"As a team player, I work with colleagues to make the maximum difference for the students with whom I work," says Rod Poole, a school counselor for Sitka High School in Sitka. Named Alaska School Counselor of the Year in 1989, Mr. Poole was inspired to become an educator by a former high school social science teacher who first taught him to believe in himself. He strives to instill the same self-pride in each of his students. A firm believer in student-counselor interaction, Mr. Poole spends a good deal of his time in the classrooms, working with the students and letting them know he has every confidence in their capabilities. Mr. Poole frequently addresses issues which may be troubling students, and he has helped a number of students receive treatment for alcohol abuse and attempted suicide. His sensitivity and individualized counseling style have earned him recognition for the American School Counseling Association as co-winner of the United States High School Counselor of the Year Award for 1990.Â
I currently work as an Orientation and Mobility Specialist teaching orientation and safe travel skills to a school-age visually impaired population at the Governor Morehead School for the Blind (state school) in Raleigh, NC. I have learned a lot about overcoming obstacles. If you are looking for information on perseverance or for inspiring stories about people dealing with adversity, I have a number of such articles in my files, as well as personal knowledge of my own students here who have maximized their potential in spite of great difficulty.
1968 North Carolina State University, B.A.
