A day in the life of guidance counselor Eileen Allen

    The school day for guidance counselor Eileen Allen usually begins before she reaches school each morning. She tries to answer the influx of emails that accumulated overnight while at home.

Though the process can take up to an hour, Allen tries to respond to every message, whether it’s about scheduling questions, transcript reviews, college admissions inquiries or college essay help.

    When done, Allen heads to her kitchen to brew a strong cup of coffee, which she follows up with a walk with a rescue dog named Maxine.

    “I try my best to do some sort of exercise if I can,” Allen said. “I find that it’s really helpful for my stress level, even if it’s going for a half an hour walk or something.”

    Her 20-minute commute takes her to her office in the administration building.

Throughout the day, Allen chats with students and her co-workers, making an effort to maintain “open communication.”

“I love to walk around and see how people are doing,” Allen said. “I consider that a big part of what I do and my belief. I’m not just here to support parents and students, but also to be seen as somebody that anyone on staff can talk about anything to.”

    Each day for Allen varies, as unexpected student crises may arise, forcing her to shift a full day of planned meetings with staff, students and parents from discussing ways to improve the learning experience of students with special needs to setting up a student support group.

“What I love about my job that makes me excited to come to work is that there isn’t really a typical day,” said Allen. “It’s often really different from day to day, just depending on the different things that come up.”

    Between meetings, Allen often talks to  students who are struggling with personal issues. These situations can bring out the best of Allen’s capabilities, when she advises students through their troubles with peer relationships, circumstances at home or even bullying.

    “It’s part of my job to make sure that everyone feels heard and understood,” Allen said. “Being that person who is willing to listen, show compassion and attempt to understand can sometimes go a long way, even when you can’t offer an immediate solution.”

    Along with student guidance, Allen also resolves complaints from both students and parents. Sometimes Allen cannot offer immediate solutions, which she finds frustrating at times, saying she often wants to “fix things right away.”

        On a day with fewer appointments or meetings, Allen finds herself with a large chunk of free time at work, often spending it in the company of some of her “teacher friends.”

    “I like to find time to step away from my desk,” Allen said. “I think it makes me a better counselor to just have some quiet time with friends to chat, and then I come back better off for the rest of the day.”

    After work, Allen sometimes heads to the gym to clear her head and alleviate the stress.

To wind down at home, Allen often entertains guests for dinner or hosts “The Bachelor” watching parties with her friends or spends time alone binge watching Netflix TV shows, such as her current obsession “Stranger Things.”

    “I’m a very social person and I love to have dinner with my friends,” Allen said. “But it’s nice to have that quiet time especially after a big or long day.”

But it’s common for her to become preoccupied with “coming up with solutions” to a student’s difficulties at night. Allen has always grappled with separating work from  her personal life at home.

    “I think it’s always a struggle, in any job where you’re working with people and trying to support them,” Allen said. “Sometimes it can be hard to compartmentalize and leave some of that concern for others at work.”

Though Allen initially did not intend to work at her former high school, she feels that working in a familiar community helps her understand student experiences. Her favorite part of the day is knowing that she has done something to help either a student or a staff member.

“I love getting to work with a diverse group of students and families and the exceptional teaching staff and administration group,” Allen said. “I consider it such a privilege to know so many hard-working and compassionate people.”