California School Counselor - Fall 2008 - (Page 9)

Executive Director’s Report By Loretta Whitson CASC Executive Director Strengthening Your Core I have been taking a Pilates/Yoga class fairly regularly for the past two years. I began attending the class on the heels of the 2006, $2 million victory for school counseling, motivated by what I now have come to realize was a semi-state of exhaustion from years of neglecting physical conditioning and ﬁtness for what I then deemed were “more important” things. In essence, like many counselors, one of my challenges is losing sight of what is fundamental to my wellbeing in favor of what is important to the wellbeing of others. I procrastinate because I tell myself that the urgency at hand is more important and that when things slow down, THEN I will. Of course they never really slow down – do they! Being honest with myself, and now with all of you, restoration of my physical self has been an arduous task because of years of neglect. Pilates/Yoga was a ﬁtting choice for me because it focuses on the core muscles which help the body balance and strengthen. Joseph Pilates felt that it was important to build a strong “powerhouse” in order to rely on it for daily health and living. We have so many facets and qualities that make us who we are. Some facets cry out for attention more than others, dependent upon a number of factors. For example, we have both our personal and professional beliefs, our core attitudes and core daily practices. New York state Sen. DeFrancisco claims, “The key to an economically vibrant country is a strong central core.” Corporations impress upon their employees that “strengthening their core ideals is their top priority.” Speaker Nancy Pelosi suggests, “promoting our core American value of ‘opportunity’ is vital to strengthening our schools.” All these statements are nebulous and do not truly deﬁne a direction for improvement. Saying “I need to get in shape” is diﬀerent than addressing, one by one, exactly what needs strengthening…stamina, balance, muscle, endurance. A strong core, whether it be physical, mental or emotional, is essential to our resiliency and our eﬀectiveness. At the end of each school year, I see counselors’ energies depleted from a year of crisis, multiple deadlines and from daily pressures and job responsibilities. No matter how much relaxation a summer can oﬀer, summers alone cannot sustain us throughout the year. Really, the only thing that can strengthen and make us better is to build a strong powerhouse at our core; this is key to vitality and necessary if we want to maintain more than mediocrity. Some things are unavoidable parts of being a school counselor. However, there are other things we can control in our lives and careers. This school year, try starting with these three items: 1) identify the core areas in you that need attention; 2) develop a strategy to attend to them; and 3) periodically assess the improvement and/or attainment of your goals. As we move forward in an improvement plan, it is important to diﬀerentiate between what areas are at a maintenance level and what areas are at the recovery and strengthening level. Core personal areas of improvement The California School Counselor | fall 2008 r 9

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of California School Counselor - Fall 2008

California School Counselor - Fall 2008 Contents Presidential Perspectives Jackie's Jottings Executive Director's Report Pics, Clicks and Technics Calendar Index to Advertisers Prevention is Key in Crisis Response High Schools Partner with Cash for College to Boost Cal Grant Awards CASC Southern California Conference and Research Summit II Reflection 2008 WACAC Annual Spring Conference H.B. McDaniel Foundation Awards Announced 2008 Delegate Assembly 2008-2009 School Counseling Program Grant Recipients Named Solution Tree Outsert

California School Counselor - Fall 2008

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