HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. - A Hillsborough County school guidance counselor is taking remote learning to a whole new level.

What You Need To Know

  • Jennifer Shiver has spent week counseling students outside

  • She hasn't returned to office because of COVID

  • "I was tired of a career on the phone," she said

  • Parent brought daughter to speak with Shiver, was pleased with results

When Jennifer Shiver, a high school counselor at Brandon EPIC3 Center, was told she couldn't get back in to her school office to work until Friday, she decided to take her services on the road.

"I was frustrated because I couldn't be on campus and I feel like taxpayer's deserve better than me just sitting on the porch," she said. "I was tired of a career behind a screen, I was tired of a career on the phone. I wanted to speak to people face to face."

She spent the week sitting on a bench on the corner of Jefferson and Franklin Street, offering her counseling services for free to students, their families and anyone else who might need it.

"It's been great. I've been sitting here from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. every day and I feel like I'm getting a lot accomplished," she said.

Natasha Sherwood saw a post about what Shiver was doing on Facebook and decided to bring her daughter, Bella Sherwood, 17, to Shiver's make-shift office for a talk.

She said they spent about an hour going over her transcripts, talking about how to successfully take tests and planning for the future.

"My daughter had no idea what she was going to take course-wise. Now she's got focus and she just has a lot more confidence," said Natasha Sherwood.

Shiver said she counseled more than a dozen people from the bench.

"I had someone who was speaking at the school board meeting come by to talk to me about her anxiety before that," she said.​ "Another person was transitioning from private school to public school and needed some advice."

Shiver said she is thinking about continuing to do her bench counseling on the weekends as a public service even after she goes back to the campus.

"I'm having a blast. It's very fulfilling. I feel like right now with COVID-19, people might need someone to talk to. I see frustration and anger and I want to help with that," she said. "My husband said all week I've been coming home in a good mood, too, so that's a plus," she laughed.