Dallas Counselor Helps Students Find Success
Toni Ferrell, was a non-traditional student. As a young mother with two children, she earned her associates degree from Howard College and then proceeded to commute 175 miles round trip, from Big Spring to San Angelo every day to attend classes at Angelo State University. She graduated Summa Cum Laude earning her bachelor's in interdisciplinary language arts with a focus in communications.
"I carpooled with others for the almost three-hour round trip car ride. I got car sick but taught myself to get over it because I needed that time to study," said Ferrell.
Ferrell taught third and fourth grades at Big Spring Independent School District (ISD), the school where she, as a young child, had attended; and later taught fourth-grade language arts and social studies at Grapevine Colleyville ISD. She also worked with a school counselor and ran the Salvaging Sisterhood Group, which teaches young girls how to handle peer pressure, bullying and conflict resolution.
"I always wanted to be a school counselor from the first year I started teaching," said Ferrell, who earned her master's degree in school counseling from Dallas Baptist University (DBU).
With her new master's degree, Ferrell started at Gene Pike Middle School as a school counselor. Later, she transferred to Medlin Middle School in Northwest ISD. She guides students in selecting courses to help them achieve their academic and career goals. She facilitates academic, and social/emotional interventions and accommodations to assist students' success.
"You have to be a teacher before you can be a school counselor. In the position of a school counselor, you can really make a difference in a child's life. You not only help them academically, but you also help them socially and emotionally. It is a much broader field than teaching and sometimes the social/emotional needs to be addressed so that academic success can be achieved. As a counselor, we have the opportunity to work with family members and community leaders. I wanted to help students make better choices at a younger age. I didn't always make the best choices and learned things the hard way," said Ferrell.
When it comes to returning to school, Ferrell has this advice, "Do your homework. I looked into quite a few master's programs. I looked at what schools would work with my schedule, and their class size. I had great instructors at DBU, which made it easy to be successful."
Robin D. Everson is a native Chicagoan who resides in Dallas, Texas. Her appreciation for art, food, wine, people and places has helped her become a well-respected journalist. A life-long lover of education, Robin seeks to learn and enlighten others about culture. You can find her work at Examiner.com
