Tama Lang will never forget her first day on the job as a school counselor. "I started Sept. 11, 2001," Lang said. "And it solidified my feelings of why I want to be in this profession and want to work with children.
"They need support, emotionally, more than ever," she added.
As a counselor at the Sgt. Robert R. Litwin School in Chicopee, Lang helps young students cope with personal tragedies as serious as the death of a family member. She works with them as they deal with stressful school situations involving classwork or with issues at home, such as the loss of a pet.
Her work with students in the years since 9/11 has not gone unnoticed.
Late last year, a fellow counselor nominated Lang for the 2022 School Counselor of the Year award, which is presented by the Massachusetts School Counselors Association.
Lang, who is a member of the Chicopee Education Association, was named the recipient of the honor in February — and it came as a shock.
"They called me to assist a student in the cafeteria and when I walked in, I saw my husband was there — and other counselors from the district as well," Lang said, recalling the award ceremony. "And while it wasn’t a big crowd because of the COVID restrictions, I was definitely taken by surprise. I was humbled and honored, of course, to receive such an award."
As an educator, Lang has seen firsthand how the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated students’ issues with social and emotional well-being.
"There’s of course a regression with remote learning. We noticed immediately that students are struggling more with reading and math concepts," said Lang. "And we’ve seen an increase in depression and anxiety among our students, which are at the forefront right now in terms of our students’ mental health."
Lang said educators’ mental health has also been affected since the pandemic started in 2020.
"If educators are not well, it trickles down to the students," she said. "It’s very important to start with educators because they’re the ones who are in charge of students and their learning."
Lang said she’s constantly advocating for her profession and her students.
The American School Counselor Association recommends a student-to-counselor ratio of 250-to-1. Most schools in Massachusetts fail to meet that ratio, Lang said. In her own building, the ratio is about 350-to-1.
"Sometimes I am stretched thin, and it would be amazing if I could even have a second counselor and we could split up our duties," she said.
Speaking in May before the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, Lang told state officials that she had surveyed school counselors in her district about what would help them in their work.
"All of my peers said they needed more counselors in order for them to be more effective," said Lang. She said she informed the board members "that while my primary commitment and focus is on student well-being and success, I cannot overlook the importance of educator well-being."
Lang continues her advocacy alongside fellow members of the CEA and the MTA.
She joins other MTA educators and stakeholders as a member of a Fair Share Amendment working group that looks at how additional revenue from Question 1 could be used to enhance student mental health services in their communities.
The constitutional amendment will be decided by statewide voters on Nov. 8. If approved, it would add a 4 percent tax to the portion of a person’s annual taxable income above $1 million. The revenue would be directed to public education and transportation.
"It means more funding for our schools," said Lang. "As for the school counseling profession, it’s decreasing the ratio — we need more counselors."
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