the book I will someday write about college counseling

Someday, when I'm old and gray, I might write a book about my work. Or maybe I'll just print out all of my letters of recommendation for students and that will tell the story. Or maybe I will have blogged enough to not feel the need to write another word. (Those of you who read this regularly will be saying, "Yes, you will have blogged enough, Elizabeth! Please, spare us a whole book.") Not sure. But I can tell you that the book won't be filled with statistics about our college admissions rate from a certain year or how many National Merit Semifinalists we've had in the past decade.
It will be about why I went into college counseling in the first place, beyond my inspiration from my own teachers in high school. I went into college counseling because I love working with students in the later years of high school. I love their optimism and their skepticism. I love that they think they can tackle the biggest problems in the world, but they can't sit down to write a 500 word essay or do a math problem set with 10 questions without complaining. I love that at any given moment they are on top of the world, and in the next breath they don't see any light at the end of the tunnel. I love that they joke with me just to see if they can get a reaction, and that I joke back with them - often for the same reason. I appreciate that they sometimes actually listen to what I say...and might even give it some value. I am delighted when they surprise themselves by what they can accomplish. I offer a quick steadying hand when they stumble along the way. I want them to have as few regrets as possible along the way, but I also want them to dream big even if that means falling hard. I love being a guide on their journey of self-discovery. It's a joy. It's an honor. And when they come back from college and make time to come by and say hello, well, that's a real treat. At the end of the year, when everyone asks "Was it a good year in college admissions?", I always want to be able to say, "Yes! All of our students have choices. Schools that are good matches for them. Schools where they are going to be happy and where they will grow as people." And when someone asks me about admissions statistics or National Merit numbers, I want to proudly say, "You know, I don't remember those as well as I probably should. I'll gladly look them up for you. But, without a moment of research, I can tell you some things that you'll never find on a web page or in any list. I can tell you what makes these students tick. What makes them the happiest. What really hurts them. I can tell you about their dreams and their fears.
Yeah, that will be the beginning of my story of my job as a college counselor. I will always favor the stories from my heart over the data in my computer. Sorry, I can't help it!
My apologies if this post is a little bit of a "rant" (I actually cut it down...I realized that I was reacting to the question of a parent of an 8th grader about college admissions!!).