“Sky View counselor among top 10 in U.S.” |
| Sky View counselor among top 10 in U.S. Posted: 04 Feb 2011 09:10 PM PST Sky View counselor among top 10 in U.S. by The Marietta Daily Journal  Anthony Pearson, a counselor at Sky View Elementary School in Mableton, right, has been named one of the top 10 school counselors in the U.S. Pearson met with Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) in Washington, D.C. Pearson, 30, a counselor at Sky View for six years, visited Washington, D.C., this week to be formally recognized, along with school Principal Cynthia Cutler and Gail Smith, the school counseling supervisor for Cobb County School District who nominated him. He learned in early January that he was a finalist, which Pearson said was humbling. "I'm completely honored," Pearson said in a phone interview this week. "This is probably one of my biggest accomplishments." From the top 10 counselors, one was named School Counselor of the Year. That award went to Randy McPherson, of the Trezevant Career and Technology Center in Memphis. Smith said she nominated Pearson for a variety of reasons. "He is running a comprehensive school counseling program," Smith said. "He's great with the children and they love him. He's very creative. His creativity is beyond normal. He's intuitive, understanding what his students need at their grade level and then matching the program with what they need." She said he has done everything from homework help programs to mentoring students who don't have father figures in their lives. Pearson said many of his programs are data-driven, meaning that he measures the impact his involvement has had on students. For example, Pearson said, he did a lesson for fourth- and fifth-grade students on study techniques and using flash cards to help with memory recall. Pearson taught the students how to make the flash cards and then how to drill themselves using the cards. Pearson analyzed student test scores before and following the flash-card activity and found a 13 percent increase in grades in one class and an 18 percent jump in another. While he admits that his study-techniques lesson probably wasn't the only factor in the grade increase, Pearson does believe it had something to do with the improvement. "Even though school counselors are kind of known as touchy, feely and cuddly, the thing I like to focus on is making sure the students are academically prepared," he said. Cutler, who has worked with Pearson for six years, said his use of such data sets him apart. She also praised his ability to address the individual needs of every student at the K-5 school. Sky View is a Title 1 school, reflecting its high proportion of students from low-income families, but the school has recently been honored again by the state of Georgia as a Distinguished Title 1 school, meaning it has made Adequate Yearly Progress for three years in a row. "What impresses me about Anthony is his sincerity and how much he cares about each of the students," Cutler said. "He's always striving to meet all of their needs. He doesn't only impact their academic achievement, but also strives to address social and emotional development. He works closely with students and parents to address specific needs that some students might have, and if they need additional support." Before becoming a school counselor, Pearson was a case manager for adults with developmental disabilities in Suwanee. He switched careers into school counseling, he said, because he was always interested in child psychology. Although Pearson said he enjoys psychological research, he realized that many times in psychology, the more advanced you get professionally, the less interaction you have with patients. "School counseling was really a good fit for me because I get to do the groundwork side and I get to focus on research of what strategies are best for the kids," Pearson said. "It marries both worlds." The author of a counseling workbook entitled "Guidance with Good Measure," Pearson will also debut his first children's book in spring 2012 about a bear who is afraid of the dark. He lives in Marietta with his wife and 2-year-old daughter. Pearson said his favorite thing about school counseling is watching the students grow. "I really enjoy when I get to see the kids make progress," he said. "That is such a huge affirmation for me. When there's something concrete that you're focusing on, it really really energizes me to try even harder or expand even more. When teachers tell me 'Suzie is doing better' or 'things are better with this group of kids,' I feel great because the kids are doing better and it makes me feel like I know what I'm doing." This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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