Counselor would trade pat on the back for bonus.

I am a high-school counselor at an Orlando public school. For the past three years, I have spent my workdays creating and implementing effective programming in line with the American School Counselor Association’s academic, career and social/emotional curriculum.

I meet with students individually, in small groups, as well as present to classes. I work alongside teachers and parents to make sure that every student’s needs are met. I hold a Florida teaching certificate. I am rated on the same scale as a classroom teacher. I am paid the same salary. Why am I excluded from Florida’s teacher-bonus programs?

I learned this week that after months of believing that my “highly effective” rating had earned me the same $1,200 bonus as a highly effective teacher, I have instead earned a metaphorical pat on the back. While a new teacher with no experience is able to qualify for a $6,000 bonus based on his or her own SAT or ACT scores, I am also excluded from the Best and Brightest Teacher Scholarship Program (even though my own scores would qualify) because I am not a classroom teacher.

In Florida, a master’s degree is a prerequisite for a counseling position — but not for a teaching position. In recent weeks, much has been made of the specialized skills and mental-health training that counselors bring to schools, of our unique and necessary role within the school system. It is disheartening to know that as important as our work is, it is not valued. Lizabeth HernandezOgonowski Orlando