By Elizabetta Orsi

The first few weeks of school can be chaotic for everyone. Students are learning to adjust to their new classes, teachers are juggling rosters and lesson plans, and administrators are making sure everything runs smoothly. Amidst this turmoil, it’s often our counselors who are left bearing the responsibility of the chaos. Tasked with making hundreds of schedule changes, resolving conflicts, and providing support to students, it goes without saying that the work they do can easily get overwhelming. The reality is that our counselors deserve more support or at the very least understanding, especially at the beginning of the school year. 

Early in the year, counselors are mainly tasked with ensuring students have the schedules they need to succeed academically, but at the beginning of the school year, this can feel like an impossible task. From the day school starts, hundreds of students virtually “line up” via email, hoping to adjust their schedules, fix errors, or resolve conflicts, all while the responsibilities of starting new classes are just beginning. 

“This is probably one of our biggest times of the year,” counselor Seth Hankison said. “It’s not only quadruple the workload but students are stressed themselves. Everybody’s stressed.” 

One of the biggest challenges counselors face is the sheer volume of requests they receive during the first few weeks. With only so many hours in a day, keeping up with schedule requests becomes a constant struggle. Students often become frustrated, not considering that each counselor has hundreds of students on their caseload.

“The amount of my emails is typically very high,” counselor Rita Bedoyan said. “They’ve gotten above 500 at one point. It gets very insane for me.” 

Some might argue that the heavy workload during the first few weeks of school is simply part of the job and that counselors should be prepared to manage it. After all, this busy period is only temporary, and once the schedules are set, the pressure should mostly be gone. However, although the stress may be temporary, the actual schedules themselves are something students will permanently deal with for the rest of their school year.

“I want my students to be happy because it is a year-long commitment,” Bedoyan said. 

Making a schedule change is also not nearly as simple as it may seem. When a class change is requested, counselors must ensure that the new class fits into the student’s existing schedule without causing conflicts with their other class periods. For seniors, counselors must also verify that the student is meeting their graduation requirements and that their new classes align with the student’s long-term academic and career goals. 

“Each student is different,” counselor Cynthia Medrano said. “Their paths are different. I want them to make the most informed decision during the first few weeks we have.” 

  On top of that, counselors must also check whether the class the student wants to take is available. This especially becomes an issue when it comes to highly requested courses, leaving many students feeling disappointed if they do not get the schedule they originally envisioned. 

“Ceramics is a very highly requested class, so is culinary, and a lot of seniors request these courses,” counselor Briana Brazil said. “I try my very best to get them their course requests, but that’s the hardest part, knowing that I can’t always give them their desired schedule.” 

In light of all these challenges, it’s crucial for students to approach the beginning of the school year with patience and understanding. It’s natural to feel anxious about getting the perfect schedule, but it is important to remember that the counselors are working tirelessly to accommodate everyone’s needs, and this takes time. By taking a step back to recognize the immense workload our counselors face, we can ease one of their burdens and give them a little empathy.