UNIT 5 ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHER

AS A COUNSELLOR
Structure

Introduction
Objectives
Counselling and Guidance
Teacher as a Counsellor
Some Common Problems of Children
5.5.1 Personality related problems
5.5.2 Behavioural Problems
5.5.3 Addressing issues
Physical and Psychological Characteristics of Elementary School Children
Functions/Aspects of Counselling
5.7.1 ConservativePreventive aspects
5.7.2 Curative aspects
5.7.3 Promotional/Developmental aspects
Let Us Sum Up
Check Your Progress: Possible Answers

5.1 INTRODUCTION
In the last unit we studied about providing guidance to elementary class children.
Closely related to the concept of guidance is the concept of counselling. So far as a
school is concerned guidance and counselling are directed towards catering to the
holistic development of children. Functions of school are not limited to imparting
instructions. School is a place where a child must be nurtured to discover the potential
inherent in the child. This means that a teacher's concerns must extend beyond
transacting sylIabus to the level of a facilitator for all round development of a child's
personality. In the present unit you will learn about the role that a teacher can and
must play in enabling the child to maximize inherent traits.

5.2 OBJECTIVES
After going through this unit, you will be able to:

Define counselling and explain the relationship between guidance and counselling
Appreciate the need for the teacher to perform the functions of a counsellor
Describe the physical and psychological traits of children of elementary school
Identify and address some common problems of children at the elementary level
Describe different aspects of counselling
Understand the role of a teacher vis-a-vis various aspects of counselling

5.3 COUNSELLING AND GUIDANCE

Sometimes the terms "guidance" and "counselling" are used synonymously but more
often guidance and counselling are used together to connote different approaches.
There appears to be considerable similarity between the two. Guidance is a broader,
more generalized term than counselling. Guidance includes counselling. All
counselling is guidance in a way but all that comes under guidance is not counselling.
In common parlance, counselling means to advise. It is primarily an individual matter.
It is a one to one relationship with focus upon an individual's adjustment, problem
solving and decision-making abilities. It has been defined as a face to face situation in
which, by reason of training, skill or confidence vested in him by the other, one
person helps the second person to face, perceive, clarify, solve and resolve adjustment Elementary School Teacher as a
problems (Arbuckle). It is actually one of the many services organized under the total Counsellor
guidance programme and needs and in-depth analysis of the situation.

5.4 TEACHER AS A COUNSELLOR

As we studied in the previous unit, guidance programme and policies must be an
integral part of the school system. The endeavour to facil~tatethe holistic growth of a
child must enable the child to realize a mentally healthy personality. The basic
foundation of one's personality takes shape during childhood years and the formative
years are spent in the school by the school going population. Therefore it is
imperative for the school to provide an environment conducive to the positive growth
of a child's personality. An approach restricted to imparting reading, writing and
recall is not wholesome and will invariably lead to failure in achieving the desired
objective. More so, when in modem times the complexities of life are adding to
information overload, plethora of choices, increasing competition in all spheres of life
and the consequent stress and strain. In such an environment, it becomes necessary
that every teacher be sufficiently equipped to take care of the psychological needs of
children.

Problems of children can be categorized into:

Personality related, and
Behavioural problems.

5 5 1 Personality related problems

A personality can be termed as problematic when a particular negative trait becomes

the underlying predominant factor for all behavioural patterns. Such personality
problems may or may not create a problem for the teacher as such but needs serious
attention. If not corrected early, it would become difficult to change these traits in
later life. Some of these problems arise when a child is:

Withdrawn - Such a child would generally remain quiet and show unwillingness to
take any initiative. This attitude is sometimes because of lack of confidence and fear
of rejection. Such a child may remain unnoticed and unattended to if the teacher is

Hyper active - Hyperactive children are always restless and may also have a very
short attention span. The reason could lie in attention deficit disorder or simple lack of
inadequately canalized energy. While the former requires specialized counselling,
providing sufficient opportunities to canalize that energy in a positive direction can
treat the latter. But the teacher must ensure proper diagnosis before coming to any
conclusion because confusing the two could lead to further complications.

Attention seeker; - such children constantly attempt to attract the teacher's attention
either by indulging in disruptive behaviour or by asking irrelevant questions or
rnalung out of context comments. This behaviour signifies the desire to be accepted
and recognized.

Nervous; - such a child would not only be withdrawn and isolated but will be nervous
and overanxious. Such children are unable to perform according to their capabilities.
Due to this failure to achieve they get trapped in a vicious cycle. This cycle can be
broken only when they taste success in their ventures. The teacher needs to involve
them in such activities where they get opportunities to gain confidence. It is a slow
and long drawn process.
49.
The Elementary School Child:
introduction
Over conscientious- such a child would set high targets for herself and constantly
struggle to meet these. This is akin to a perfectionist approach though the result arises
from fear of being subjected to any type of criticism. Such a child runs a high risk of
remaining unidentified as a problem personality because such behaviour is most likely
to be appreciated and encouraged. Sometimes such behaviour has its roots in an
inferiority complex.
5.5.2 Behavioural problems
Common problems in children could get manifested in many kinds of undesirable
behaviour like lying, stealing, tattling, bullying, hostility, truancy, using bad language,
violent and aggressive behaviour, and lack of interest in studies.
5.5.3 Addressing issues
While dealing with such issues, we should remember that:
Behavioural problems are symptoms of what is going on in the mind of the child.
Treating the symptoms with harsh measures like punishment may suppress them
temporarily but would not help to root out the cause.
There are no easy solutions to these problems. Tackling problems faced by children
requires persistent effort and a long-term strategy. Attitudes can neither be learnt or
unlearnt quickly. We need to have patience and give space to the child in order to
achieve the desired objective.
A teacher needs to have a positive outlook while treading the challenging path of a
teacher counsellor. A teacher must never give up on any child and never lose faith in
either the child or the teaching profession.
5.6 PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL CHARACTERI-
STICS OF ELEMENTARY CHILDREN
Apart from certain common problems, there are problems, which are typically age -
specific.
VI TO VIII graders commonly termed as upper- primary, middle school or elementary
school children form such a group. This age group (roughly 11 to 15 years of age)
passes through a transitional phase of growth that has its own specific physical and
psychological characteristics. At this stage children go through many rapid
psychological changes that markedly affect their personal and social adjustments.
Many psychologists associate this period with negative attitudes. and behaviour
although only for a short period. The most vulnerable group in this period is of
deviant mat~lrer.Deviant maturer are those whose sexual maturity deviates from their
,:roup considerably. They can be either early maturers or late maturers. Below we
r,rention some common characteristics, which you may also come across.
Children at this stage are at varied stages of development. There is a marked variation
in this group in terms of height, weight and sexual maturity. Some are still in their late
childhood; some are at the pubescent stage while others are already into adolescence.
This period is characterized by rapid growth and changes in body proportions. Such
rapid changes " lead to comparison, to feelings of inadequacy and insecurity, and in
many cases to unfavourable behaviour. The physical changes of .puberty affect every
area of the body, both externally and internally and have an impact upon physical and
psychological well being."
Children find it difficult to come to terms with the changes in their bo,dks. They feel Elementary School Teacher as a
uncomfortable and awkward because of these changes in their physical appearance. Counsellor

There is an excessive concern about their appearance, which ultimately affects their
self-concept. " Few children pass through puberty without developing unfavourable
self concepts." As a result they either become withdrawn or aggressive. Unless
remedial steps are taken under achievement and low self-concept are bound to stay
throughout.

Major fall out is a declining interest in studies because sexual maturity leads to
heightened sexual attraction and daydreaming.

Family life education at this stage is extremely important. Children need to be

educated about this stage and their fears and phobias need to be alleviated. There are
many unanswered questions in their mind and the answers must come from reliable
sources. Many myths among teenagers are common at this stage and the school must
provide a platform to address these issues without making them complex or giving it
more than the desired attention. Teachers teaching elementary classes need to be
sensitive to comfortably answer related questions from the teens. Sex education in the
schools assumes greater significance in view of the alarming magnitude of the spread
of HIV and AIDS.

Check Your Progress 1

State whether each of the following statements is true or false.

i) Counselling is a wider concept than counselling.

ii) The problem of children can be categorised into (a) personality related and (b)
behavioural related.
iii) Over conscientious children are categorised as having behavioural related
problems.
iv) The use of bad language among children is categorised as a behavioural
problem.
v) Sexual maturity among children cannot lead to a decline in studies.

5.7 FUNCTIONSIASPECTS OF COUNSELLING

It is generally believed that counselling is a specialized activity and should be handled
by persons trained to do so. No doubt in certain complex situations only a trained
counsellor or psychologist should intervene. But this view cannot be a reason for
overlooking and avoiding the inseparable role of counsellor envisioned in a teacher. A
look at different aspects of counselling will adequately demonstrates how a teacher
can positively address these issues. These aspects are:

Conservativefpreventive
Curative
Promotional/developmental

Conservative aspect of counselling would focus upon maintaining the mental health of
a child. Keeping the child happy and tension free is a challenge. Closely related to
conservative aspect is preventive aspect. A teacher should not only help maintain
mental health of a child but should also be able to prevent occurrence of any problem.
It is here that the role of a teacher is of paramount importance. Many a times teachers
The Elementary School Child: themselves turn out to be the cause of the behavioural problems in the child. The way
Introduction a teacher treats a child can make or mar a personality. As a preventive measure the
teacher should refrain from the following undesirable behaviour:

Labelling

The teacher must consciously avoid labelling a child negatively such as ' failure',
'stupid', 'slow', 'hopeless', 'worthless', 'good for nothing', 'will never be able to
learn', 'nalayak' etc. Such labelling by a teacher is extremely detrimental to the
positive growth of a child's personality as it invariably impacts behaviour, to be in
consonance with such labels. Sometimes even seemingly positive labels such as '
always a topper', 'good child', 'very quiet!' may actually put undue pressure on a
child to live up to that label driving away attention from the other aspects of holistic
development.

Humiliating

A child should never be humiliated especially in the presence of others. Humiliation

cannot act as a corrective measure. Instead it will lead to loss of confidence or will
lead to resentment in the child.

Punishing

Punishing orland reprimanding children is common in school. But punishment is no

solution so far as education is concerned. Corporal punishment such as slapping and
hitting should be absolutely shunned. Any form of violence on the part of teachers
would induce similar feelings in the child. It has more to do with the behaviour
problem of the teacher than the child. An alternative to applying methods for
discipline the teacher can focus with admirable results on positive discipline. Still
fkrther one may apply sparingly and in a positive manner suspending privileges for a
short time.

Neglecting

Neglecting a child in the class acts as a demotivator. Invariably the child who receives
the least attention from the teacher is the one who needs it the most.

Discouraging

The teacher should not discourage free expression by the learners. It is unreasonable
to expect that every time children will come up with the 'right' answers. If the teacher
discourages the learners from speaking, the opportunity of gaining an insight into the
mind of a child will be irreversibly lost. This will also turn children into passive
listeners rather than active constructors of knowledge. The teacher should set aside
one pcriod in the week, where students are encouraged to ask questions and discuss
there problems free11 with their teacher.

Biases

We often do not know about our own biases. Our actions and reactions are influenced
by the biases we hold. So a teacher has to make a very conscious attempt to identify
the biases, if any, in the teacher's outlook and refrain from exercising the same. Some
such biases could be based on gender, caste, or class. These biases often get manifest
in teachers' unguarded statements, actions, or attitude. We have dealt with gender and
disability in detail in the next block.
Putting Undue Pressure Elementary School Teacher as a
Counsellor

During the course of teaching learning process, learners should never be pushed to the
extent that they become victims of extreme stress making schooling an ordeal. We
need to pace the process in a way that does not leave learners overburdened and
completely stressed out.

So we see that simply by not indulging in certain types of behaviour, the teacher can
go a long way in successfully performing the function of preventive counselling.

5.7.2 Curative

Curative counselling is required when a problem actually appears. This is also known
as crisis counselling. As you have seen, children in schools may suffer and
consequently may create many problems. What can a teacher do in such a situation?
In the sections below we will discuss our roles, as teachers.

Identification of the problem

First step in solving any problem would be to identify the problems a child is facing.
Identifying the problem by itself is half the battle won. Children up to elementary
level are very unlikely to seek help on their own. But they certainly send distress
signals that need to be picked up by adults. Since in a school, a teacher directly
interacts with the students, onus of identifying problem areas of children falls on. It is
not an easy task because we may notice only those children who automatically attract
our attention e.g. an attention-seeking or hyperactive child.

A child who is generally quiet and withdrawn may simply go unnoticed. On the other
hand, we may unwittingly encourage an over conscientious child who is struggling to
cope up with herhis reputation and whose behaviour is not at all disruptive to the
routine teaching, learning process. Many problems of children could be solved
satisfactorily if these are identified at the right time and attended to properly. At other
times, an exceptionally brilliant child may get labelled as a problem child.

Tracing the origin

Next to solving a problem would be tracing the root cause. Once we have identified
the problem, a child suffers from, we should try to find out the underlying causes
behind it. These causes could be purely physical (e.g. a listless child could be
suffering from some illness), circumstantial or related to home or school environment.
Once some sort of genesis of the problem becomes known, action can be planned.

Taking appropriate action

In many situations the origin of the problem could lie in the conditions at home. So,
even after diagnosing the problem areas, a teacher may feel helpless, as teachers have
no control over the home environment. But we can always help the child by equipping
herhis suitably to handle or cope with such situations. Most of the problems can be
handled at the level of the teacher herself. The teacher can intervene by:

talking to the child

talking to parents
talking to other teachers
talking to other students
doing the needful if it is related to school or class environment (stories and drama
are useful and effective tools that can be used in the classroom).
In complex or extreme cases, the child may need to be referred to a trained
counsellor by the teacher.
The Elementary School Child: So we can see that even in curative counselling teacher's role is quite crucial.
Introduction

5.7.3 PromotionaVDevelopmental

Developmental counselling is a continuous process that helps a person in the

development of positive attitudes, values, proper adjustments and a healthy
personality. This means that one is not merely concerned with preventing and curing
the problems but also takes measures to contribute to the positive development. This
is the most challenging aspect because it requires consistent effort on a long-term
basis. While any school guidance programme would aim at it, a teacher can promote it
in two ways: by herhis own attitude and by planning necessary activities.

Teacher's attitude

Just as a teacher's attitude is helpful in preventing the onset of problems in children,

similarly a teacher's attitude goes a long way in nurturing healthy personalities.
Habits, attitudes and values are all parts of socially learnt behaviour. But such
behaviour cannot be taught. Children imbibe it and as such it can only be cultivated by
conscious effort. Some of the traits desirable in the teacher for the purpose are:

Being Democratic

A democratic classroom environment is present when a child feels free to express

inner feelings encouraged by the presence of the teacher. There is no outright
dismissal of the expression. The expressed opinion if negated is carefully reasoned to
ensure that the creative streak in the child is not discouraged and where classroom
environment is non-threatening. Such an environment is not only a pre-requisite for
proper learning but is also essential for inculcating values of tolerance and respect for
otheq views and opinions.

Non-Judgmental

Like a counsellor the teacher needs to be non judgmental. Even if it is felt that the
child's viewpoint or action is wrong, the teacher should refrain from passing a
judgment. Child must be listened to and understood. Children tend to keep things to
themselves if they encounter reactions of shock or contempt. Instead of criticizing, the
teacher should point out what need to be done.

Unconditional regard

Instead of denying feelings, put feelings into words when negative feelings are
identified and accepted, a student feels encouraged to continue to strive.

Accepting a child as a child implies unconditional acceptance. According to Carl

Rogers most of the conflicts in the minds of children occur because their needs for
love and affection are met conditionally according to the norms of the accepted
behaviour set by society. Simply put, it means to point out the behaviour and not the
person.

Approachability

Teachers should be approachable. Children should not hesitate to approach teachers.

We should develop a kind of faith, which inspires confidence in the children. Many
times children suffer for small reasons because they hesitate to approach their parents
and teachers.
Confidentiality Elementary School Teacher as a
Counsellor
Once a child approaches the teacher and confides or shares herhis inner feelings,
views or incident, the teacher must respect the confidence reposed by the child. If trust
is breached the child feels badly let down and discouraged to open up later. This
effectively tends to derail the process of confidence building.

Consistency

To be able to cultivate desirable habits and attitudes, consistency in a teacher's

behaviour is indispensable. Do not send confusing signals by reacting differently in
similar situations. Children feel secure only when there is consistency.

Facilitator

A teacher should be a facilitator by helping the child in making right choices rather
than making her dependent by providing readymade solutions or injunctions. Children
are capable of making informed choices even in their early childhood. Our role is to
apprise them of the pros and cons of a situation. Our role as facilitators is to provide
children with various options and let them take the final decision. We should not take
decisions for them. This will demote them from taking decisions in life.

Role model

Apart from the above traits of a good counsellor, quite unlike a counsellor a teacher
needs to be role model. The teacher who does not have positive attitude can never
succeed in transmitting the same.

Activities

At the level of planning for developmental counselling the teacher should plan
activities keeping in mind the holistic development of learners as the goal of
education. These activities should be centered on two objectives: - that of discovering
potential of each child and of providing relevant opportunities.

In an effort to discover the potential of each child we must remember that each and
every individual is good at one thing or the other. Childhood is the time when this
potential needs to be discovered. For this the children must get an exposure to a very
wide range of activities to enable the teacher to discover their aptitudes and interests.
A teacher must weave a large number of varied activities in the curriculum. Every
child needs to be seen as a learner and encouraged to experience the joy of intellectual
discovery and the satisfaction of making progress - however fast or slow.

To ach.ieve the goal of discovering the potential of each child we must extend
opportunities after discovering the potential. This has to be a well thought out process
to realize the purpose of the entire exercise. These activities have to be designed
keeping in mind the interests, aptitudes and needs of the children.

Check Your Progress 2

i) Mention the three aspects of counselling.

ii) Does labelling a child as "this child will never be able to learn" encourage
learning?
iii) Mention four options that a teacher may make while taking appropriate action
to counsel a child.
iv) Mention six traits desirable in a teacher for the purpose of counselling.
The Elementary School Child: 5.8 LET US SUM UP
Introduction

Thus every teacher can and needs to be a counsellor at some point or the other. As far
as possible, trained counsellors should be made available in schools. But one must
remember that no number of counsellors can replace a teacher. No amount of
counselling services in schools can be of any help if the teachers are not sensitive and
empathetic to the psychological needs of children. It may seem to be a tall order but if
a teacher is sensitive, empathetic, possesses a healthy personality and has a genuine
concern for the welfare of children, and then the rest will follow.

5.9 CHECK YOUR PROGRESS: POSSIBLE ANSWERS

Check Your Progress 1

i) False
ii) True
iii) False
iv) False
v) False

Check Your Progress 2

(i) Conservative 1 Preventive, Curative & Promotional

(ii) No
(iii)Talking to and seeking assistance from the following authorities on how to
assist the child (a) talking to parents (b) othtr teachers (c) students (d)
members of the society (e) responding to the classroom 1 school related need
(f) inviting and external counsellor.
(iv) Being democratic; Non-judgemental; Approachable; Confidentiality;
Consistency; Facilitator; Role model.