Molly Sroka

High School Counselor in Wisconsin - Believer in collaboration, education, and students!
her/she

[Molly Sroka @MrsSrokaSC]

2024, with a refreshed resolution for MORE collaboration and actively finding solutions for students. Lucky to have this work, lucky to have these students counting on us, lucky to be in a position to help. Let's do it! #NewYears2024

[Molly Sroka @MrsSrokaSC]

Proud. Rest in peace, Coach Wik. Coaches, you do more good than you know!

[Andy Sroka @AndySrokaPBR]

Coach Wik was tough love incarnate.

He delivered to me some real world life lessons that forged the path I’m on today, one I’m proud of. He was my coach – in some ways he was one of the only authentic coaches I ever had.

A throwback, the kind of baseball man Augie Garrido would admire. Coach Wik made you earn it, he illuminated what you were capable of as a player and a person.

I was a senior in high school at Marian Central who felt entitled to my everyday spot. I got complacent, downright lazy, and I pouted when Coach Wik called me on it. This was a pivotal point in my life, and I think about it almost daily still. He was great at berating us when we played beneath ourselves, but when he calmly and privately called me out for my complacency, that stung way more.

I was angry, the embarrassment was living beneath the surface. I coasted on the talent I had for so long and I was unaccustomed to receiving that kind of treatment. I thought instead that it would be a useful act of rebellion to keep pouting, I’d show him that I didn’t need to be work as hard to be twice as good as everyone else.

Yeah, that didn’t work out.

He didn’t budge. We butted heads. And somehow I didn’t regret the way I acted until I graduated. I still left without saying goodbye, tail between my legs and all.

My busted relationship with Coach Wik was an open wound that time wasn’t mending. I began to miss baseball nonetheless, and I eventually pushed the door back open for myself. I held myself and my work to an extremely high standard – still do. Yet, I knew that I needed to reconcile my actions with Coach Wik if I ever wanted to truly forgive my high school self.

Thankfully, our paths crossed again, almost a decade after we last spoke. It was at the IHSBCA convention in 2019, I think. I talked to his son Brett, who used to help coach us. I mentioned this weight I was carrying and he suggested I walk into the ballroom in between guest speakers to confront Coach Wik.

So I did, and he smiled at me right away. He shook my hand – it was a vise grip handshake, as expected �� and I nervously stumbled through the next few minutes, explaining to him how his tough love was precisely what I needed at that time in my life, even if I didn’t show it that whole year. He was grateful I shared that story, and he let me drop that weight then and there in that ballroom. We caught up for another few minutes before the next session started, and that was it.

I needed that encounter much, much more than Coach Wik did, I know that. But I’m thankful to have that memory, and to have received that closure, it made it easier to forgive myself finally for fumbling what I had. Coach Wik cared about the person I would become, and he put that before anything related to baseball, even if I didn’t see it that way at the time. I think that’s what a legendary coach does, and Coach Wik is certainly a legend of coach and a man.

So, I’ll remember Coach Wik for as long as I live. He helped me realize what it’s like to deliver less than what you’re capable of. He’s my coach.

[Molly Sroka @MrsSrokaSC]

Proud wife, reporting for duty! Knock 'em dead, @AndySrokaPBR !! 😊

[Andy Sroka @AndySrokaPBR]

Got asked to do my best @VinnyRottino impression in the booth today. So, you can listen to me try my best on ESPN+ when game one starts in 15 minutes. 😂

[NAMI @NAMICommunicate]

Tips on how to support a loved one who's struggling with their mental health.
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Image via https://t.co/W4zkKgEN8B on IG

[Molly Sroka @MrsSrokaSC]

Who else is seeing a lot of school anxiety following COVID? What are the best interventions you’re using to help kids feel safe and comfortable at school again? I’ve been reading up and eager for some new ideas… thoughts?! #scchat #schoolcounseling #schoolrefusal #truancy

[Christina S. Green @MrsCSGreen]

"I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality." -Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (from his 1964 Nobel Prize acceptance speech)

[Molly Sroka @MrsSrokaSC]

Wisconsin counseling/education friends - great resources for our kids/teachers/families who are struggling with the tragedy in #Waukesha.
Wisconsin Department of Health Services Disaster Distress Helpline: 1-800-985-5990
Optum Public Crisis Line: 1-866-342-6892

[Molly Sroka @MrsSrokaSC]

Thinking of everyone involved in the horrible tragedy in #Waukesha last night. Truly, unspeakably horrible. If
you are able to be together, be sure to hug your loved ones tight this holiday weekend.

[Molly Sroka @MrsSrokaSC]

Happy Tuesday, all! May your coffee mugs stay warm, your inbox be manageable, and your dinner be takeout. ❤️

[Molly Sroka @MrsSrokaSC]

Happy Homecoming Week to @Arrowheadschool !! Have fun this week!! #homecoming #teachertwitter #schoolcounseling

[Angela 👩🏾‍💻👩🏾‍🏫 @wokeSTEMteacher]

I remember a teacher I used to work with once asked me “How do you get the students to like you so much?” And the only response I could give was “Be yourself. Students can spot when you’re not being genuine or trying to act too cool.”

[Molly Sroka @MrsSrokaSC]

You guys. ⁦@realUNOgame⁩ is AMAZING, and our kids are SO EXCITED for next week’s lunch bunch. Thanks, Uno - can’t wait to see the kids “flip” over these (and inevitably make their new friends draw four - in the nicest way 😂)!! #education #cardgames #scchat #teachertwitter

[Meghan Lawson @Meghan_Lawson]

Talk to kids about their school experience. They will tell you. And when they do, listen. Their voices are one of the most underutilized resources in our schools.

[Molly Sroka @MrsSrokaSC]

🙌❤️

[Molly Sroka @MrsSrokaSC]

With everything going on in the #justiceforgabbypetito case, I hope we can remind our students of what healthy, safe relationships look like, and what to do if they're not in one. National Domestic Violence Hotline: https://t.co/n8xKgKmCMm

[Molly Sroka @MrsSrokaSC]

Just spent upwards of 30 min explaining the entirety of the Olivia Rodrigo/Joshua Bassett/Sabrina Carpenter saga to my husband. I'm horrified and pleased with myself all at once. #signsyouworkwithteenagers #good4me

[Molly Sroka @MrsSrokaSC]

Can't believe I'm so late to the party on @mrbcounseling7 - SUCH great resources wrapped in awesome TikToks and YouTube videos and joy and YES!! #education #schoolcounselors #schoolcounselorscanchangetheworld #happyhappyjoyjoy

[Molly Sroka @MrsSrokaSC]

Alright #education team - what are your favorite introductory ?s for new students who might need some extra TLC? My favorite is "What do YOU feel is important that I know about you?" #scchat #schoolcounseling

[Molly Sroka @MrsSrokaSC]

@MissPitstick @MsJachymiak Yes!! 🙌🙌🙌