Key members of Santa Barbara’s education team are continuing their dedication to student support and help in a world of distance learning.
School counselors communicate with students even though the traditional face-to-face instruction has been replaced by virtual means, and they are adapting to perform other responsibilities of the job during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jesus Campos, a counselor at La Cumbre Junior High School in the Santa Barbara Unified School District, and Kristen Lee, a Monte Vista and Hope school counselor in the Hope Elementary School District, shared a glimpse into their job.
Campos is working from his office on the school campus along Modoc Road in Santa Barbara.
He said working on campus is easier for certain circumstances, such as if a parent calls the front office personnel and the call is directed to Campos.
“I’m here every day,” he said. “It’s important we are still here and available to the families, and create some sense of normalcy in that way.”
His workday is never the same.
“Every day is different,” Campos said. “It’s not scripted at all, and one phone call can turn the day around and your focus is with that family or student, and getting the resources.”
The hallway at La Cumbre was empty on a recent school day last week. Unlike prior school years, no students with backpacks were roaming the campus. Hand sanitizer, gloves and signs in both English and Spanish urged visitors arriving at the school to use face masks and take other measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
“I miss hearing the bell ring,” Campos said. “I miss hearing the crowds of kids walking to their next class.”
Campos and La Cumbre’s other school counselor, Rosemary Cordero, stood in the hallway during every passing period between classes in the pre-coronavirus days of six months ago.
Before the pandemic, lunch served as a time to connect with kids.
“We were out seeing the kids,” Campos said. “I can tell you who hangs out where … it’s easier when we are in the building because we can notice things … whereas now we don’t have that visual.”
Campos said he might spend his day sending emails and meeting with students one-on-one via Zoom. He gets permission from the parent before starting the video-conferencing session. Families have a wide range of jobs, and some work early in the morning, while others work at night.
“In the building, we know where the kid is and what classroom,” Campos said. “Now it’s working around a schedule, and when parents are home to get consent.”
School officials gather and analyze data that allow for a more successful counseling program.
Campos said he meets regularly with school administrators, and they create online spreadsheets to identify student needs. A document is live, so changes or updates are made in real-time if needed.
“It’s something we do during the school year, but it’s a little more challenging now getting in contact with families and trying to reach out to students,” Campos said, adding that he is using “a lot of the same technology, but now we are using it more often.”
There are more than 470 students at La Cumbre, Campos said, and about 85 percent are Hispanic.
“A lot of our families are dealing with the difficulties of COVID,” Campos said.
He is the go-to person that La Cumbre school-age kids can rely on and families can depend on. He said looks forward to seeing the middle school students grow, mature and build healthy relationships with family members and other students.
“We are available to teach and educate our kids,” Campos said. “Counseling is something that can be helpful for students.”
La Cumbre is offering online resources such as webinars — similar to a miniature version of back-to-school night — every few weeks for families. The school’s Core and math departments recently hosted a virtual video. The webinars will be posted on YouTube.
“I’m excited,” Campos said.
In addition to the two school counselors, La Cumbre Junior High School has a school climate counselor and two Family Service Agency counselors.
“We are a tight group,” Campos said. “I feel prepared, and I trust we are doing the right thing.”
As a school counselor, Lee said she is helping young learners be the best students they can be.
From communication skills and problem-solving to test anxiety and dealing with uncomfortable emotions, she offers a variety of support services to students. Part of her job is teaching social-emotional curriculum to students.
“Last year, I would go to the classroom,” Lee said. “Now, I’m doing it virtually.”
Since the new academic school year began less than a month ago, Lee’s instruction and counseling are carried out via Zoom.
Lee and a teacher work together to conduct the class lesson in an online setting. For the first time, they are navigating the Internet connectivity landscape at home.
The meeting host must mute and unmute participants, and then there’s managing the screen-sharing ability with viewers.
Using technology tools to deliver online counseling services takes patience, Lee said.
“It’s little intricacies, and getting the kids used to that,” Lee said. “Not everyone feels comfortable in that format as far as students go.”
Pre-coronavirus, Lee could speak to classrooms in person. The part-time counselor would spend two days each at Monte Vista and Hope schools. She now is using an online interactive curriculum with students.
Inside her home office space, Lee has puppets, a poster that shows facial expressions and body language for different feelings, books, and her lessons are organized by grade.
“I will take it down, and we will talk about the poster and the feelings,” Lee said.
She also works with individual students and provides group counseling services to students.
“That is a lot different since usually they would come to my office and we would play a game together,” Lee said, mentioning that sitting down and talking isn’t a natural state for some young students.
Game play can cover several different topics and help engage students. The games in Lee’s work with students are beneficial to teaching social skills, hand coordination and more.
She said she is working to ensure it’s just as good online as it is in person.
“I’m trying to make it more interactive, and still do activities that get them (students) to open up and talk about their feelings,” Lee said.
As a school counselor, Lee connects with families virtually through Zoom or makes phone calls.
Organizations that support school counselors’ efforts have provided guidance amid COVID-19. The American Counseling Association and the California Association of School Counselors provided free webinars and training to help prepare for the school year.
“I have learned a lot,” Lee said. “That was a benefit.”
She said she is looking forward to supporting students for the rest of the academic year.
Lee, a mother of three children, applied for the waiver to work from home during the COVID-19 situation as school goes on in Santa Barbara. Her two school-age children are doing virtual learning at home.
“I will work from home until we start in-person,” Lee said.
The Hope Elementary School District has three campuses in northwestern Santa Barbara. The district serves students in kindergarten through sixth grade.
The Santa Barbara Unified School District is made up of more than 20 schools for students in grades K-12.
— Noozhawk staff writer Brooke Holland can be reached at bholland@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.