In Week 3, I learned about social and emotional learning, principles to action, and we also did peer review. I shared my activity idea, Hot Potato with a Spinning Wheel, as a warm-up for each semester, and I learned a lot from both the lessons and the discussions.

However, I am still curious about counselling in education. I understand that it is important for teachers to listen to students and support them emotionally, but counselling feels like a big responsibility for a teacher.

My question is: Where is the boundary between a teacher’s role and a counsellor’s role?

Teachers already have many responsibilities, such as lesson planning, teaching, and assessing students. If we focus too much on counselling, could it affect the quality of our teaching? At the same time, we know that students need emotional support, and sometimes simply listening can help them a lot.

So, how can teachers provide support without taking on too much responsibility?
And at what point should a teacher step back and refer a student to a professional counsellor?

I would like to better understand how to balance these roles so that I can support my students while still being effective in my teaching.