We have amazing counselors in all of our buildings. Mr. Schultz retired in 2023 and returned to our district in the fall! Mr. Schultz has a Counseling degree from Lincoln University.
"My favortite part of counseling is you get to do things with kids that you don't normally get to do as a teacher. As I have been both, for instance I have the fish fry at the end of each quarter for positive behavior five kids are chosen from each grade level to
come and eat fish with Mrs. Seaver and myself. The manners and respect they show for not only me but my dad, who fries most of the fish is wonderful. I also get to talk with kids about hunting, fishing, sports, and other things that are going on in their life. I think this is where I have the biggest impact on our kids. Kids are a great judge of character, and this is where they truly judge how much you really care about them. I been at this a long time and is always great to be up town, and have kids go out of their way to come say hi "Coach" or hey "Mr. Schultz," said Schultz.
He also teaches the Missouri Connections classes in the middle school. This class prepares them for high school. He does 4 year plans, college and career readiness, military research, and many other projects that prepare them for life. By the time they leave 8th grade, Mr. Schultz has developed an Individual Career Plan for all students.
Mr. Schultz, along with the guidance from Mrs. Seaver, developed a credit recovery course for the Middle School students who were at risk of retention. The students are placed into an explaratory class using previous school years grades and behaviors. He is able to individually preapre the students core lessons daily. He works through Google Classroom and has the assignments ready for the student daily and lets them know what assignments in other classes they are missing. In the past year, this class has been a huge success in which all of the students he works with went from the D/F list to the Honor Roll!
Mr. Schultz also does individual counseling sessions with students as well as small group counseling sessions as needed.
Mr. Schultz administers and coordinates all of the MAP testing for students in grades 5 through 8th.
"My goal for the Bland Middle School Counseling department would be to keep the counselor teaching the Explaratory recovery class and the Missouri Connections classes in future years," said Schultz. "As both of those classes have proved to be a critical need for 8th grade students and their transition to High School."
For more information about the counseling services offered at Bland Middle School, please reach out to Mr. Schultz at jschultz@mariesr2.org.