Offering retreats that provide a spiritual time-out for educators, WILD Hearted Teachers is a nonprofit organization founded by Steve and Kellie Woolf.

“Before the pandemic, teaching was tough and there wasn’t a tremendous amount of support,” said Steve Woolf, former superintendent of the Woodland Park School District. “Teachers were easy targets for politicians and the expectations of teachers went well beyond what they were when I was young.”

Woolf is driven by empathy and a resolve to intercede in the educational angst. “Teachers in the past got to focus on curriculum,” he said. “Our teachers are parents to many of our kids, in absentia.”

Kids who feel loved at home come to school ready to learn, he said. “Kids who are not come to school to be seen, heard and loved,” Woolf added. “Teachers are amazing at supporting kids but aren’t really trained to do that for one another.”

When the pandemic hit in March 2020, teachers had to adjust within hours to teaching remotely, a pivot that changed the way education is delivered in America, at least for a time.

Woolf feels the retreats, which he started in Kansas several years ago, are more important now than ever. “I started WILD to rejuvenate teachers so they can connect with one another in a deeper way,” he said.

The retreats are for “staffulty,” Woolf’s word for anybody who works within the school system, including teachers, administration and maintenance workers. “We’re all in this together, all have the same pressures,” he said.

A series of six retreats, three days and two nights, begin May 30 and continue throughout the summer, each to be held at John Wesley Ranch in Divide. To date, the scheduled motivational speakers are Kevin Honeycutt, Tom Cody and Darren Peppard.

Another guest will be Woolf’s therapy dog, Brady, a Golden Labrador retriever — a replacement for his previous therapy dog, Benjamin, the chocolate Lab, who died last year.

The retreats cost $50 per person, which includes meals, activities and lodging for two nights.

Initially, the series will be at the ranch in Divide, but Woolf has his eye on hosting the retreats around the nation.

As of last month, due to restrictions of COVID-19, just 25 people will be allowed to attend each retreat. Information about the retreat, including the dates and sign-up sheet is available on the Wild Heart Teacher Facebook page, facebook.com/wildheartteacher.

Of note, Woolf’s tenure as superintendent of Woodland Park School District ended in November, when he and the school board reached an agreement to end his contract after he faced a DUI charge earlier in the year

In March, Woolf appeared in district court and was given a deferred sentence of one year. “I was so blessed, had 40 people write letters to the judge,” he said.

A return to hosting retreats has put Woolf on a new pathway. “You want your life to count; and the way I made my life count is no longer available,” he said. “Sometimes, great things come out of tragedy. This is an opportunity for me to do something I have dreamed about. I’m passionate about people who love kids.”