Proverbs for School Counseling

I just finished The Help, and it was great, but I'll write more on that later.

Today, I'd like to talk about a few proverbs that I can use in my school counseling practice. This morning, I read Proverbs 26 (the proverb of the day), and as I was reading, I kept making connections to a few counseling issues I had with students last year. I wish I would have had these proverbs in my arsenal to help the students think and deal with their situations.

1. "Without wood a fire goes out; without gossip a quarrel dies down."

I wish that I could post this in the Freshman Learning Center. So many arguments could have been resolved MUCH sooner if it wasn't for the incessant gossip that I heard in the freshman class. (Don't think you aren't guilty of it youselves, Upper Classmen. I heard you doing it too.)

2. "As charcoal to embers and as wood to fire, so a quarrelsome man for kindling strife."

I had two students this past year that were like wood to each other's fire. I would have liked to have used this metaphor to help them think of ways NOT to be wood or charcoal in the future. I think it would have helped them to think, "Am I being wood or am I being a bucket of water in this situation?" I'll have to use it in the future.

Of course, I can't tell kids that these are proverbs from the Bible, but I can still use their wisdom and their words to help kids think about how they are responding and how they'll respond in the future.