Albuquerque Public Schools
Helping Our Students Thrive
In her weekly message, Superintendent Blakey thanks school counselors for being a steady, caring presence in students' lives.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
We have so much going on this time of year, between Black History Month, Valentine’s Day and Presidents Day, that it’s easy for something like National School Counseling Week to get overshadowed.
Yes, National School Counseling Week was last week, but there’s never a bad time to celebrate the amazing people in our district who support our students every day!
I was delighted to join our district’s counselors last week for a breakfast in their honor at Berna Facio Professional Development Complex. I thanked them for being champions for our students, for seeing kids’ potential even when they can’t yet see it themselves, and for being the steady, caring presence that helps them thrive.
School counselors play an essential role in helping students develop the skills, habits and mindsets they need to succeed. They’re helping our kids learn things like perseverance, self-regulation, self-efficacy and social awareness, which are at the heart of our Goal 4.
Every day, they help students explore their strengths, set meaningful goals, and connect their education to their future aspirations. They also collaborate with families, teachers and school leaders to ensure students feel supported academically, socially and emotionally.
At the counselor breakfast, I stressed that their work doesn’t just help students succeed in school; it helps them become engaged, productive members of society.
The following day I had the opportunity to spend time with Lynnae Terborg, the counselor at Apache Elementary School. I’ve always known school counselors work hard, but my conversation with her gave me a deeper appreciation for all she and her fellow counselors do.
Ms. Lynnae, as her students call her, comes from a family of educators and has been a school counselor for 11 years, the whole time at Apache Elementary. She chose that career because she wanted to be a safe person for students to talk to and she wanted to help them deal with the struggles that life can sometimes bring. She says the best part of the job is getting to know her students, seeing them grow from kindergarten to fifth grade, and building relationships with them.
Her goal is for every student to leave Apache Elementary School “with hope, optimism and academic and social-emotional skills to successfully continue their educational and lifelong learning journey.”
Beyond all the work she does with students, she is also there for their families, pointing them to an array of resources they can tap into if they need food, clothing, grief counseling, health care and so much more. She truly cares about the students at her school and their families and works tirelessly to get them what they need.
To all of our counselors, thank you so much for all you do. You are making a difference!
Again, happy Valentine’s Day, and enjoy the three-day weekend.