A Good Day.

One of my 15 year old students arrived back at school today, cancer free, after months of surgery and chemotherapy at Children's Hospital.  Her long black hair is all gone, replaced by a soft pink toque ... her radiant smile is still there though, perhaps even more radiant than before. (Picture by permission.)

 

Silence is Golden

Schools often fail 1/3 of the population.  I found this TED talk about introverts to be highly eye opening.

Are Letter Grades Hurting or Helping ?

I found this article provocative.

Affirmation

Recently, two things happened that warmed my heart.  The first involved a 13 year old student who has spent the last four years richocheting from one foster home to another.  She still has her radiant smile and would not stand out from the crowds of students bustling through our hallways.  She is, in fact, different; she is a warrior.  Her mother asked me to speak to her after sharing the story of their family struggles and pain.  I did call her daughter in for a brief chat after her mother left.  She listened politely (as we sat there in our Halloween costumes) as I told her about her mother's request.  At first, she declined saying that she had learned not to trust counsellors, that they had betrayed her in the past.  Then, she paused as she considered me.  "I'll trust you" she said.  We agreed to meet again to begin the mutual adventure that is counselling.  Trust, particularly when given as a gift by a wounded child is something to be cherished and respected.  It involves a great responsibility to make the most of the opportunity; to get it right. 

On another occasion, at the end of a hectic and stressful day, I noticed a brightly coloured envelope in my mailbox outside my office door.  My name had been carefully hand lettered and neatly coloured on the front.  Inside, I found a full page of neatly printed text that expressed the heartfelt appreciation of one of our senior students.  She had come to see me last school year during a particularly difficult time in her life.  We had spent time together in my counselling office working through her feelings, options and perspectives.  We discussed the direction her life seemed to be heading.  We talked about choices people make.  We talked about changing direction.  I gave her as much encouragement as I could.  We did not see each other again.  I had wondered how she was doing but she did not return for counselling.  I did not hear from her at all, until I found her letter to me outside my office door.
It contains phrases like " genuine person", "heart of gold", "made all my problems vanish", "how much you care for kids", "Adults like you are ones I look up to.", "well deserved thank-you".  Receiving a letter like this reminds me of why I am a counsellor.  It reminds me, and affirms the fact that, we counsellors often have a tremendous impact on the hearts and lives of our students.  We don't often see or hear about the depth of meaning our work has for our clients but through this letter, I was given a glimpse.