As a school counselor I do notice privilege within the school system on a daily basis. For the most part, the students who do well in school have families that communicate with the school system. They are involved in activities and have support when it comes to transportation and encouragement. If a student had a consequence in school then there is a high chance that home would agree and support the school with what the consequence is and discuss this at home. Students who do well in school academically and behaviorally are recognized. The way classrooms and the school system is set up is for students who have supports at home.
Students who struggle academically tend to do better when home knows how to reach out and communicate with the school. Most academic, social and emotional supports need support from home to get these additional resources. If there is struggle with transportation, time out of work, lack of insurance then these supports are not easily retrieved.
For example, I might call a parent because a student needs additional emotional support. We can offer school counseling but for mental health therapy a family needs to take their child to an intake appointment. This is during the day. So the child has to miss school and the parent has to be able to transport the child and probably will have to take time off of work. For someone who has privileges and supports this is an easy task. For someone who can't take time off of work, this is an extremely challenging task.
As a counseling team, we recognize these disadvantages for some families. We work on trying to "break the barriers" to help families get supports for their children. An example of this is allowing space within the school for students to receive therapy from their therapist.
Students who struggle academically tend to do better when home knows how to reach out and communicate with the school. Most academic, social and emotional supports need support from home to get these additional resources. If there is struggle with transportation, time out of work, lack of insurance then these supports are not easily retrieved.
For example, I might call a parent because a student needs additional emotional support. We can offer school counseling but for mental health therapy a family needs to take their child to an intake appointment. This is during the day. So the child has to miss school and the parent has to be able to transport the child and probably will have to take time off of work. For someone who has privileges and supports this is an easy task. For someone who can't take time off of work, this is an extremely challenging task.
As a counseling team, we recognize these disadvantages for some families. We work on trying to "break the barriers" to help families get supports for their children. An example of this is allowing space within the school for students to receive therapy from their therapist.