Counselor’s Corner - Sept 22, 2022

Dear Teachers,

I watched my third-grade daughter hold it together today in an extraordinary act of courage.  She had forgotten her lunch in the refrigerator at home, her parent (me) had gotten Subway to her classroom too late, and she was choosing to wait until after school to eat, rather than munch during class.  Her bottom lip trembled and tears welled in her eyes as she told me her eight-year old plan.  And although I thought, 'She's being too hard on herself!  But, she's got this," I reminded myself.  "And I'm here just steps away in my Counselor's Office if she needs me."

And I think of you in your classrooms every day exhibiting extraordinary levels of courage.  Likely you're holding it together every day for your students with one or more of the following Courage Types:

Physical Courage: To keep going with resiliency, balance, and awareness.
Social Courage: To be yourself unapologetically.
Moral Courage:  Doing the right thing even when it's uncomfortable or unpopular.
Emotional Courage:  Feeling all your emotions (positive and negative) without guilt or attachment.
Intellectual Courage:  To learn, unlearn, and relearn with an open and flexible mind.
Spiritual Courage:  Living with purpose and meaning through a heart-center approach to wards all life and oneself.
 
And I imagine some days, despite that courage, that you bottom lip trembles and tears well in your eyes.  In those moments, I picture your Heavenly Father looking down and thinking, "You're being too hard on yourself, but you've got this!"  And then He whispers in your ear, "And I'm here just prayers away if you need me."

Thank you for the daily courage that you bring to your classroom, students, and school.

Warmly,

Mindy Salyers
SDA School Counselor