Coyote Counselling

Little Successes

One reason I felt I would have difficulty working in elementary is seeing the same students all day, every day. The years I was a traditional classroom high school teacher I valued the variety of classes and students.

Partially Aware

: Red Fox from Crestock Royalty Free Photos

A student came in to see if he was still welcome to the school. Immediately I switch into skeptic mode. A small voice reminds me to be open and keep a sense of hope. I try to balance the two emotions and invite him into an office.

Is Coyote my spirit guide?

: Coyote from Crestock Creative Images

We have lots of coyotes around. Every other night I can here them calling and yipping. According to some of the neighbors, there is a group of dens in the hills and pastures between us and the highway two miles away. The coyotes will come up to our fence line. Theyre surely checking out the horses and perhaps hoping to catch one of the cats away from the shed. In fresh snow I like to follow the tracks they leave as they chase mice.

“Stop yellin’ at me and I’ll stop rolling my eyes”

The main idea that attracted me to Coyote Mentoring is that teaching and counseling works best at the edge. A person grows when they are approached in his comfort zone and then pushed. It is a subtle and powerful thing that I’ve observed and experienced many times.

Working Through Frustration

The transition from East to South in the learning cycle is where I see many students get stuck. In between these two is Southeast. This is the place where the person is trying to find a way to move from the feeling of initiative to getting the work done. I’ve looked for strategies to assist this transition. Part of the problem is trying to understand why the person is stuck.

During a presentation at a recent Outreach Conference I heard Cameron Buchanan speak.

A Different Exam Anxiety

Most of the students have had very limited academic success. At my school they find hope as they work through their courses and realize that they are capable. Despite this success during the year, I fully expected the students to suffer high anxiety at test time. Yesterday, at the first diploma exam of the year, the anxiety was high but it was of a very different sort.

Advance and Retreat

Advance and retreat is a common training tactic. I’ve used it very successfully with my horse. In fact, with Chiquita, when she doesn’t feel like being engaged, I force the issue a little bit. I increase the pressure on her by walking aggressively. I aim my gaze directly at her and point my body to her hind quarters. “If you want to walk away from me, I’ll make you run.” The strange thing is that when I take the pressure off by turning away and dropping my posture, she’ll turn and begin to walk toward me. She may not respond quickly but after a few tries she usually wants to follow me around.

WEM Stalk

I tried my first experiment at stalking people. West Edmonton Mall seemed a great place to try it. I began by just trying to follow the person in frog of me and staying in his “blind spot”. Close behind the person seems best. But some had a sense that I was there. I must have been too loud or obvious.

The Tracker: A Review

I just finished reading The Tracker by Tom Brown Jr. The man and the stories have come to me over six years of taking high school students on weekend retreats. Curiosity finally caught up with me and I found that I had to buy some of the books through Amazon.

“I’ll Try”

I had a conversation with the student today. I explained why I was disappointed with his attendance and work ethic. He nodded and said that he wasn't feeling well and had to go home. I knew how the rest of the conversation would go. So, I fell into my routine and carried on and got the same response that usually comes up in this type of discussion.