For many students, school can be very stressful. Particularly for shy or socially anxious students; having to go to the guidance counselor may add to the stress. To make matters worse, in some schools, there is an announcement over the PA system when a student makes an appointment with a guidance counselor. Such systems can be problematic for a number of reasons:

  • Students may have sensitive issues such as abuse at home or bullying, which, because of their anxiety, makes it difficult to talk to a counselor.
  • Students may hold back from submitting required forms because of their anxiety. This can lead to complications for teachers, administrators, and parents.
  • Due to un-submitted or lost forms, students may miss out on things such as trips, reducing opportunities to interact with their counterparts in a safe environment and engaging socially with other students.
  • Students may have learning difficulties or special health issues, but may be too shy to share this information with the school. This can have dangerous consequences for the student as well as legal consequences for the school.
  • In higher grades, students may need to talk to the guidance counselor in order to switch courses. A student suffering from anxiety may desperately want to be in another course, but may not set an appointment with the guidance counselor due to peer pressure. The course choices students make in high school determine what programs they are eligible to enter in post-secondary. It is a shame if – due to how the system is set up – students are unable to pursue their dreams.

Ricoh knows that this is a very serious issue, and we want to make sure that all students, from the shyest introvert to the loudest extrovert, are equally able to access student resources. We have developed a state of the art system through which this is possible. 

  • Our enterprise content management (ECM) system stores all information – including biographical data, grades, and forms relating to the student. This information can be made available to the student and their parents through a secure web portal. 
  • Digital forms can be automatically sent from the school to parents, and vice-versa. Automated business processes can also be put in place, such that relevant parties are notified if a deadline is coming up and the form hasn’t been submitted. 
  • This system can also act as a web portal that students can use to make guidance appointments without worry. All appointments can be marked confidential, keeping sensitive information secure and private.
  • The system also allows the school to set up common forms, so that students or parents can easily enter information for sensitive issues (health-related or otherwise), while maintaining confidentiality with access to this information restricted to only relevant stakeholders – as the school sees fit.
  • Course selection can be made digital, such that students are able to pursue the things they desire without stress or fear of repercussions.

School is stressful enough without additional stigma. Work with Ricoh and create a safe and stress-free educational environment for your students. 

Talk to a Ricoh representative about how you can reduce your student’s stress. Contact us at educationsolutions@ricoh.ca.

Finally, please do keep in mind that Ricoh is not providing legal advice or ensuring legal compliance with any law, regulation, by-law or any other legislative requirement with respect to the content of this communication. It is the customer’s responsibility to obtain advice of competent legal counsel to ensure its compliance with such requirements.