Compared to what high school counselors contend with on a daily basis, we have a pretty easy gig at Collegewise.

Collegewise counselors have one job—college admissions advising—and it takes us all day, every day, to keep up with it. We’re not expected to save the kid who’s flunking out of 10th grade. Students don’t come to us for help with emotional problems. The student who’s homeless, or who a teacher suspects is being abused at home, or who got expelled for dealing drugs, those situations almost never land on our desks.

If we don’t think we can help a family that we don’t feel is a good fit for our program, we can say no and refer them to someone who can do a better job. We get to fill our ranks with a limited number of families we know we can help, and nearly all of them are predisposed to like what we do and how we do it.

Most high school counselors deal with a much wider array of issues, many of them far more complex or even critical, than we can ever imagine. From college admissions, to emotional counseling, to life-threatening situations of illness or abuse, high school counselors have to deal with—and excel at—all of it, often with caseloads of hundreds of students. It’s a very difficult job that doesn’t get nearly enough credit.

I had no idea that this week is National School Counseling Week, but I’m glad Patrick O’Connor took the time to remind all of us. And he makes a very reasonable suggestion, one that I hope every student and parent who reads this blog will follow. Take a minute and thank your high school counselor this week. Students, poke your heads in their offices and say, “Thank you.” Parents, drop a quick email to the counselor to express your appreciation. It takes less than two minutes but I promise you it will be much appreciated.

You might think your high school counselor doesn’t do anything. You’re wrong. They’re behind the scenes helping in ways most of us will never know.

Most counselors don’t seek fanfare, and they take curtain calls for doing what they do. But they’ll appreciate a sincere and well-deserved “thank you.”