Dick Lanham doesn't stand in a classroom and teach students English or math. But as Cedar Grove Middle School's counselor, he is an important part of the learning process.
"My main goal as a counselor is to build relationships with these students," Lanham said. "And I want them to see me as the one person in the school system that is their advocate, like a lawyer. Because when they come and talk with me, unless it's something to hurt themselves or others, whatever they share with me they can be confident in that it stays here. I'm their advocate here."
Lanham worked in the private sector before moving into public education a decade ago. Starting with a pair of elementary schools, he eventually moved to Cedar Grove. He said the challenges facing sixth through eight graders are imposing and unique. However, he said with the right help and guidance, students can overcome them.
"I try to educate students about how to handle those issues at home," Lanham said. "Because even though I can't change what's going on at home, if I can give them one thing to hold onto, something that they can do when they go home, they come back and say, 'You know, I tried that Mr. Lanham. That worked. I'm going to try to keep doing that.' So, it's trying to give them hope even though they might feel hopeless."
Kanawha County is like many other school systems in the state. There is now just as much emphasis on caring for childrens' needs as there is teaching them science and history. With the opioid epidemic ravaging an entire region, families fracturing more every day and students faced with unrelenting social media pressures, counselors can make a difference between success and failure.
"The students that come every day who we're feeding and clothing and helping them in the trauma that they've gone through," Ron Duerring, Kanawha County Schools Superintendent said. "I don't know if you're familiar with that movement of trauma-informed schools or ACES, Adverse Childhood Experiences. If a kid's had at least three or four of those, the chance of them being successful in school throughout their school life lessens considerably."
Lanham said tackling big problems for an entire student population is unrealistic for just one person. But by focusing on small victories, he said he has an opportunity to be a positive influence in his students' lives and help them succeed both academically and socially.
"Sometimes you have students who are willing to come to you and talk about their issues," Lanham said. "But in middle school a lot of them, they just stay quiet. And the quiet ones sometimes are the ones you kind of worry a little bit more about."
Lanham said unless students have a solid base where they feel secure and safe, learning is nearly impossible. Administrators, teachers and school staffers combine their talents to try and create an environment where kids have the best possible chance to grow into well-balanced adults ready for the challenges post-school life brings.
"In my mind, I have this thing," Lanham said. "Anything I do, even if it might not make an impact now, at some point it might make an impact. So, that's what keeps me going. I don't look at where they are now. I have hope that change will happen. And a little bit of whatever I've tried to do that it'll, a lightbulb will go off in their head and, 'Oh yeah, I remember Mr. Lanham talked to me about that.' So that's what keeps me...My mission is to make an impact on these students' lives and that's what keeps me going every day."