs up and runs to get to the Character Education Committee meeting, which she chairs. The first bell rings for homeroom.
