Trudi Wolfe shares two strategies she uses to keep from getting discouraged as a school counselor: planting seeds and gathering treasures.
We were curious about the poems that made such an impression on Trudi’s students, so we asked about them.
From Trudi:
The poems come from the self-esteem curriculum called “Free the Horses.” It is quite old now as it was published in the early 80’s, but it is the best self-esteem curriculum that I have ever used.
This poem comes from when the main character is wanting to give up:
You can do it.
It may take time,
But stick with it
And you’ll be fine.This poem comes from when a character is dealing with a bully:
Think clear, think bringt.
Feel the sun in my heart just right.
Your words can’t hurt
No matter what you say
Because in my mind
I know that I am okay!The poems may not look much as they stand alone, but when in context as the characters go through a magical adventure, they have more meaning.
I have worked closely with Trudi Wolfe both when she was a mental health provider ( I was a DCS worker and in her current position (I work in the same position in a different building). She is one person that I can say without a doubt, every day is in the trenches advocating for children from the time she wakes up in the morning until she closes her eyes at night.
My little nugget I hold on to: I worked with a kid starting in 4th grade with extreme anger outbursts, impulsivity and prone to fighting first and asking questions later. We worked very closely in 4th, lessened our meetings a little in 5th grade and in 6th only met when specific situations arrived. One day in 6th grade he comes to my office shaking, pacing, red faced, clenched fists and probably the angriest I had ever seen him. When I was finally able to talk to him, I had assumed he was in trouble and had already done something and was coming to me for help. When I asked him what had happened he started listing all of the other person’s actions and how mad he was. When I asked him what he had done, he said “nothing, I walked away.” When I gave him a hug and told him how proud of him I was of how far he had come, he said “Oh I wanted to fight him, but I didn’t want to make you look bad because of all the time you have put into helping me work through things.” It made me feel so good knowing that at the height of his rage, he paused long enough to think about how I would feel/ “look” and made a different decision. Still a highlight after 18 years in this position!
This is another treasure for me! Thank you, Missy!