The CharacterStrong Podcast
CharacterStrong
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The CharacterStrong Podcast: Weekly conversations for anyone in education.
CharacterStrong is an organization that provides curricula and trainings for schools internationally. Our trainings help educators infuse character and social-emotional learning into the daily fabric of any classroom or campus. Our curricula focus on character development in order to help students cultivate social-emotional skills, their emotional intelligence, and help them develop a stronger identity and purpose in school and in the world.
For more information visit our website: characterstrong.com
Available episodes
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Oldest first
8 hours ago
Introducing The CharacterStrong Tier 2 Solution! - Dr. Clay Cook
Today, our guest is Dr. Clay Cook, the Chief Development Officer at CharacterStrong. In this episode, we discuss CharacterStrong's new Tier 2 Solution, launching this spring. Dr. Cook shares his insights on the resources, tools, and interventions that come with CS Tier 2. He also talks about the included professional learning support that will help educators improve continuously over time. Additionally, Dr. Cook provides an overview of the small group skill-building curriculum and discusses its components.
To learn more about the CharacterStrong Tier 2 Solution visit: https://characterstrong.com/tier2/
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Mar 24, 2023
Engaging Staff & Continuing The Commitment To SEL In The Spring - Meredith Lee
Today our guest is Meredith Lee, Director of Professional Learning at CharacterStrong. We talk to Meredith about how to effectively engage staff and maintain our commitment to Social and Emotional Learning in our classrooms. She reminds us of the importance of reminding staff of their purpose and not just staying there, but quickly transitioning to the "how". Meredith outlines the 3W Check-in, a tool we can use to reflect and evaluate with staff. Additionally, she shares a structured protocol that can be used as we move forward and take action with our staff.
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Mar 17, 2023
How To Increase Staff And Admin Buy-In - Dr. Alvia Baldwin
Today our guest is Dr. Alvia Baldwin the Director of Guidance and Counseling in Alief ISD in Texas. We talk to Dr. Baldwin about how to increase staff and Admin buy-in in our schools and districts. She talks about the different ways that they have put a focus on character education across the district at Alief, not just with the students but also with the staff. Dr. Baldwin shares how having fun has be an important piece of creating a culture of character, and how they have connected this with what was already happening in schools. She also talks about the ways they have implemented character education with pilot schools and how this has helped schools creatively support this work all across the district.
Dr. Alvia Baldwin is the Director of Guidance and Counseling for Alief ISD, one of the most diverse and highly acclaimed districts in the state. She is a Nationally Certified Counselor and a Licensed Professional Counselor who has served in education and counseling for over two decades. Dr. Baldwin is also a Certified School Counselor and a Board Approved LPC Supervisor. Dr Baldwin has supported mental health in many arenas including public schools, faith-based communities, private practice, and post –secondary institutions. Dr. Baldwin has a heart for all people and a sincere devotion to help others grow through experience and education always through the lens of empathy and equity. Dr. Baldwin has been married to her wonderful husband for over 20 years and they enjoy their three amazing children, three awesome grandchildren, and energetic Jack Russel Terrier, Frosty Max!
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Mar 10, 2023
Why Schools Need To Focus On Tier 1 & Tier 2 At The Same Time - Dr. Clay Cook
Today, our guest is Dr. Clay Cook, the Chief Development Officer at CharacterStrong. We speak with Clay about why Tier 1 and Tier 2 supports should run concurrently instead of waiting for Tier 1 to be fully in place before starting Tier 2. He identifies some of the necessary components for this approach and discusses the differences between Tier 1 and Tier 2. Clay also emphasizes the time required to support students with Tier 2 needs, and he shares about the impact that it can have when Tier 1 and Tier 2 are efficiently implemented together.
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Mar 3, 2023
Leveraging SEL To Increase School Attendance - Sharon Bradley
Today our guest is Sharon Bradley, Founder and Principal Consultant of Restorative Flow Educational Solutions. We talk to Sharon about the need to create schools where kids want to be vs have to be, and how we can leverage SEL to do this. She reminds us of the collective responsibility that we all share to help create this healthy school culture, and shares some practical ways that we can proactively start to connect with students.
To learn more:
* Email: restorativeflo@gmail.com
* Website: www.restorativefloeducationalsolutions.com
* Chronic Absenteeism Guide: https://www.nprinc.com/chronic-absenteeism
Sharon Bradley serves as Director of Family and Social Services for the Plano Independent School District where she has helped shape the district’s approach to social and emotional development and truancy prevention for all students. Throughout her 22 years in education, she has served as director, alternative high school principal, assistant principal, dropout prevention program coordinator, general education teacher, and special education teacher. In her current role, she supports programs such as: Truancy prevention, SEL, Restorative Practices, Parent Education and Engagement. Sharon Bradley has recently been recognized by Education-First "SEL in Action" and D CEO Magazine for her innovative efforts of leveraging SEL to help decrease chronic absenteeism. Sharon is the author of the reference guide "Chronic Absenteeism: Prevention and Intervention Strategies for Schools, Families and Communities".
She is a graduate of Mississippi State University where she earned her bachelor's degree in Special Education; and her master's degree in Educational Administration from Prairie View A & M University.
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Feb 24, 2023
Community Agreements & Building Community Throughout the Year - Meredith Lee
Today our guest is Meredith Lee, Director of Professional Learning at CharacterStrong. On this episode we discuss with Meredith the importance of community agreements, what they are, and how we can use them with staff and students. She emphasizes the need for co-creation when creating community agreements and shares a four-step process to help us be successful in setting them up. Meredith also highlights the importance of revisiting these agreements regularly throughout the school year.
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Feb 17, 2023
Getting Tier 2 Right - Dr. Clay Cook
Today, our guest is Dr. Clay Cook, the Chief Development Officer at CharacterStrong. We discuss some of the common roadblocks that make Tier 2 work more challenging. Clay shares the two most important steps a school can take to ensure successful Tier 2 implementation: having a strong leadership team and having a coordinated problem-solving process. He also explains what it takes to match students to the right interventions.
Dr. Clay Cook is the Chief Development Officer at CharacterStrong and is an implementation scientist, psychologist, and former paraprofessional and middle school math teacher. He has spent the past 15 years working in partnership with school systems across the country to support the implementation of effective practices that promote better and more equitable outcomes for students. He has been a professor and researcher at three universities (Louisiana State University, University of Washington and University of Minnesota) studying topics such as implementation of evidence-based practices, educator well-being and resilience, social-emotional learning, and youth mental health. He has obtained over 20 million dollars in grant funding for his research and published over 100 peer-reviewed scientific articles. For his work, he has been invited to the White House and served on expert panels with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the US Department of Education.
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Feb 10, 2023
The Role Of School Counselors: Standing With Students - Elizabeth Congdon-McGee
Today, we welcome Elizabeth Congdon-McGee, the 2021 Alaska School Counselor of the Year and a professional school counselor for the Anchorage School District. Elizabeth talks about how she and the principal of her school have collaborated, and how investing in relationships and using data has made a difference in their work.
She also provides insight into how school counselors can advocate for their work by intentionally sharing their story with different groups in the community. Elizabeth also offers advice on how to get more involved on a local and state level.
Elizabeth Congdon-McGee was the 2021 Alaska School Counselor of the year. Elizabeth Congdon-McGee is a professional school counselor for the Anchorage School District with over 20 years of experience in education and counseling. Mrs. McGee began her career as a clinical therapist working with young children and at-risk youth, as well as a classroom teacher. Currently, she is a professional school counselor at Whaley K-12 School. She has presented at many statewide conferences and participated in many workgroups to enhance the profession and increase awareness of the role of a school counselor. She has recently moved her presentations to outside of Alaska-NWPBIS Conference and Washington School Counselor Conference. She will be presenting at the Nevada School Counselor Conference in March 2023.
Elizabeth has enjoyed being the President of the Alaska School Counselor Association (AkSCA) from 2015-2016, Chair of AkSCA Membership Committee 2015-2021 and currently chairs the AkSCA Advocacy and Public Policy Committee-2015--present a NEA-AK Delegate for many years, and the Anchorage Education Association school counselor committee chair.
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Feb 8, 2023
Advocating And Collaborating With Teachers & Staff - Zulema Fragoso
Today, our guest is Zulema Fragoso, school counselor at Nogales High School and the 2023 Arizona School Counselor of the Year. We chat with Zulema about how she began her career in school counseling and what has kept her motivated for the past 16 years while she works with students and families. She explains how she collaborates with other staff and advocates for the role of school counselors. Additionally, Zulema discusses how she continues to build relationships and support students in the community through a student-led University Club at her school.
Zulema Fragoso is a school counselor at Nogales High School in Nogales Unified School District #1. She graduated from the University of Arizona with a Master’s in School Counseling. Has been working in school counseling since 2006 when she started with GEAR UP. Started her career at Rio Rico High School and then moved to Nogales High School. Has found her passion in helping students obtain post-secondary education in whatever are they pursue. Major accomplishments include:
• 2017 Arizona Star Award recipient from College Success Arizona • Arizona School Counselor Association Board of Director (Elected term 2020-2023)
• Horatio Alger Field Director for the State of Arizona (2020-Present)
Ms. Fragoso enjoys spending time with her family, baking and enjoying her friends.
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Feb 6, 2023
National School Counseling Week - A Party with a Purpose - Deirdra Hawkes
Today, our guest is Deirdra Hawkes, the Director of Programs and Advocacy at ASCA. We discuss the significance of taking a break to recognize the efforts of school counselors both during NSCW, and also regularly during the year. Deirdra also emphasizes the importance of teachers and staff as we work together to help students, and encourages us to have conversations about what is beneficial for students to learn and the various ways we can continue to support our communities. She also shares some practical ways that school counselors can help advocate for the school counseling profession at the school, district, and state level.
Deirdra Hawkes is currently ASCA Director of Programs and Advocacy. Prior to this role, she engaged students, teachers, administrators and parents as a school counselor and Dean of Counseling and Student Services. She earned her B.A. in French Language and Literature from NC State University, M.A. in School Counseling from NC Central University and her M.A. in School Administration from East Carolina University. She is passionate helping others understand how school counselors impact positive change in their students and supporting school counselors in their efforts to do so. Outside of ASCA, Deirdra enjoys quick trips to the beach, time with family and being a soccer mom.
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Feb 3, 2023
Reflecting and Re-energizing within the School Counseling Profession - Kat Pastor & Cory Notestine
Today, we are joined by Kat Pastor, the Executive Director of School Supports at CharacterStrong, and Cory Notestine, the Director of Continuous Improvement at CharacterStrong, from Washington D.C. to kick off National School Counseling Week. They discuss the past, present, and future of school counseling, as well as the changes that have taken place and what keeps them passionate about school counseling today.
Kat Pastor has passionately served as a student and educator advocate for over 20 years in the roles of coach, student council advisor, school counselor at the secondary level and financial aid counselor/coordinator of student employment and adjunct professor at the post-secondary level. Through Kat’s leadership, her school counseling department received both state and national recognition, including ASCA RAMP recognition in 2020. Kat has facilitated professional development with various state and national associations, along with individual schools and districts. Kat exudes a commitment to community, having served on numerous local, state and national associations, boards and committees. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, a Masters in Education in Student Affairs and School Counseling from Northern Arizona University. Kat was named the ASCA 2016 National School Counselor of the Year and Northern Arizona University’s President’s Alumni Awardee in 2021.
Cory Notestine spent the last 14 years working in rural and urban school settings across North Carolina and Colorado as a school counselor and district leader. Over the past 7 years he's led successful district-wide SEL curriculum adoption and implementation; redesigned and integrated MTSS teaming, protocols, and service delivery; and created a behavioral matrix that was student centered and restorative in nature. He is passionate about thoughtful and timely change management, the intersection of politics and education, and how to identify high leverage action items to increase successful implementation. Cory was named the 2015 national School Counselor of the Year.
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Jan 27, 2023
The Impact Of A Strong Advisory Program - Katrina Hill, Caleb Amstutz, & Melanie Fox
Today our guests are Katrina Hill, Caleb Amstutz, & Melanie Fox from Community School in Roanoke, Virginia
We talk to Katrina, Caleb, and Melanie about the advisory program at Community School which was recently recognized as an inaugural AMLE School of Distinction in 2022. They share about multiage groupings, multiyear relationships, the value of traditions, and the impact that these have had in the lives of the students at Community School.
View the AMLE School of Distinction Page
Caleb Amstutz has taught middle school science at CS for three years. He graduated with a bachelor's in Biology and English from Guilford College in 2019. He is a CS alumni, graduating in 2011, and understands the lasting benefits a CS education can provide. His favorite classes to teach are biology, chemistry, and ornithology. In his free time, he likes to adventure anywhere outside or curl up with a good book.
Katrina Hill is a veteran teacher and has worked with students from preschool to high schoo…
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Jan 20, 2023
Helping Students Feel Safe At School - Lisa Koenecke
Today our guest is Lisa Koenecke. We talk to Lisa about how safety includes both physical and psychological safe spaces. Lisa reminds us that we can each make a difference in the lives of students by being intentional and planning ahead. Lisa also shares how this doesn’t have to take a lot of time, and how sometimes all it takes is looking at education thru a new lens.
As an experienced and energetic Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) professional speaker and facilitator, Lisa specializes in counteracting unconscious bias and LGBTQ+ inclusion in business. Her impact is amplified through strengthening each person’s allyship. With a demonstrated history of working in secondary education and a passion toward community and social services, she is an expert in counseling, crisis intervention, educational leadership, and program development.
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Jan 13, 2023
Positive Relationships + Data-Based Decisions = Student Growth - Amber Benson & Ruby Voss
Today our guests are Amber Benson & Ruby Voss, better know as BensonVoss. We talk to BensonVoss about the role that Positive Relationships & Data-Based Decisions play in Student Growth. They share how they work to build positive relationships from day one of the school year, and the positive impact that this has in their classroom. BensonVoss also talk about how they have intentionally done more with less and how they work for total participation with their students.
BensonVoss “is” the 2022 Association for Middle Level Education, National “Educator” of the Year. Amber and Ruby are a team of innovative, collaborative co-teachers who believe in data-driven instruction and a focus on developing and nurturing positive relationships with students and parents. These relationships are the foundation for successful teaching, learning, and support. They believe in a free-range classroom environment (aka LOUD) where students are encouraged to learn comfortably and to become part of the…
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Jan 6, 2023
Ways To FOCUS On School Counseling This Year - Amber Dixon
Today our guest is Amber Dixon. We talk to Amber about some different ways that school counselors can FOCUS on counseling this school year. She shares how she has helped encourage counselors to fill their buckets, own their personal and professional skills, create a safe environment, understand their campus and community, and stay connected to the system that they work in.
Amber Dixon has served in the field of education for 15 years with 12 of those years in counseling. She began her counseling journey as a college counselor working with various populations on academic, personal, and career development and soon moved to high school counseling where, as lead counselor, she facilitated the opening of the third comprehensive high school in Alvin ISD in Pearland, Texas. Currently, she is serving as the District Coordinator of Guidance and Counseling for Alvin ISD where her professional mission is to grow, empower, and equip school counselors to be the campus leaders they are destined to…
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Dec 30, 2022
Top 6 Episodes of 2022 - #1: 10 Steps To Develop Great Learners - Dr. John Hattie
Today our guest is Dr. John Hattie, the Director of the Melbourne Educational Research Institute at the University of Melbourne, Australia. Dr. Hattie is also the author of Visible Learning and Visible Learning for Teachers, the result of 15 years of research. On this episode we talk about 10 Steps To Develop Great Learners: Visible Learning For Parents, Dr. Hattie’s newest book that he wrote with his son Kyle. Dr. Hattie also shares some of the mindframes that can help all of us that work with students.
Professor John Hattie is a renowned researcher in education. His research interests include performance indicators, models of measurement and evaluation of teaching and learning. John Hattie became known to a wider public with the publication of his two books, Visible Learning and Visible Learning for Teachers, the result of 15 years of research. The books are a synthesis of more than 800 meta-studies covering more than 80 million students. The Visible Learning series has sold more…
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Dec 29, 2022
Top 6 Episodes of 2022 - #2: Building Strong Character Through A Positive Behavior Support System - Barb Micucci
Today our guest is Barb Micucci, Barb is a recently retired elementary school counselor and was the 2010 ASCA School Counselor of the Year. We talk to Barb about the importance of school-wide SEL programming as we support all students & the impact that can happen when all staff has a common language. She shares how setting the tone right at the beginning of the day helps shape the climate in our classrooms, and why character ed is so important right now.
Barb Micucci has been an educator for 41 years. She began her career as a special education teacher before becoming a school counselor. Her school counseling career began in 1986 in the Philadelphia School District and she spent the past 23 years in the Upper Merion Area School District. Barb was the 2010 ASCA School Counselor of the Year. Her school received RAMP recognition in 2017. She has served in various capacities on her local, state and national association, serving on the ASCA board. Barb has frequently presented at state and…
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Dec 28, 2022
Top 6 Episodes of 2022 - #3: Building Trust As Leaders - Melvin J. Fields Jr
On today's episode, Melvin Fields Jr. shares the importance of building trust and relationships with our students and colleagues. He also talks about how he got started with the WA state counselors association and highlights the importance of showing up and providing opportunities for others.
Melvin J. Fields Jr., certified School Counselor at Yelm Middle School in Yelm, Washington is current President of the Washington School Counselor Association (WSCA) for 2021 – 2022. He is the Washington School Counselor Association's 55th president and the first African American to serve in that position. The organizational mission of WSCA is promoting best practices in, and advocates for, Professional School counseling.Their vision is to further develop Professional School Counselors expertise by providing leadership and professional development that promotes positive student outcomes in the areas of Academic Support, Career Planning, and Personal/Social Development, thereby enhancing achieve…
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Dec 27, 2022
Top 6 Episodes of 2022 - #4: Finding Our Purpose And Modeling That For Students - Christi Sturgeon
Today our guest is Christi Sturgeon a School Counselor, Broken Arrow High School, and is Oklahoma School Counselor of the Year for 2021-22. We talk to Christi about how important it is to find our purpose and how we can stretch ourselves and model that for students. She shares 7 things that we can do to help students focus on looking forward, and some of the ways that this can have impact.
Christi graduated from Oklahoma Baptist University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology followed by a Master’s Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy. She is currently both a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and a Certified School Counselor. She started her career in community mental health working at the former Shadow Mountain Hospital as the Assistant Director of Therapeutic Foster Care Services, but quickly learned that the way to really impact children and families early on was by working in the school setting. Christi is currently serving as a School Counselor in Broken Arrow Public…
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Dec 26, 2022
Top 6 Episodes of 2022 - #5: Community Ready: Going Beyond Helping Students To Be College And Career Ready - John Salovardos
Today our guest is Dr. John Salovardos. Dr. Salovardos is the Director of Pupil Services in the Athol-Royalston Regional School District, in Athol-Royalston, Massachusetts. He has been working in special education in public schools for the past 23 years. We talk with Dr. Salovardos about ways that we can help all students feel connected at school, and how we can help students to thrive in our communities after high school.
John Salovardos Ed.D. is a Director of Pupil Services who has been working in special education in public schools for the past 23 years to develop programs and services in collaboration with organizational stakeholders. Prior to going into public education he worked in clinical inpatient psychiatric units for nearly 15 years and strives to work regionally on increasing awareness of mental health needs in the communities where he lives and works. Dr. Salovardos has engaged in considerable work in improving inclusion and co-teaching models in schools, developed a stan…
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Dec 23, 2022
Top 6 Episodes of 2022 - #6: How Adventure Education Can Positively Impact Students - Phil Brown
Today our guest is Phil Brown the lead trainer for High 5 Adventure Learning Center in Brattleboro, Vermont.
We talk to Phil about what Adventure Education is and how it is both novel and can involve some risk. He describes the experiential learning cycle and talks about the power of having a shared experience. Phil also gives practical ways we can use experiential learning strategies in our classrooms that can amplify learning for students.
Phil Brown, originally from England, joined the High 5 team in May 2015 having previously worked in Adventure and Outdoor education for 7 years. Phil brings high energy and devotion to the Adventure field and has presented at many national and international conferences on the subject of Adventure learning. He is also one of the co-authors of the book “Tinker: Building Purposeful Experiences from Classic Adventure Activities” and the producer/host of “Vertical Playpen” – the podcast all about Adventure and Experiential Education.
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Dec 16, 2022
The Importance Of Focusing On A Whole Child Approach - Kim Reykdal
Today our guest is Kim Reykdal. We talk to Kim about the importance of having a whole child approach as we work to serve students and families. She talks about what she sees is missing from education, academic, career, and social emotional development, and how we can use data to help us close the gaps in those areas. Kim shares practical ways that we can better support all students, and gives ways that we can honor students as they take the next steps in their journeys after high school.
Kim Reykdal, M.Ed. is the Director of Graduation and Pathway Preparation at Washington’s Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI). In her current role she co-leads a statewide team to execute a recent policy change requiring every district to implement a comprehensive K-12 school counseling program aligned to the ASCA National Model. In collaboration with Hatching Results, the Washington School Counselor Association (WSCA), Association of Wa School Principals (AWSP) and other state- an…
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Dec 9, 2022
Centering And Celebrating Student Voices - Dr. Laura Owen
Today our guest is Dr. Laura Owen. We talk to Dr. Owen about centering and celebrating student and family voices as we work to support them in their education. She shares some of the things that they have learned from listening to students, and how the pandemic has impacted them specifically when it comes to college enrollment. Dr. Owen highlights the need to include student voice as we plan, and build programs to support students in their post-secondary plans, and she shares the fast-growing impact that they are seeing in this work.
Dr. Laura Owen is the Executive Director for the Center for Equity and Postsecondary Attainment at San Diego State University. A prior urban school counselor and district counseling supervisor, she is a passionate advocate for closing college opportunity gaps. Her research focuses on evaluating the impact of interventions and programs designed to address the systems, structures and policies that drive equitable access to high quality postsecondary advisi…
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Dec 2, 2022
Advocating For The School Counseling Profession - Allen Hill
Today our guest is Allen Hill. We talk to Allen about the importance of advocating for the school counseling profession. He shares how we need to talk about what school counselors do and the impact that school counselors can have in the lives of students and families. Allen also talks about how school counselors are needed more than ever and gives examples of how we can support students in real, practical ways.
Allen Hill has served as a school counselor in urban and rural settings since receiving a master’s degree from Northern Arizona University-Yuma in 2002. Allen has been active on the Arizona School Counselor Association governing board since 2004 in roles including President, Secondary Vice President, and Advocacy Chair. He is currently serving as Indiana School Counselor Association Executive Director; he has been in this position since 2016. Allen is an active volunteer with the American Red Cross where he works in the Service to Armed Forces division as a trainer and facili…
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Nov 23, 2022
Practicing Gratitude With Constraint, Specificity, & Thinking About Absence - Houston Kraft
Today we talk to CharacterStrong co-founder Houston Kraft about practicing gratitude. He shares how when it comes to gratitude, constraint increases creativity, specificity drives significance, and absence amplifies. Houston also shares some words of gratitude to all of those in education that are serving students and families every day.
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Nov 18, 2022
The CharacterStrong Tier 2 Solution: Getting Students AND Adults the Tools they Need - Megan Gruis
Click here to access a sample of CharacterStrong Tier 2 Solution: http://tier2samples.com/
Today our guest is Megan Gruis the Executive Director of Customized Implementation Supports (CIS) at CharacterStrong.
We talk to Megan what Tier 2 is, how it differs from Tier 1 and Tier 3 supports, and why Tier 2 solutions are needed now more than ever in our schools today. She talks about some of the roadblocks that come when implementing Tier 2, and Meagan shares an overview of CharacterStrong’s new Tier 2 Solution.
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Nov 11, 2022
Highlighting The Incredible Work Of School Counselors - Patrice Davis
Today our guest is Patrice Davis. We talk to Patrice about the ASCA National Model and how school counselors are implementing it impact the students and families in our communities. She shares how the ASCA model helps give school counselors a framework to set up their programs and make sure that they are data driven. Patrice also talks about when the model is implemented well it’s not about just showing what has been done, but the data helps show the difference that has been made in the lives of students.
Patrice Davis is a native Mobilian, and she is a 1989 honors graduate of Baker High School. She attended the University of South Alabama, where she graduated in 1993 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Secondary Education with a concentration in Language Arts. She furthered her studies at the University of South Alabama where she graduated in 1995 with a Master of Education degree in Secondary Education with a concentration in Language Arts. In 1996, she received certification in…
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Nov 4, 2022
The Importance Of Virtues: Our Values In Action - Brent Jurgensen & Tom Grogan
Today our guests are Brent Jurgensen and Tom Grogan.We talk to Brent and Tom about the importance of virtues and how virtues are our values in action. They share about the busyness of family life today and how we need to provide tools for both families and educators to focus on supporting students on who they want to be and what is most important to them. Brent and Tom also share why it is necessary to give students opportunities to think about, reflect on, and apply virtues in their lives.
Brent Jurgensen is a 24-year veteran in the world of education and coaching. He is a graduate of the University of Wyoming and Chadron State University. Brent was named the James Madison Fellow for the state of Wyoming in 2012. Named Coach of the Year for the State of Wyoming twice, contributed to 13 state championship teams, coached 24 individual state champions, and seven state record holders in track and field. He has also created an ethics and leadership curriculum, ventured into business owner…
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Oct 28, 2022
Improve School Climate By Making Defining Moments - Brandon Bakke
Webinar Link: 10 Powerful Moments To Get Right This School Year
Today our guest is Brandon Bakke, the Director of Secondary Education at CharacterStrong. We talk to Brandon about how intentionally making defining moments can improve the climate in our schools. He gives some practical examples of everyday events that we can elevate as we interact with students and staff. Brandon also shares 3 strategies that we can put in practice as we begin to think in moments, and he shares one way that a specific yearly milestone can be turned into a more memorable moment.
Brandon Bakke is the Director of Secondary Education for CharacterStrong. Brandon has 27 years of experience serving in secondary education, a career that has spanned six different high schools in four different school districts in two different states. Brandon has been a high school administrator for 20 years, and his work building culture and climate in schools has been featured on the CharacterStrong podcast and blog, as w…
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Oct 21, 2022
Environment: A Key Ingredient Of Tier 1 - Felisha Santiago
Today our guest is Felisha Santiago the Director of MTSS at CharacterStrong.
We talk to Felisha about how Environment is of the key ingredients of Tier 1 and how Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) can impact the way that students learn by establishing safe, predictable, routines. She also shares how educators bring PBIS it to life in classrooms, and what districts can to do to continue to support the work.
Felisha Santiago recently served in public education overseeing PBIS, Restorative Practices and Social Emotional Learning under the MTSS Framework as a District Climate and Culture Coordinator. Her 14 year expertise ranges from a district secretary, special education aide, teacher at all grade levels, site administrator designee, Department Lead, District Specialist and District Administrator. She led over 25 schools in her district to obtain state of CA PBIS recognition that ranged from Bronze to Platinum. She has a passion for rooting for the whole child work,…
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Oct 14, 2022
Serving Thru Professional Development - Mike Nelson
Today our guest is Mike Nelson, Assistant Executive Director for Professional Learning at the Washington Association of School Administrators
We talk to Mike about WASA and the role that it plays in Washington in supporting Administrators. He shares the top 3 needs that his organization has heard loud and clear from educational leaders and talks about some ways leaders can help meet these needs.
Michael (Mike) Nelson began his career as an elementary school teacher before becoming an elementary school principal. During his time as the principal, his elementary school received a National Blue Ribbon by the U. S. Department of Education. As a district leader, he led learning initiatives in both the Federal Way and Enumclaw school districts in Washington state. In January 2007, he became the superintendent for the Enumclaw school district during which time he led several initiatives to improve the district’s cultural support and academic outcomes for Native students. In 2019, the Wash…
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Oct 7, 2022
Creating More Safe And Nurturing Learning Environments - Katherine Holden
Today our guest is Katherine Holden, Principal at Talent Middle School, in Talent, Oregon
We talk to Katherine about ways that we can create more safe and nurturing learning environments that are calm, comfortable, and predictable. She talks about how the unpredictability of the last few years has impacted students’ learning and how helping students establish routines and structure is so important, especially in this season.
Click here to learn more about the work Katherine is doing: https://www.smartedsystems.org/
Katherine Holden started teaching at Ashland High School in 2000 where she taught for ten years at the Wilderness Charter School, a school within AHS focused on sustainability, community, and project-based learning. She then moved to Ashland Middle School where she taught video productions for three years before becoming Associate Principal at AMS, a position that Kathrine held for seven years. In 2022 she was named the National Association of Principals National Assist…
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Sep 30, 2022
Be The Story For Others - Brian Miller
Today our guest is Brian Miller, Principal at Chief Joseph Elementary in Great Falls Montana. We talk to Brian about his motto “Be the Story”, and how this can have a positive impact on people and the world around us. He also shares about ways they practice kindness with the staff and students at Chief Joseph Elementary by giving genuine, specific compliments.
Brian T. Miller is the proud principal of Chief Joseph Elementary School located in Great Falls, Montana. He has been a principal and English teacher throughout the country as well as internationally. He is a blogger, writer, public speaker, and believer in the power and purpose of education. Samwise Gamgee is his hero.
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Sep 23, 2022
The New PurposeFull People Update! - Julie Hinshaw
Today our guest is Julie Hinshaw, Director of Elementary Education at CharacterStrong
We talk to Julie about the new update to CharacterStrong’s PreK-5th Grade curriculum PurposeFull People and how it has been expanded to better meet the needs of elementary schools. She outlines the 5 different activities that make up a week in the curriculum and some of the creative additions that have been added to help build core skills in students.
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Sep 16, 2022
MTSS And Implementation: Selecting Effective Practices - Cory Notestine
Today our guest is Cory Notestine the Director of Continuous Improvement at CharacterStrong.
We talk to Cory about selecting effective MTSS practices and he shares 3 reasons that even really good interventions fail. He overviews recency bias, treating the symptom vs the root cause, and choosing interventions that aren’t well fitted for our environment. Cory also shares how readiness and buy-in are connected and how we may need to look at buy-in differently.
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Sep 9, 2022
Season 5 Kickoff: 3 Systems To Put In Place As We Start The Year - Houston Kraft
CharacterStrong Co-Founders John Norlin and Houston Kraft kick of season 5 talking about systems that we can put in place this year that will help us drive forward the impactful work of education. They talk about 3 goals: purpose for learning, engagement, & relationships, and give practical ways we can build systems that will help these goals come to life in our classrooms.
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Sep 2, 2022
Empowering Others And Letting Them Shine - Dr. Sean Walker
Today our guest is Dr. Sean Walker, Ex. Director of Secondary Schools and Leadership Development at Royse City ISD (Just outside Dallas TX). We talk to Sean about intentional ways we can empower our staff and students that can help them flourish. He shares how taking time to listen, getting feedback, and taking steps based on the feedback we receive can really impact the culture at our schools.
Sean Walker began his career in education as an ELAR teacher after earning his bachelor's degree from Texas Tech University in 2003. He taught at the high school level for 7 years. During his time as a teacher, Walker served as a teacher in 3 different Texas districts. Upon the completion of his master's degree in Educational Administration from Texas A&M-Commerce, Walker began his administrative career in 2010 as an assistant principal at McKinney North High School in the McKinney ISD. While at McKinney North High School, he earned his doctorate in Educational Leadership from Lamar University.…
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Aug 26, 2022
Reframing Negative School Experiences Into Positive Learning - Marianne Matt
Today our guest is Marianne Matt (Mott), School Counselor, at Capital High, in the Madison Metropolitan School District
We talk to Marianne about the importance of building students up and helping them to see the strengths in their personal experiences. She shares how in order to shift student mindsets we need to have staff members who believe in students and are committed to help them connect their strengths to school.
Marianne Matt is a high school counselor who works and resides in Madison, WI with her family. Marianne was named a finalist for National School Counselor of the Year 2022 by ASCA (American School Counselor Association). In her free time she enjoys gardening, camping, and generally getting outside and into nature.
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Aug 19, 2022
3 Practical Strategies To Start The Year - John Norlin
CharacterStrong Co-Founder John Norlin shares 3 practical strategies that educators can use right now as we start off the school year. He shares how to intentionally implement the Temperature Check, the Student Becomes the Teacher, and True Story Friday with students.
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Aug 12, 2022
Positive Relationship Building and Creating Unforgettable Moments - Adam Lane
Today our guest is Adam Lane, Principal at Haines City HS, and the 2022 NASSP Florida Principal of the Year. We talk to Adam about how he has approached building awesome environments where students want to go to school and teachers want to come and teach. He also shares how he has shifted his mentality and created an alumni pipeline to help fill staffing needs.
Adam Lane has worked in K-12 public education since 1995. Fourteen of these years at the high school level, eight years at the middle school level and one year at the elementary level. In that time, he has held various positions, including, teacher, department head, athletic coach, athletic trainer, athletic director, assistant principal, International Baccalaureate coordinator and principal.
Currently, as principal at Haines City High School and Haines City International Baccalaureate, he serves a school with 3,000 students, 245 staff members and 6 assistant principals. The school includes an International Baccalaureate Progr…
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Aug 5, 2022
Multi-Tiered Systems of Support - Dr. Clayton Cook
Today our guest is CharacterStrong’s Chief Development Officer, Dr. Clayton Cook.
We talk to Clay about where Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) has come from, and why it is so important for students today. He also shares some of the roadblocks that get in the way of successful MTSS, why effective teaming is essential, and how CharacterStrong is supporting this work.
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Jul 29, 2022
Servant Leadership Through An Elementary Lens - Julie Hannan & Brett McDaniel
Today our guests are 5th Grade Teacher Julie Hannan, & Administrator Brett McDaniel from the Sumner-Bonney Lake School District.
We talk to Julie & Brett about the ways that they have worked to develop servant leaders in the 5th grade classes at their elementary school. Julie shares how from the beginning of the leadership program they have invited all of the 5th grade students to participate, and how this has changed the way that students think about what leadership is. As an administrator, Brett shares about the positive ways that this program has had an impact across all areas in the school.
Julie Hannan is a Washington State native who will begin her 19th year of teaching this fall. In this time, she has had the pleasure of teaching and learning alongside students from many countries, cultures, and backgrounds. Most of her experience has been in middle school, but Julie transitioned to upper elementary in 2018 and is loving it! Partnering with her administration, colleagues, and…
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Jul 22, 2022
Impacting Teachers, Developing Students, & Partnering With Our Communities - Jamie Brown
Today our guest is Jamie Brown, Assistant Principal at Bluffton High School in South Carolina. We talk to Jamie about the importance of blending SEL w/ Character Ed to build the Whole Teacher, so you can develop the Whole Child, and then in turn, partner with the Whole Community. He also shares ways that we can continue to remix the soundtrack of education by putting a focus on relationships.
A champion of Social-Emotional Learning & Character Education, Jamie's dedication to School Culture Revitalization and Whole Child Development supported NJ Public Education for 20 years as a teacher, PEER Leadership Coordinator and district administrator. He is an author with Road to Awesome Publishing, speaker, coach and promoter of empathy and inclusion among educators, students and the community. Jamie is the founder of Accept University, a presentation series promoting inclusion and empathy in schools, which earned a National Promising Practice from Character.org. Residing in the Hilton Head…
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Jul 15, 2022
Using School-Wide Assemblies To Improve School Culture And Climate - Justin Bradford
Today our guest is Justin Bradford, Superintendent, of Prescott School District in WA state. We talk to Justin about how he has used school wide assemblies to shape the culture and climate with students from Pk-12th grade. His motto of “We get what we honor” has created some big positive changes with students and staff. Justin also gives some helpful tips on how to communicate and lead staff through effective implementation of a school wide initiative.
Justin Bradford just finished his 32nd year in education. He started as an elementary teaching assistant in the Los Angeles Unified School District, then became a special education teacher, working primarily with students with emotional and behavioral disabilities and mental health challenges. Justin has taught general education classes and university classes, as well. He has worked in small, private schools and large, public schools in California and Washington and has also been a bus driver, a paraprofessional, a teacher, a dean,…
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Jul 8, 2022
We Need To Be Reminded More Than Taught: 3 Stories From The Work - John Norlin
In this episode, CharacterStrong Co-Founder John Norlin shares 3 powerful stories from the work. Through these stories he reminds us of the importance of understanding the Law of the Lid, that there is always a reason for every behavior, and that even though this work is hard it is worth it.
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Jul 1, 2022
Personalized Learning: Flex time for Student & Staff Success - Dr. Andrew McMillan
We talk to Dr. McMillan about the importance of staying student centered and how based on student voice, they have modified a period each day to create space for student choice. He shares about the impact that asking for input from students and staff can have on in building culture, and gives practical ways that they intentionally invest in staff culture at Chapman.
Growing up in a home with parents who were educators, Dr. Andrew McMillan knew education was in his blood. Identifying education as his career path in third grade, Dr. McMillan is now an accomplished educator with seventeen years of experience including ten years of administrative experience in grades K-12. Known as a well-respected and collaborative team member, Dr. McMillan has a reputation for promoting fairness, integrity, and honesty, while maintaining a strong work ethic to motivate faculty, staff, and students to achieve their maximum potential within an ever-changing education environment.
Dr. McMillan’s core v…
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Jun 24, 2022
The Power Of Finding Joy Inside Of Our Work - Ryan Marshall
Today our guest is Ryan Marshall, Lead Counselor, at South Salem High School, and the 2021 Oregon School Counselor of the Year. We talk to Ryan about the power of finding joy inside our work and he gives 3 steps to help us intentionally do this: 1. Knowing Thyself, 2. Building opportunities into our work schedule, and 3. Go and Do it.
Ryan Marshall just wrapped his 9th year as a school counselor, 7th at South Salem High School in Salem, Oregon where he’s served as the department lead. South is a three-time ASCA Ramp school and a home Ryan considers the kindest school in America. His focus areas are grief and loss counseling, crisis management, and suicide prevention and intervention. When he’s done finding joy on the job for the day, Ryan’s an avid sports fan - Go Ducks! - and loves hanging out with his wife and two daughters. He’s the 2021 Oregon School Counselor of the Year and is currently headed into a yearlong Sabbatical aimed at identifying ways to serve students and the…
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Jun 17, 2022
How Schools Can Best Utilize School Counselors - Dr. Julie Hartline
Today our guest is Dr. Julie Hartline, Associate Director of Professional Learning for Hatching Results and 2009 ASCA School Counselor of the Year.
We talk to Dr. Hartline about the impact that school counselors can have and the need for admin and staff to understand how school counselors can support staff and students. She also shares resources that can help bring more awareness and education when it comes to the important role that school counselors have in our schools.
Dr. Hartline became a teacher and then school counselor after discovering as a parole officer that over 85% of her caseload had not completed high school. Julie served as the Campbell High School counseling department chair for 14 years where her department became the first high school in Georgia to be designated as a Recognized ASCA Model Program (RAMP) for having a comprehensive, data-driven school counseling program by the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) in 2008. She served as the Cobb School Counsel…
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Jun 10, 2022
The Importance Of Purpose - Dan Wolfe
Today our guest is Dan Wolfe an Assistant Principal at Sunray Elementary. We talk to Dan about the importance of purpose and how being connected to our purpose is so needed today. He shares how finding our purpose isn’t a destination, it’s a journey and gives ways that we can help others put a focus on purpose in their own lives.
Dan Wolfe has served as an educator in Pasco County, Florida for more than 20 years. During this time, he has held roles as a teacher, instructional/district coach and administrator. He is currently an Assistant Principal at Sunray Elementary. He was selected as Pasco County’s District Teacher of the Year in 2011-2012 school year. He is a part of the district’s Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Committee that recently established Pre-K through Grade 12 SEL standards. For the past two years Dan has written a blog and recorded a podcast called Becoming The Change (formerly Our Moral Compass) which focuses on a different quote each day and how we can…
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Jun 3, 2022
Creatively Helping To Meet Student Needs - Becky Arway
Today our guest is Becky Arway a School Counselor, STUCO Advisor, at Polo R-VII Schools We talk to Becky about the intentional partnership that she has together with her principal, and how this has led to some really creative outcomes that support students. She shares about the Book in a Bag resource library and the impact that this has had in their school and community.
Becky Arway has been a school counselor at Polo R-VII Schools in Polo, Missouri for the past twelve years. Through her work as a school counselor, Becky strives to be an advocate for all of her students, their families and support systems. Working in a rural school district has granted Becky many opportunities to connect with community resources in order to help meet the increasing needs within her school building. One of her most important relationships is the working relationship she has built with her elementary principal. Their brainstorming sessions have resulted in some amazing outcomes, one of their most favor…
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May 27, 2022
Focusing On The Whole Child
CharacterStrong Co-Founder John Norlin shares an experience from a past training, and talks about why we can't wait to infuse social & emotional learning and character development into the daily fabric of our schools.
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May 20, 2022
School Counselors: Impacting Student Achievement Within Our Schools - Angela Shanahan & Karen Devine
Today our guests are Angela Shanahan & Karen Devine, School Counselors in Chicago Public Schools. We talk about the impact that comprehensive, data-informed school counseling programs have with students at their schools and across the district. They also share what they have learned leading schools thru the Recognized ASCA Model Program process, and the impact and benefits of becoming RAMP recognized.
Angela Shanahan is a school counselor in a neighborhood high school in Chicago Public Schools (CPS) with experience at the middle school, high school and district level. It was during her CPS internship in 2011 that she was first introduced to the Recognized ASCA Model Program (RAMP) application process, with the high school receiving the award. Then after transitioning to a middle school and getting a few years under her belt, she decided to RAMP again. Through these experiences, Angela was able to network with counselors from other schools and better understand the impact we can make a…
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May 13, 2022
The Impact Of Middle School & High School Activities - Petra Davis-Johnson
Today our guest is Petra Davis, Activities Director for Tesoro High school in Las Flores, CA. We talk to Petra about the lessons that she has learned going from being an advisor at a middle school to being at a high school, while also at the same time walking alongside students during COVID. Petra also shares some of the realities of where students are at today and the intentionality that is needed in project based learning to best serve
Petra Davis-Johnson, has been an educator for 31 years. She taught middle school science for 29 years before moving into her current administrative position, serving as the Activities Director for Tesoro High school in Las Flores, CA for the past two years. At the middle school level, Petra spent 23 years as the activities director for Las Flores Middle School. Her middle school students fed into the same high school where she is now, providing both Petra and the students some familiarity as they embarked on their new high school adventure in the tim…
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May 6, 2022
Culturally Sustaining Connections - Laura Ross
Today our guest is Laura Ross, Middle School Counselor & 2020 American School Counselor Association (ASCA) School Counselor of the Year. We talk to Laura about the importance of authentic, culturally sustaining connections with students and that it starts with building awareness first and then taking the intentional action steps needed to build true authentic connection.
Laura Ross is the lead counselor at Five Forks Middle School in Lawrenceville, Georgia where her focus is connecting with students to connect them to their education. She has been a school counselor for almost 16 years. Laura was an elementary school counselor for 8 years and is in her 8th year as a middle school counselor. She has presented at district, state, and national levels on creating school wide teacher-student connections, integrating academics into counseling lessons, using technology and data in school counseling, creating counseling lessons with a social justice and equity lens, and more. Laura’s school…
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Apr 29, 2022
The Power Of School Connectedness: Bringing All Students, Staff, And Parents Together To Achieve Goals - Ashley Wright
Today our guest is Ashley Wright an Elementary School Counselor at Lucille J. Bradley Elementary, in Spring Texas. We talk to Ashley about school connectedness and the transformation that it can have in our schools when we all work together. Ashley talks about the importance of relationships and shares that even though we have differences when we come to the table with families it can have a huge impact in the lives of the students we serve.
Born and raised in Houston, TX, Ashley Wright went through undergraduate studies as an Education Major at Sam Houston State University as well graduate studies as a Professional School Counselor and Licensed Professional Counselor. She currently serves as an elementary school counselor in Conroe ISD at Lucille J. Bradley Elementary. She has been an educator for the past 13 years and a school counselor for the past 4 years. Ashley was recently awarded as a 2022 American School Counselor Association School Counselor of the Year Finalist. Ashley Wrig…
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Apr 22, 2022
Meeting Students Right Where They Are At - Hillary Craw
We talk to Hillary about blended learning programs and how this hybrid classroom helps to meet the different needs of students. She talks about some of the struggles that students are facing in this season and gives a few ways that they are helping students re-engage in relationships. Hillary also shares how teachers are creatively using CharacterStrong lessons during shorter one-on-one check-ins with students.
Hilary Craw has been a school counselor with Redlands eAcademy in Redlands Unified School District for the past six and a half years. Before that, she worked as a school counselor for Redlands High school in Redlands Unified from 2008-2010, as an Admissions Counselor for University of Redlands from 2011-2013, and as the Hospital Outreach Manager for The Painted Turtle, a camp for kids with serious medical conditions, from 2013-2015. Through her work as a school counselor and also her volunteer work as a camp counselor with The Painted Turtle and Camp Good Grief, Hilary has cem…
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Apr 15, 2022
Consistently Creating Common Language And Visuals - Allison Dungan
We talk to Allison about the different ways that she has been helping implement PurposeFull People with the students and staff at her school. She shares the practical ways that she has used the PurposeFull People posters, pictures, and character trait definitions to help create common language with students. Allison also shares how she has helped created space for students to have ongoing conversations about character.
After 14 years as a classroom teacher, Allison is a proud first year school counselor! She has had the honor to serve PreK through 3rd grade students across two campuses in Robinson, Texas just outside of Waco. Allison began her career in education in 2007 upon receiving a Bachelor's Degree from Baylor University. While she loved being a teacher, she always knew her heart was beyond the classroom. In 2018 Allison earned a Master's of Education in School Counseling from Tarleton State University, and in 2021, Allison joined the school counseling profession. It is her go…
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Apr 8, 2022
Your Voice Is Needed: State Level School Counselor Leadership - Matthew McClain
We talk to Matthew about how he got involved with his state school counselors association and the different ways that getting involved can impact us, the schools we serve, and the states where we live. He also talks about the importance of building connections, especially being in the role of school counselor.
Matthew McClain has been a school counselor in rural Northeast Colorado since 2005. He spent 10 years counseling at the 5th and 6th grade level, then spent 6 years at the high school level, and is currently at the elementary level (grades 1-5). Prior to school counseling, he was a reporting analyst and worked in the telecommunications field. He has also been the Executive Director for the Colorado School Counselor Association (CSCA) since November of 2017. He and his wife of 24 years have 3 beautiful children.
Matthew has been involved with the American School Counselor Association(ASCA) and CSCA since 2008 serving on various committees and roles including CSCA conference chai…
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Apr 1, 2022
All Leaders Need To Understand The Social And Emotional Needs Of Students - Dr. Rena Frasco
We talk to Dr. Frasco about the importance of having all leaders understand the social and emotional needs of students. She shares about the need for leaders to have consistent conversations about a school’s core values, the need to intentionally teach them, and have them impact our small and big decisions. Dr. Frasco also reminds us that everyone has a story and as leaders, we need to take the time to listen.
Dr. Rena Frasco is in her 20th year with Morgan County School District Re-3 in northeastern Colorado. She currently serves as the Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment. Dr. Frasco is very passionate about serving her rural, diverse community! She is married to a wonderful husband, Mark, and they have 2 beautiful daughters, Kristen and Leia.
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Mar 25, 2022
10 Steps To Develop Great Learners - Dr. John Hattie
Today our guest is Dr. John Hattie, the Director of the Melbourne Educational Research Institute at the University of Melbourne, Australia. Dr. Hattie is also the author of Visible Learning and Visible Learning for Teachers, the result of 15 years of research. On this episode we talk about 10 Steps To Develop Great Learners: Visible Learning For Parents, Dr. Hattie’s newest book that he wrote with his son Kyle. Dr. Hattie also shares some of the mindframes that can help all of us that work with students.
Professor John Hattie is a renowned researcher in education. His research interests include performance indicators, models of measurement and evaluation of teaching and learning. John Hattie became known to a wider public with the publication of his two books, Visible Learning and Visible Learning for Teachers, the result of 15 years of research. The books are a synthesis of more than 800 meta-studies covering more than 80 million students. The Visible Learning series has sold more…
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Mar 18, 2022
How Adventure Education Can Positively Impact Students - Phil Brown
We talk to Phil about what Adventure Education is and how it is both novel and can involve some risk. He describes the experiential learning cycle and talks about the power of having a shared experience. Phil also gives practical ways we can use experiential learning strategies in our classrooms that can amplify learning for students.
Phil Brown, originally from England, joined the High 5 team in May 2015 having previously worked in Adventure and Outdoor education for 7 years. Phil brings high energy and devotion to the Adventure field and has presented at many national and international conferences on the subject of Adventure learning. He is also one of the co-authors of the book “Tinker: Building Purposeful Experiences from Classic Adventure Activities” and the producer/host of “Vertical Playpen” – the podcast all about Adventure and Experiential Education.
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Mar 11, 2022
Rapid Innovation Cycles And The Use Of Implementation Science For Embedding SEL - Cory Notestine
Today our guest is Cory Notestine the Executive Director of Student Success and Wellness for Colorado Springs School District 11. We talk to Cory about a concept known as rapid innovation cycles, which contribute to educational progress while fighting a failure-to-launch mentality.
Cory Notestine serves as the Executive Director of Student Success and Wellness for Colorado Springs School District 11 (D11) an urban district of 25,000 students. In this role, Cory has implemented and developed a district-wide Comprehensive Student Support Model that integrates SEL practices, Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS), Restorative Practice with a focus on Trauma Responsive classrooms. Additionally, he oversees the work of School Nurses, Discipline and Attendance, Homebound and Extended Learning, Homeless Youth, MTSS, Counseling Services, and the development of a Community Based Health Center. Currently, he is serving as D11’s COVID Incident Commander and supporting the district’s response…
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Mar 4, 2022
Finding Our Purpose And Modeling That For Students - Christi Sturgeon
Today our guest is Christi Sturgeon a School Counselor at Broken Arrow High School and is Oklahoma School Counselor of the Year for 2021-22. We talk to Christi about how important it is to find our purpose and how we can stretch ourselves and model that for students. She shares 7 things that we can do to help students focus on looking forward, and some of the ways that this can have an impact.
Christi graduated from Oklahoma Baptist University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology followed by a Master’s Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy. She is currently both a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and a Certified School Counselor. She started her career in community mental health working at the former Shadow Mountain Hospital as the Assistant Director of Therapeutic Foster Care Services, but quickly learned that the way to really impact children and families early on was by working in the school setting. Christi is currently serving as a School Counselor in Broken Arrow Pub…
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Feb 25, 2022
Building Strong Character Through A Positive Behavior Support System - Barb Micucci
Today our guest is Barb Micucci, Barb is a recently retired elementary school counselor and was the 2010 ASCA School Counselor of the Year. We talk to Barb about the importance of school-wide SEL programming as we support all students & the impact that can happen when all staff has a common language. She shares how setting the tone right at the beginning of the day helps shape the climate in our classrooms, and why character ed is so important right now.
Barb Micucci has been an educator for 41 years. She began her career as a special education teacher before becoming a school counselor. Her school counseling career began in 1986 in the Philadelphia School District and she spent the past 23 years in the Upper Merion Area School District. Barb was the 2010 ASCA School Counselor of the Year. Her school received RAMP recognition in 2017. She has served in various capacities on her local, state, and national association, serving on the ASCA board. Barb has frequently presented at state an…
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Feb 18, 2022
How COVID Has Impacted Student Behavior - Dr. Clayton Cook
We talk to Dr. Cook about ways that the pandemic has impacted students and how we can leverage the science around human behavior to help promote student success. He outlines effective methods of behavior change, and gives practical, low burden, high impact strategies that we can use right now as we serve students.
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Feb 10, 2022
Building Trust As Leaders - Melvin J. Fields Jr.
We are celebrating National School Counseling Week! On todays episode Melvin shares about the importance of building trust and relationships with our students and colleagues. He also talks about how he got started with the WA State Counselors Association, and highlights the importance of showing up and providing opportunities for others.
Melvin J. Fields Jr., certified School Counselor at Yelm Middle School in Yelm, Washington is current President of the Washington School Counselor Association (WSCA) for 2021 – 2022. He is the Washington School Counselor Association's 55th president and the first African American to serve in that position. The organizational mission of WSCA is promoting best practices in, and advocates for, Professional School counseling.Their vision is to further develop Professional School Counselors expertise by providing leadership and professional development that promotes positive student outcomes in the areas of Academic Support, Career Planning, and Personal…
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Feb 9, 2022
Supporting Staff, Students, Parents, And Our Communities - Monica Bryant
We are celebrating National School Counseling Week! We talk with Monica about the many ways that she serves the families, staff, and students at her school. She also shares about the benefits of having a comprehensive counseling program and talks about how collaboration & relationships in the community help support the work in schools.
Monica Bryant has been an elementary school counselor for 7 years and is in her 12th year in education. She is passionate about cultural competency, advocacy, and creating equitable environments in school settings. She is always looking for ways to spread knowledge and awareness to others on issues surrounding inequities in schools. Monica is very active in the community as a board member for Clark Country Education Association, president of the Nevada School Counselor Association, and member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated. In her free time, Monica likes to craft, bake, and watch crime shows.
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Feb 8, 2022
The Impact Of Student Advocacy - Roberto Aguilar
We are celebrating National School Counseling Week! We talk with Roberto about ways that he builds great relationships at Milwaukie HS, and the role that authenticity plays in those relationships. He also shares about the impact that student affinity groups have had and how they started them.
Roberto Aguilar is a proud, native eastern Oregonian, Latinx/Chicano, "Spanglish" bilingual, first-generation college graduate, and a school counselor for the past 20 years at Milwaukie HS located in southeast Portland, Oregon. Roberto has been recognized as the 2017 Oregon School Counselor Association school counselor of the year and was a national finalist for the 2019 American School Counselor Association school counselor of the year award. Roberto also serves as the current Oregon School Counselor Association President for the 2021-22 school year.
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Feb 7, 2022
School Counselors Are An Integral Part Of The Total Education System - Kat Pastor
We are celebrating National School Counseling Week! We talk with Kat about the critical role that counselors play in our schools. She shares about the importance of advocating for school counseling, and overviews ways that CharacterStrong is helping to celebrate all of the counselors in our schools.
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Feb 4, 2022
Introducing Dr. Clayton Cook!
We talk with Dr. Clayton Cook about his new role at CharacterStrong and he shares why implementation is needed today now more than ever. Dr. Cook also talks about ways the CharacterStrong team is partnering with schools, and he gives 3 practical implementation steps that schools can do right now.
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Jan 28, 2022
Including Student Voice And Student Choice In Our Classrooms - Sonjanita Moore
Today our guest is Sonjanita Moore, a Secondary Specialist here at CharacterStrong. We talk with Sonjanita about the need for including student voice and student choice in our classrooms. She also shares how community agreements are one way that we can include students, and gives examples of impact that came from creating space for students to share.
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Jan 21, 2022
5 Strategies For Keeping Community Agreements Going In Your Classroom - Julie Hinshaw
Today our guest is Julie Hinshaw, the Director of K-12 Curriculum for CharacterStrong. On this episode we talk to Julie about community agreements. She shares about what community agreements are, why they are important, and gives 5 ways that we can help keep them fresh for our students.
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Jan 14, 2022
Reflecting & Refocusing To Start The Year - Houston Kraft
We reflect with CharacterStrong Co-Founder Houston Kraft about things that are going on in education, and how disappointment is the result of unmet expectations. Houston also shares how we can be proactive with the time that we have, and gives 3 strategies that put a focus on well-being.
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Jan 7, 2022
Community Ready: Going Beyond Helping Students To Be College And Career Ready - John Salovardos
Today our guest is Dr. John Salovardos. Dr. Salovardos is the Director of Pupil Services in the Athol-Royalston Regional School District, in Athol-Royalston, Massachusetts. He has been working in special education in public schools for the past 23 years. We talk with Dr. Salovardos about ways that we can help all students feel connected at school, and how we can help students to thrive in our communities after high school.
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Dec 31, 2021
Top 6 Episodes Of 2021: #1 - The Role Of Student Leadership In Our Schools - Houston Kraft & Don Bartel
John talks with CharacterStrong Co-Founder Houston Kraft & Team Member Don Bartel about the recent CharacterStrong leadership conference, and the role and impact that student leadership has in school culture & climate.
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Dec 30, 2021
Top 6 Episodes Of 2021: #2 - The 7 Teachable Traits Of Thrivers - Dr. Michelle Borba
Michele Borba, Ed.D. is an internationally-recognized educator who has spoken to over one million parents and educators. She is recognized for her solution-based strategies on raising resilient kids, and has appeared over 150 times on the TODAY show and featured in New York Times, Washington Post, Time, and Dateline. Her 24 books are translated in 20 languages and her latest (March 2021) is Thrivers: The Surprising Reasons Why Some Kids Struggle and Others Shine.
Web: micheleborba.com. Twitter @micheleborba. Instagram @drmicheleborba.
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Dec 29, 2021
Top 6 Episodes Of 2021: #3 - 243 & The Power Of Love - Tyler Bastian
Tyler Bastian is an educator, filmmaker, father and the founder of Roots Charter High School. Tyler loves to teach and has a passion for discovering and developing potential in everything around him. For four years Tyler taught Character Education at a local High School and believes positive character is the greatest indicator of success. In 2012 Tyler began to develop the concepts that have become Roots Charter High School. Roots Charter High School is Utah’s first farm-based charter high school. Roots works with students that come from risky environments, helping them find and reach their potential. Learn more at www.rootshigh.org.
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Dec 28, 2021
Top 6 Episodes Of 2021: #4 - Perseverance & Pounding The Stone - John Norlin
John shares a powerful reminder of a teachers impact thru perseverance, a short reading from Jacob Riis, and he gives some encouragement as we live, teach & work during this season.
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Dec 27, 2021
Top 6 Episodes Of 2021: #5 - Teen Mental Health Series: Psycho Education Around Anxiety & Depression - Dr. Bella Bikowsky
Dr. Bikowsky is a Child & Adolescent Clinical Therapist and an Educational Staff Associate Certified School Counselor with a Ph.D. in Educational Counseling/Psychology. Bella has diverse experience in the education and mental health fields spanning 20 years. Over her career, Bella has gained clinical experience working in long-term residential treatment centers as well as at Seattle Children’s Hospital in their inpatient psychiatric unit. Additionally, Bella has been a school counselor in the Seattle Public Schools as well as a Counselor and Behavior Specialist in the Edmonds School District. Bella is also a part of Brooks Powers Group, an Educational and Psychological Assessment team in the Seattle area as well as Sound Supports, an educational consulting company focused on building systems through a 3-tired model—Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS). Bella has extensive knowledge working with school teams and districts in helping to create systemic change using the Multi-Tiered…
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Dec 24, 2021
Top 6 Episodes Of 2021: #6 - Creating A Strong Staff Culture In Your Building - Kelly Smith
Kelly has been in education for the last 15 years. She did her undergraduate work at the University of Portland, majoring in Political Science and got my Masters in Teaching through Concordia University. Kelly began her career teaching pre-school in Ireland and when she moved back to the states, she began teaching Kindergarten. Kelly spent the last two years before becoming a principal working as a Student Success Specialist, coaching teachers and students on creating systems of support for students with challenging behaviors in the general education environment. Through her experience in Collaborative Problem Solving, Trauma Informed Practices, and Restorative Justice, she has worked to create school and district level systems and supports to meet the needs of students and families in our ever-changing educational world. Kelly is currently in my first year as an administrator, serving as the Principal at Lincoln Elementary in the Grants Pass School District where she has had the oppor…
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Dec 17, 2021
It's Important To Advocate By Sharing Your Story - Josh Godinez
Josh Godinez is a high school counselor at Centennial High School in Corona, California. He also serves as the Board Chair for the California Association of School Counselors (CASC) and was named the 2019 California School Counselor of the Year. Josh supported the development of a data informed program for a new high school in Fontana, California, where he served as head counselor prior to his current assignment. He also has served on the California Safe, Healthy, Responsive Schools Pilot & Network Design team member, the California State Superintendent of Public Instruction’s Data Transition Team, California Department of Education’s Mental Health Coalition Meeting, and the CASC Policy, Advocacy, and Legislation Committee. He is a champion of advocacy and the advancement of school counseling. Prior to school counseling, Josh was a high school social studies teacher for nine years, a Beginning Teacher Support mentor, and served as an adjunct professor in the Teacher Education Depar…
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Dec 10, 2021
Working compassionately With Native American Students - Michael Adams
For the past 12 years, Michael Adams has been passionately serving youth in the K-12 setting as a School Counselor. Growing up on the Hopi reservation in Northern Arizona, Michael is driven to support Native/Indigenous populations through transformative educational experiences. His youthful energy has been invited to speak all across the southwest to share messages of inspiration. Michael’s book “A Warrior’s Mindset” helps kids retrain their personal attitude for personal/social success.
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Dec 3, 2021
Creating Space For Honest Conversations - Kelly Smith
Kelly has been in education for the last 16 years. She did her undergraduate work at the University of Portland, majoring in Political Science and got her Masters in Teaching through Concordia University. Kelly began her career teaching pre-school in Ireland. When she moved back to the states, she began teaching Kindergarten and has taught pre-K through 3rd grade. Kelly spent the last two years before becoming a principal working as a Student Success Specialist, coaching teachers and students on creating systems of support for students with challenging behaviors in the general education environment. Through her experience in Collaborative Problem Solving, Trauma Informed Practices, and Restorative Justice, she has worked to create school and district level systems and supports to meet the needs of students and families in our ever-changing educational world. Kelly is currently in her second year as an administrator, serving as the Principal at Lincoln Elementary in the Grants Pass Scho…
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Nov 26, 2021
Implementation: Key Component #2 - Use Of An Implementation Framework - Megan Gruis
On this episode Megan dives into using an implementation framework, and how implementation is a process. She talks about 2 steps of implementation: pre-implementation & active implementation, and shares important elements of each step.
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Nov 26, 2021
Implementation: Key Component #1 - Teaming & Effective Practices - Megan Gruis
CharacterStrong Director of Implementation Megan Gruis talks about the importance of creating a strong implementation team, and the components of successful teaming. Megan also shares about the need for having effective practices that work.
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Nov 26, 2021
Implementation: Key Component #3 - Continuous Improvement & Feedback loops - Megan Gruis
In part 3 of this series on implementation, Megan shares why we need to focus on continuous improvement in our implementation process. She also gives some practical ways that we can get feedback as we move forward on the path of implementation.
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Nov 19, 2021
Advocating Indigenous Ways Of Being That Can Be Supportive of Youth & Their Educational Institutions - Darrell Marks
Darrell Marks is a single parent of two sons and a daughter, and is an indigenous Dine'/Navajo. Darrell is am White Corn Zuni Edgewater born for those going home, and his maternal grandparents are Red House and paternal grandparents are Salt. He is originally from the community of Tonalea which is northeast of Flagstaff, Arizona. Darrell serves as the academic advisor for Native American students here at Flagstaff High School. He is an advocate for the rights of Indigenous peoples and people of the global majority. Darrell works to meet the unmet needs of the Navajo and Hopi tribal communities, and also works to advocate for the environment and protection of sacred sites.
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Nov 12, 2021
What We Learned During Educator Listening Sessions - Kat Pastor
Today our guest is Kat Pastor, Kat was the 2016 ASCA National School Counselor of the Year, and is now the Director of School Supports at CharacterStrong. We talk with Kat about the Educator Listening Sessions that CharacterStrong is hosting, she shares some of the insights that came out of these sessions, and she talks about ways that we can best support the students, staff and families that we serve.
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Nov 5, 2021
Supporting Native and Indigenous Students - Danielle Yepa Gunderson
Danielle Yepa Gunderson is a Citizen of the Chickasaw Nation in Oklahoma and from Jemez and Laguna pueblo in New Mexico. A proud wife of twenty-one years and a mother of two beautiful & intelligent teenage daughters. She is the Associate Director of College Counseling and Director of Native American Studies at Sandia Preparatory School (Sandia Prep) in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology degree at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado, and Master of Arts in Counseling at The University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. She is working on her Doctoral degree at The University of New Mexico in the Native American Education in Leadership (NALE) Cohort. She serves as the Primary Contact Coordinator/Local Chair on the Rocky Mountain Association of College Admissions (RMACAC) New Mexico College Fair at Albuquerque Committee, served as the Secretary on the RMACAC Executive Board and on a College Advisory Board for a highly selective university, along with volun…
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Oct 29, 2021
How AVID Is Supporting Students & Educators - Dr. Lynn Kepp
Dr. Lynn Kepp is the Vice President of Executive Communications and Project Management Office at AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination), a nonprofit training 85,000 educators annually to close the opportunity gap and prepare students for college, careers and life. She has a Doctorate in Education from UC Riverside with a research focus on Teacher Development and has a Master’s in Science Education from Cal State Fullerton. Lynn began her career with a decade of teaching and has since dedicated her work to supporting educators and students through education-driven nonprofits.
Learn more about AVID: Avid.org
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Oct 22, 2021
Introducing The Adult SEL Podcast!
Today we have a special episode for you. It is the first episode of a new podcast called the Adult SEL Podcast by CharacterStrong where we focus on improving our personal well-being through research and practical strategies in order to better serve the people we care about. Instead of weekly episodes, each season will be a series that we drop all at once, bringing together experts in the field. We know that it is not just students who need social emotional learning, but also adults and we hope that this podcast will help anyone looking to grow as professionals and in their own personal relationships. We would love it if you would follow on Apple Podcast or subscribe on Spotify to be notified each time we drop a new episode.
For quick access go to characterstrong.com/theadultselpodcast
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Oct 15, 2021
Grit & Growth Mindset - Dr. Jeannie Larberg
Dr. Larberg has served over 30 years in public education, serving as a school counselor at every grade level and an adjunct instructor at college. Before public education, she started her career in psychiatric and community mental health. She has been serving in Sumner-Bonney Lake School District as a Whole Child administrator for the past few years. Larberg earned her doctorate from Grand Canyon University in Psychology with an emphasis in Cognition and Instruction. Currently she serves on School-Based Behavioral Health & Suicide Prevention legislative subcommittee; Kids Mental Health PC Action Committee, and Pierce County Behavioral Health Advisory Board. Fun Fact: Larberg has been an avid skier at Crystal Mountain and only missed one ski season in the past 30 years.
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Oct 8, 2021
3 Simple SEL Strategies That Have Impact - Kirsten Perry
Kirsten Perry is a Social-Emotional Learning Specialist for the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) serving 27 schools in the Englewood and Auburn-Gresham neighborhoods. Kirsten also served as the President for the Illinois School Counselor Association (ISCA) during school years 2019-2021. Prior to this, she served as a K-12 School Counseling Specialist for the Chicago Public Schools for 2 years and as a P-8 school counselor for 7 years. Kirsten was named the National School Counselor of the Year by the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) in 2018 for her work at Lawndale Community Academy.
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Oct 1, 2021
We Need To Be Reminded More Than Taught - Dan Konopasek
Daniel has been in education for 18 years. He taught in both private and public schools as a middle and high school English Language Arts teacher. For the last two years he has been the Professional Learning Coordinator for the Student Services Department in the Racine Unified School District. Addtionally, he presents CharacterStrong, tutors students with dyslexia, attends grad school, teaches fitness classes, and adores his wife and son. He decided to become an eductor because he wanted students to feel encouraged and uplifted in school.
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Sep 24, 2021
Life Is All About Relationships - Royce Bryan
Royce Bryan has been in education ever since graduation from Bemidji State University in 2003. He's taught in multiple states in the Midwest at multiple levels: middle school, high school, and higher education. Royce believes whole heartedly that life is all about being good at relationship and a good relationship is at the heart of wholistic education.
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Sep 17, 2021
Learning To Manage Emotions: The 4 Big Lies - Kaia St. John
Kaia St. John graduating high school in 2020 and spent her freshman year of college at Washington State University. Throughout high school, she was highly involved in ASB through which she gained a love of servant leadership and SEL. She also has a year of experience tutoring middle school students and leading afterschool activities through the 21st Century Grant program. As a current CharacterStrong summer intern, Kaia has loved learning the ins and outs of the company and her passion for SEL has grown. In her free time, Kaia enjoys spending time with family, listening to podcasts, and daydreaming about adopting a puppy in the near future.
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Sep 10, 2021
The Importance Of Cultural Competency In Education - Jordyn Famimiko
We talk to Jordyn about how it is absolutely essential that students have a culturally responsive classrooms to help students feel safe. She shares things that she learned as she facilitated the conversation between students and staff at her high school. Jordyn also talks about the importance of making this and ongoing focus, as we work to better serve students and staff.
Jordyn Famimiko is a graduate of Raisbeck Aviation High School in Tukwila, WA. She strives to be a compassionate student-leader with a strong sense of civic responsibility. She inspires others to spread positivity and is looking to evoke change! Jordyn has been very active throughout her high school career. As a 2018 Teens in Public Service Intern, she assisted the Renton Skyway Boys and Girls Club with their FIRST Robotics program and mentored school-aged children. Jordyn has been a leader within the National Honor Society, Science Olympiad, Association of Student Body, and Link Crew, a freshmen onboarding program;…
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Sep 3, 2021
The Power Of Focusing On The Foundations - Season 4 Kickoff - Houston Kraft
We kick off SEASON 4 with CharacterStrong Co-founder Houston Kraft and talk about the importance of having a strong foundation as we face adversity, and the difference between mental health and mental illness. We also chat about AET vs TDI, and the impact that focusing on academic engaged time has in our classrooms.
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Aug 27, 2021
Helping Students Lead From The Heart - Kwame Ambaah
Kwame Ambaah is a senior attending Sam Houston State University and majoring in International Business, where he serves as a student leader in multiple organizations and a College pastor at a ministry called Second College. He is driven by a passion to help people in any way he can. Throughout his life he has dedicated his time to leadership and service in every opportunity he can find and hopes to continue those efforts as long as he's on Earth and has breath!
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Aug 20, 2021
The Impact That One Display Case Can Make - Addy Esco
Addy Esco is a native Texan but has made Alaska her home for the last 10 years. After completing her Bachelor's and Master's programs in Social Work at the University of Texas at Austin she relocated to Wrangell, Alaska. Addy's life was forever changed as a teenager by a few people willing to invest in relationships, so this work is her passion. After working in clinical mental health as an LCSW for 7.5 years Addy completed a school counselor certification program and transitioned full time into the school setting to work with students. She just completed my 2nd year as Wrangell Public School's K-12 school counselor. Over the last 2 years, Addy was fortunate enough to partner with a group of passionate teens who were ready to make a difference in their school. BASE (Building A Supportive Environment) is a student leadership group started by a group of students who weren't satisfied with the adult's solutions to the needs they saw. Their goal is to create an environment where all studen…
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Aug 13, 2021
Teens Make Change Happen - Amy Braun
HealthCorps President and CEO Amy Braun brings a passion for education, a background in marketing and a belief in wellness to the organization. Amy began her career as a fifth-grade teacher in New York City, where she taught math and reading, and developed the grade-wide literacy curriculum that led to significant performance gains at her school.
After stints at Teach for America and Harlem Village Academies, Amy joined the global marketing team at Mattel, Inc. While at Mattel, Inc she developed global campaigns and marketing strategies to revolutionize play through speech recognition and interactive gaming in an effort to innovate the 60-year-old household brand, Barbie.
Following her work at Mattel, she served as the head of U.S. marketing and communications for Pai Technology where she led the company’s and communications initiatives for its augmented reality products and smart devices, including Botzees, a robotics kit that teaches PreK-6 grade students coding fundamentals. A…
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Aug 6, 2021
Teen Mental Health Series: Psycho Education Around Executive Functioning - Dr. Bella Bikowsky
Dr. Bikowsky is a Child & Adolescent Clinical Therapist and an Educational Staff Associate Certified School Counselor with a Ph.D. in Educational Counseling/Psychology. Bella has diverse experience in the education and mental health fields spanning 20 years. Over her career, Bella has gained clinical experience working in long-term residential treatment centers as well as at Seattle Children’s Hospital in their inpatient psychiatric unit. Additionally, Bella has been a school counselor in the Seattle Public Schools as well as a Counselor and Behavior Specialist in the Edmonds School District. Bella is also a part of Brooks Powers Group, an Educational and Psychological Assessment team in the Seattle area as well as Sound Supports, an educational consulting company focused on building systems through a 3-tired model—Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS). Bella has extensive knowledge working with school teams and districts in helping to create systemic change using the Multi-Tiered…
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Jul 30, 2021
Teen Mental Health Series: Tools & Strategies For Helping Teens - Dr. Bella Bikowsky
Dr. Bikowsky is a Child & Adolescent Clinical Therapist and an Educational Staff Associate Certified School Counselor with a Ph.D. in Educational Counseling/Psychology. Bella has diverse experience in the education and mental health fields spanning 20 years. Over her career, Bella has gained clinical experience working in long-term residential treatment centers as well as at Seattle Children’s Hospital in their inpatient psychiatric unit. Additionally, Bella has been a school counselor in the Seattle Public Schools as well as a Counselor and Behavior Specialist in the Edmonds School District. Bella is also a part of Brooks Powers Group, an Educational and Psychological Assessment team in the Seattle area as well as Sound Supports, an educational consulting company focused on building systems through a 3-tired model—Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS). Bella has extensive knowledge working with school teams and districts in helping to create systemic change using the Multi-Tiered…
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Jul 23, 2021
Teen Mental Health Series: Psycho Education Around Anxiety & Depression - Dr. Bella Bikowsky
Dr. Bikowsky is a Child & Adolescent Clinical Therapist and an Educational Staff Associate Certified School Counselor with a Ph.D. in Educational Counseling/Psychology. Bella has diverse experience in the education and mental health fields spanning 20 years. Over her career, Bella has gained clinical experience working in long-term residential treatment centers as well as at Seattle Children’s Hospital in their inpatient psychiatric unit. Additionally, Bella has been a school counselor in the Seattle Public Schools as well as a Counselor and Behavior Specialist in the Edmonds School District. Bella is also a part of Brooks Powers Group, an Educational and Psychological Assessment team in the Seattle area as well as Sound Supports, an educational consulting company focused on building systems through a 3-tired model—Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS). Bella has extensive knowledge working with school teams and districts in helping to create systemic change using the Multi-Tiered…
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Jul 16, 2021
Leading During Trials: Ensuring That Your Staff Is Thriving - Wes Kanawyer
Wes Kanawyer is the Principal of Woodgate Intermediate School in Waco, TX. He has a passion for serving, developing and empowering educators to pursue their own growth as they seek to enrich and enhance the lives of their students. He believes that relationships with students, families and staff are the foundational component to every area of success. He has spent his career in service to students and staff at a Title 1 District, where he taught history and coordinated an After School Program targeting at-risk youth. He then transitioned into full-time administration at a high-performing CA Charter School before relocating with his wonderful wife and three children to Central Texas, where he works with amazing educators at Midway ISD.
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Jul 9, 2021
Creating A Campus Culture Of Kindness & Care - Dr. William Rhodes & Penny Flores
Dr. William Rhodes is the founding Principal of Robert & Felice Bryant Elementary School in the Katy Independent School District located outside of Houston, in Katy, Texas. Dr. Rhodes has served as a Principal in both a well-established school and a first-year school; both requiring the development and fostering of school culture. Dr. Rhodes has experience in various levels of public education ranging from Georgia to California to Texas as a Substitute, K-8 Teacher, Assistant Principal, District Human Resource Coordinator, and Principal. Through his experience working with educators he believes campus culture is a determining factor in teacher retention, parent engagement, and student success. Dr. Rhodes is a graduate of Berry College in Rome, GA with a B.S. in Middle Grades Education and the University of Houston- Clear Lake with an M.S. in Educational Management and Ed.D. in Educational Leadership.
Mrs. Penny Flores has worked in education for 15 years as an elementary teacher and s…
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Jul 2, 2021
The Importance Of Having A Roadmap For SEL Implementation - Julie Hinshaw
We talk to Julie about her new role as an Implementation Specialist at CharacterStrong. Julie shares about the work she is doing focused on implementation, why the CharacterStrong implementation roadmap is so important for schools, and specific ways that CharacterStrong is supporting schools in her home state of Texas.
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Jun 25, 2021
Keys To SEL Implementation - Glenwood Elementary
The Glenwood Team:
Betty Ross - School Counselor - 25 years at Glenwood Elementary (3rd and 4th grade Teacher, Enrichment Teacher, Gifted Educator and school counselor last 11 years) Previously taught in South Carolina for 3 years and served as a school counselor for 8 years.
Cassie Kelley - 5th grade teacher - 9 years teaching in North Carolina
Carrie - Franklin 1st grade teacher - 19 years teaching at Glenwood Elementary
Patricia LaFountain 10 years- Elementary Teaching Assistant at Glenwood
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Jun 18, 2021
Developing SEL In Ourselves - Rhonda Henderson
Rhonda Henderson is completing her 40th year as an educator. During that time, she has taught grades 1-8 in both public and private school settings, served as an Instructional Coordinator, Assistant Principal and Principal. Currently, she is the principal at Tom Wilson Elementary in Katy ISD in Texas. She is the mother of two adult children and has been married to her husband, Rex, for ....a long time!!!! Her hobbies include reading, working out and gardening. She believes that we need to be self aware as individuals and as educators to enjoy life fully, so a lot of her reading and learning is centered on learning about personality and self-awareness.
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Jun 11, 2021
Making The Connection With At-Risk Youth - Frank Arce
Having grown up amidst many challenges, his daily purpose is to inspire and motivate both students and staff by being a living testament that perseverance and determination can lead to success. But, this only happens with the right support network. Frank Arce will share with us some of his struggles and obstacles in life that made just getting through high school hard enough. He considers it miraculous that we has been able to achieve much more beyond that, but has never forgotten the many lessons learned from those struggles and challenges. Frank currently serves as the Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Development for the Temecula Valley Unified School District in California. In our centuries old educational system, students with stories similar to that of our next guest fall through the cracks. That's where the work of educators comes in. That's why it's important to him to speak to us today about the critical role that we all play in helping students achieve - "Against Al…
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Jun 4, 2021
Implementing Wellness - James D. Woods
James Woods has his masters in counseling, and is a registered yoga teacher. As president of FEEL FREE 2 FEEL FREE a health and wellness organization that provides programs and services for youth and adults who serve them, he, trains and holds workshops on self care, yoga, meditation, and mindfulness. Timmy Tut is the first book from James that fulfills his passion of sharing wellness tools through a literary experience to better serve the youth. James is also the founder of Million Man Meditation a wellness resource event featuring all Black men. Website: https://www.datyogadude.com
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May 28, 2021
Social-Emotional Learning: Not A Lesson, It Is Everything We Do - Woodgate Intermediate School
We talk with Assistant Principal Kim Hawkins, Shawn Simpson, Lindsey Ostrom, & Jacki Friedholm from Woodgate Intermediate School in Midway ISD about the ways that they work to focus on SEL in everything that they do.
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May 21, 2021
The Importance Of Making Peace A Focus Of School Programs - Kate Shively
Kate grew up in Missouri and attended William Jewell College, where I earned a bachelor's degree in Psychology. She went on to earn her Master's degree in School Counseling at University of Tennessee - Knoxville. Kate currently resides in Oregon, where her partner, their dog Atlas, and Kate spend as much time as possible hiking and walking our neighborhood. She has worked at all levels of education, including post-secondary education. Kate is currently the School Counselor at Baker Prairie Middle School in Canby, Oregon. As an educator, she is passionate about self-reflection, honesty, and progress - whether that's in practice, policy, or personal growth.
During her time at Baker Prairie, Kate has been able to bring in a new SEL curriculum (CharacterStrong) through grant funding, begin an annual Peace Month which has grown to include a Peace Summit, collaborate with teachers to have the entire school write a book together, and many other smaller program activities that were only possi…
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May 14, 2021
The Impact Of SEL & A Healthy School Culture - Riley Bruil
We talk with CharacterStrong team member Riley Bruil about how social emotional learning at his high school impacted him as a leader & college athlete, and he shares about how standing at a door changed his senior year.
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May 7, 2021
Using Social-Emotional Learning to Guide School Improvement - Dr. Renee Carr
Dr. Renee Carr is originally from the west coast, from Vallejo, CA in the San Francisco Bay Area and from Silverdale, WA in the Kitsap Peninsula across from Seattle. Even though she has been in the DC area, on the Virginia side for the last 10 years, she has not left behind her west coast roots. Dr. Renee Carr, EdD has been working in education and related programmatic work since 2007. She is multilingual: she speaks French, Spanish, and Modern Greek. Dr. Carr taught English at a technical high school in France. She studied abroad in Greece and Spain. She has worked at a university, been a government contractor, worked for non-profits, associations, and two school districts in the Washington, DC area. At school she goes by Señora Carr, Madame Carr or Doctor Carr. She recently wrote a book for the publisher Rowman & Littlefield called Accountability in the Classroom: Using Social-Emotional Learning to Guide School Improvement. The book was published in February 2021. The premise of thi…
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Apr 30, 2021
Mental Health & Well-Being - Dr. Brian Smith
Dr. Smith is the Director of Research at CharacterStrong. He has extensive experience providing mental health services to children and youth and has worked in schools as a school counselor, school social worker, and substance abuse counselor. Since receiving his PhD from the University of Washington he has spent over a decade translating research into effective Social Emotional Learning programs. Brian is an expert on all aspects of SEL, including program development, implementation support, assessment, and evaluation. Brian has provided presentations, trainings and keynotes to educators, researchers, and corporate audiences, co-authored book chapters and articles for both scientists and teachers and is an expert on applying science to promote social and emotional competence.
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Apr 23, 2021
The Power Of Influence: One Relationship That Led To A Teaching Career - Kris Jenkins
Kris has been teaching for 39 years, all in Early Childhood. She graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, with a dual major in Elementary and Early Childhood Education (a pilot program at the time) and a minor in music education. Kris has taught in the states of Nebraska, California, Missouri, and most recently, Kansas. Kris received her MaEd from Baker University. Kris currently teaches full-day PreK in a small south-central Kansas community. In addition to Kris' teaching responsibilities, she is an active member of her PEO chapter, a philanthropic, educational organization for women, and serves as the chairperson of the Community Giving Committee. Kris is also a trainer for Resilience Reno County. Resilience Reno County is an initiative that will work to break the cycle of poverty by raising awareness and educating of ACES, and equipping the community with resources on healing from adverse childhood Experiences. Kris and her husband have been married for 31 years, have thre…
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Apr 16, 2021
The Importance Of Connecting With Your "Why" - Chelsea Gallagher
Born and raised in Spokane, WA, Chelsea Gallagher has known since the third grade that education was her calling, except for that short stint where she wanted to be a professional ghostbuster. She graduated from Eastern Washington University with her bachelor’s degree, is a Nationally Board Certified Teacher in English Language Arts, and holds two Master’s degrees from Grand Canyon University. Over the course of her career, she has worn many hats including mom (to Brooklynn and Nolan), Wife, English teacher, Cambridge Coordinator, Dean of Students, Instructional Coach, Assistant Principal, and now the Director of Professional Development for CharacterStrong.
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Apr 9, 2021
The Importance Of Student Voice Data In The SEL Integration Process - Molly Gosline
Molly A. Gosline, EdM, MA is the Coordinator of Social Emotional Learning at Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Illinois where she works with academic divisions and teacher teams to develop instructional practices that integrate social emotional learning into their classrooms to support students' SEL growth. Ms. Gosline collaborates with SEL and school climate colleagues throughout the country, has presented at dozens of school climate & learning conferences and workshops and is the executive director of SEL4IL. Molly holds an M.A. in Counseling Psychology from the Lesley Graduate School of Arts & Sciences as well as an Ed.M. in Risk and Prevention within the Human Development & Psychology division from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Molly is currently a doctoral candidate in the Mid-Career Educational Leadership Program at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education where her research focuses on social emotional learning integration practices.
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Apr 2, 2021
Inspiring & Engaging Our Communities Through Athletics - Alex Clark
Alex Clark is a young, passionate and committed leader who has served most of his adult life making a strong impact on student-athletes across the northeast region. Alex has worked with students of all ages from K-12, to D1 athletes, to pros. Alex has expertise coaching many sports since he was a teenager that he wanted to work and inspire young people to be their best, and his philosophy teaches you how to. How to always be PRIME. Graduating from East Hartford High School in Connecticut, Alex was a standout athlete both on the football field and basketball court that led him to a short stint as a division 1 athlete where he graduated with a degree in kinesiology from Central Connecticut State University. Like most young athletes, Alex dreamt of playing professionally, however, when that dream was no longer possible, he aimed his force to helping others reach theirs.
Inspired by the many teachers, coaches and leaders around him, Alex wanted to create a sports program that infused spor…
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Mar 26, 2021
The Importance Of Social-Emotional Learning
Houston & John celebrate #SELday! They talk about how our current times have shown us why SEL is crucial, the importance of student voice in SEL, and how research, reality, & relevance come together in teaching and supporting SEL.
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Mar 19, 2021
The 2021 Whole Child Virtual Summit - Lindsay Norlin
We talk with Lindsay about the 2021 Whole Child Virtual Summit happening March 22-26th, and she shares a few powerful highlights from some of this years speakers.
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Mar 12, 2021
Creating A Strong Staff Culture In Your Building - Kelly Smith
Kelly has been in education for the last 15 years. She did her undergraduate work at the University of Portland, majoring in Political Science and got her Masters in Teaching through Concordia University. Kelly began her career teaching pre-school in Ireland and when she moved back to the states, she began teaching Kindergarten. Kelly spent the last two years before becoming a principal working as a Student Success Specialist, coaching teachers and students on creating systems of support for students with challenging behaviors in the general education environment. Through her experience in Collaborative Problem Solving, Trauma Informed Practices, and Restorative Justice, she has worked to create school and district level systems and supports to meet the needs of students and families in our ever-changing educational world. Kelly is currently in her first year as an administrator, serving as the Principal at Lincoln Elementary in the Grants Pass School District where she has had the opp…
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Mar 5, 2021
Fostering Better Engagement In The Virtual Classroom - Bryan Slater
Bryan Slater is an experienced classroom teacher and has spent the last 15 years teaching high school Social Studies in Tacoma, WA, Lagos, Nigeria, and Sumner, WA. He currently teaches at Sumner High School.
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Feb 26, 2021
The 7 Teachable Traits Of Thrivers - Dr. Michelle Borba
Michele Borba, Ed.D. is an internationally-recognized educator who has spoken to over one million parents and educators. She is recognized for her solution-based strategies on raising resilient kids, and has appeared over 150 times on the TODAY show and featured in New York Times, Washington Post, Time, and Dateline. Her 24 books are translated in 20 languages and her latest (March 2021) is Thrivers: The Surprising Reasons Why Some Kids Struggle and Others Shine. Web: micheleborba.com. Twitter @micheleborba. Instagram @drmicheleborba.
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Feb 19, 2021
Teenager Therapy: Raising Awareness About Mental Health - Isaac Hurtado & Mark Hugo
Houston talks to Isaac Hurtado & Mark Hugo from the Teenager Therapy Podcast about the role that the podcast plays in their lives, things that can prevent students from thinking about mental health at school, and they also share about the practical things that some of Isaac and Mark's teachers have done to put a focus on mental health.
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Feb 12, 2021
The Importance Of Mindfulness - Andrew Jordan Nance
Andrew Jordan Nance has been an educator since 1990. He is the author of four published books; The Barefoot King, The Lion in Me, Mindful Arts in the Classroom, and the bestseller, Puppy Mind. He also adapted Puppy Mind, into a series of five episodes that will show on KTVU and distributed to school districts around the country. He is the founder of Mindful Arts San Francisco; a program of the San Francisco Education Fund that provides volunteer mindfulness educators to teach in SF public schools. For almost thirty years he taught performing arts to students from diverse backgrounds, and for eighteen years he was the Conservatory Director at San Francisco’s New Conservatory Theatre Center. Nance is also an award-winning actor and director. He is on the board of directors of several educational nonprofit organizations including Mindful Life Project in Richmond, California and San Francisco’s New Conservatory Theater Center. He is the recipient of the Points of Light Award, a nationa…
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Feb 5, 2021
Culturally Responsive Teaching - Yaritza Villalba
Founding President of YV Educational Resources Inc., Yaritza Villalba has eleven years of experience in education. She started her career teaching Social Studies to high school students in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York. Throughout the years she has developed numerous curriculum materials and conducted a variety of professional developments. She is currently a lead teacher of an alternative high school in Bedford Stuyvesant, teaching over -aged and under- credited students history through a critical lens. Her overall mission, in education, is to provide teachers and students with an array of strategies and materials to assist them in the educational process through her non-profit 501(c)3.
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Jan 29, 2021
243 & The Power Of Love - Tyler Bastian
Tyler Bastian is an educator, filmmaker, father and the founder of Roots Charter High School. Tyler loves to teach and has a passion for discovering and developing potential in everything around him. For four years Tyler taught Character Education at a local High School and believes positive character is the greatest indicator of success. In 2012 Tyler began to develop the concepts that have become Roots Charter High School. Roots Charter High School is Utah’s first farm-based charter high school. Roots works with students that come from risky environments, helping them find and reach their potential. Learn more at www.rootshigh.org.
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Jan 22, 2021
The Role Of Student Leadership In Our Schools - Houston Kraft & Don Bartel
John talks with CharacterStrong Co-Founder Houston Kraft & Team Member Don Bartel about the recent CharacterStrong leadership conference, and the role and impact that student leadership has in school culture & climate.
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Jan 15, 2021
Perseverance & Pounding The Stone - John Norlin
John shares a powerful reminder of a teachers impact thru perseverance, a short reading from Jacob Riis, and he gives some encouragement as we live, teach & work during this season.
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Jan 8, 2021
Episode 200! Looking Forward In 2021 With Hope - Houston Kraft
We celebrate our 200th episode! John and Houston look back at some good things in the midst of the hard over last 12 months, they look forward to what is needed in 2021 & share some hope.
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Jan 2, 2021
Vulnerability, Shame And Empathy When Talking About Race - Suzy Benson
Suzy Benson is an inspiring coach, speaker, and facilitator who leads with passion, energy, and vision. Her mission is to help people become better leaders, find fulfillment in their work and live happier, healthier lives. Suzy founded and directed a non-profit-the African Promise Foundation - for 10 years. She then transferred her experience and skills to form African Promise Expeditions-an organization that takes people on leadership and personal development journeys to Uganda, Africa. In 2018, she and Houston Kraft collaborated and took a team of students on a two week expedition. In addition, Suzy operates a succesful coaching and leadership business, Suzy Benson Coaching. Suzy trained under Dr. Brené Brown to become a certified Dare to Lead™ facilitator. Suzy focuses on developing courage-building skills to help individuals, teams, and organizations develop emotional intelligence. Suzy is a certified teacher and spent 20 years in education. Suzy has a strong commitment to her c…
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Jan 1, 2021
How to embrace inclusion in the K-12 classroom - Melinda Arnost
Melinda Arnost is a witty K-12 Intervention Specialist that is always thinking outside of the box. This curly-haired educator loves everything about about teaching minus the paperwork and standardize tests. Melinda has her Masters in Education, is a Registered Behavior Therapist (RBT), a personal trainer for students with unique abilities and an Autism Guru. She has a passion for building relationships with her students and colleagues and can embrace inclusion in any type of setting. Melinda has started an adaptive nonprofit ice skating program for individuals with unique abilities and has run marathons while pushing her pal, Annie, in a HOYT running chair. She believes people, regardless of their lack of ability, should feel included, supported and loved. Melinda lives in the woods with her husband who is an automotive enthusiast in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. When she is not writing or teaching, she is busy running extreme distances, painting murals or trying to build her own secret garden.
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Dec 31, 2020
Smiles & Frowns - Monte Syrie
Monte Syrie is a high school ELA teacher at Cheney High School in Cheney, Washington. A 25 year veteran in the classroom, Monte is committed to finding the better in education and contributing to the humanization of students’ experiences in classrooms around the globe. You can join his journey on his daily blog at www.letschangeeducation.com and on Twitter: @montesyrie
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Dec 30, 2020
Pulling Back The Curtain & Demystifying Processes With Students - Susy Sayles #EduHeroes
Susy is an Oregon gal, born and bred. After her schooling at the University of Oregon and Linfield University, she was hired at McMinnville High School (her alma mater) in 2012 and began advising the ASB Leadership program in 2014; her position at MHS is now split between ASB and 9th/10th grade AVID. Susy was recognized as McMinnville's Outstanding Teacher of the Year in 2017. Outside of school, Susy is also one of the Administration & Programming Directors for the Oregon Association of Student Councils. Through OASC, she has served as a board member for six years and a high school camp director for three. Susy also serves as a McMinnville TEDx speaker coach, on the Linfield University Education Consortium Board, and as a team member for the R. Stuart & Co. Winery. When she's not immersed in school and OASC, you can find her backpacking or hiking off grid, tending to her home jungle, or reading and writing with a cup of coffee in hand.
Connect with Susy: Twitter & Instagram: @missayl…
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Dec 29, 2020
We All Need Grace In This Season - Alicia Bonnett #EduHeroes
Alicia has been a secondary administrator for 13 years at both the middle and high school levels. She has had the privilege of holding nearly every administrative position at a secondary site including, Vice Principal of Activities, Vice Principal of Student Support, Assistant Principal of Curriculum and Instruction and finally a Principal. To say Alicia loves what she does would be an understatement. Working with teenagers is her calling and she wouldn't change it for the world. She believes in transparency in leadership and leading from within your team. Alicia firmly believes in the statement, "If you are going to ask staff to move mountains, you'd better be willing to buy them a shovel and help them dig"
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Dec 28, 2020
The Importance Of Class Meetings & Restorative Practices - Rebecca Barton #EduHeroes
Ms. Barton was born and raised in Fort Worth, TX and graduated from Texas Wesleyan University. Her 21 years of teaching have all been with Crowley ISD where she was named "Teacher of the Year" in 2008 and was chosen as the Crowley ISD Heartbeat Award winner (district employee of the month) in 2015. Over the course of 21 years, she taught 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades before accepting a new position this year as the campus music teacher. Ms. Barton also dedicates her time to the Dallas Stars Foundation as an active volunteer often working with kids in the community.
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Dec 27, 2020
Using Choice & Independent Reading In Class - Daphne Russell #EduHeroes
Daphne uses books as though they are EpiPens and every student who walks into her room has a mouth full of shrimp. The more books she can get inside of a student the more apt they are to fight the apathetic trap that snares so many of their peers. Daphne spent seventeen years teaching with class sets of Hatchet and Esperanza Rising until 2007 when a friend told her to read The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. 584 pages later she began teaching as though books save lives and has never wavered from her mission.
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Dec 26, 2020
Integrating Trauma Informed Practices To Effectively Grow Social-Emotional Skills - Ebone Kimber
Ebone Kimber is a licensed Master's level social worker who has been working in child welfare for over 13 years. She received her Bachelor's degree in Social Work at the University of Alabama in Birmingham and her Masters at The University of Alabama. She spent her early years in the field on the front lines offering case management and basic living skills to children in foster care and their foster families. She also provided similar services, including individual counseling to families working to keep their families together through family preservation services. Ebone has also served as a therapist at a residential facility and worked as Program Director for advocacy and education programs for youth in foster care for over 5 years, planning and implementing events for older youth in foster care to educate and prepare them for life after foster care to ensure they avoided the negative statistics of adulthood. Ebone most recently shifted in her career path and is now a School Social Wo…
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Dec 25, 2020
Top 5 Episodes Of 2020 - #1: We Can't Wait On Our Kids - John Norlin
Each day this week we are counting down the Top 5 episodes of 2020!
#1: Season 2 Ep. 56 - CharacterStrong Co-Founder John Norlin shares a recent experience from a training, and talks about why we can't wait to infuse social emotional learning and character development into the daily fabric of our schools.
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Dec 24, 2020
Top 5 Episodes Of 2020 - #2: The Intersection Of Race, Black Masculinity, Hip Hop Culture & Education - Matthew R. Morris
Each day this week we are counting down the Top 5 episodes of 2020!
#2: Season 3 Ep. 2 - We talk with Matthew about the work that needs to be done when it comes to changing our educational systems, the deep personal work that needs to happen as we move forward, and the importance of authenticity.
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Dec 23, 2020
Top 5 Episodes Of 2020 - #3: The Importance Of The Integration Of Mental Health Practices In Schools - Dr. Bella Bikowsky
Each day this week we are counting down the Top 5 episodes of 2020!
#3: Season 3 Ep. 11 - We talk with Dr. Bikowsky about her work with educators helping students reframe thoughts, feelings and behaviors, how mental health connects with SEL, and some practical strategies that staff can use while teaching virtually.
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Dec 22, 2020
Top 5 Episodes Of 2020 - #4: Taking Care Of The Whole Teacher - Angelica Rodriguez
Each day this week we are counting down the Top 5 episodes of 2020!
#4: Season 3 Ep. 18 - We talk to Angelica Rodriguez about how we can put a focus on taking care of ourselves as teachers, the importance of self care & mental health especially in this season, and she shares some simple strategies that can positively impact our classrooms.
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Dec 21, 2020
Top 5 Episodes Of 2020 - #5: Student Engagement Ideas For The Virtual Classroom - Maddie Bogart
Each day this week we are counting down the Top 5 episodes of 2020!
#5: Season 2 Ep. 108 - We talk with Maddie Bogart about virtual student engagement, how she used one of her weekly meetings to focus on relationships, and she shares some of the creative ideas that she did with students.
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Dec 17, 2020
The Way Out Is Through - Don Bartel
John talks with new CharacterStrong team member and veteran educator Don Bartel about the topic "The Way Out Is Through", they discuss the new CharacterStrong student leadership conference, and they share why the topics of purpose, influence, and obstacles are so important.
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Dec 14, 2020
Self-Care: Beyond The Bubble Bath - Barbara Gruener
Nationally-recognized speaker, counselor, and author Barbara Gruener thrives on positively influencing character change, passionately helping people create caring connections, and intentionally improving school climate and culture. Her innovative, inspirational ideas are sparked by her 37 years in education growing alongside learners from every age and stage and helping them to find their purpose and pursue their passion. Her 2014 Mom's Choice Gold Award Winner, What’s Under Your Cape?, is filled with engaging empowerment strategies to serve all stakeholders stretch and soar. When she's not working, Barbara enjoys spending time with her husband John and their adult children.
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Dec 10, 2020
Building Positive Relationships - Nikolete Nikravan #EduHeroes
Nikolete Nikravan went to UHCL, graduated with her BA in Math and her 7-12 Math Certification in May of 2019. She won New Teacher of The Year for Santa Fe High School last school year, and was featured on the news for delivering gift bags to all 97 of her students during covid/distance learning. Currently, Nikolete is a math teacher at Santa Fe HS, coaches girls basketball, and is in school to get her masters in Educational Leadership.
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Dec 7, 2020
Positivity & Growth Mindset In Education - Felisha Fields #EduHeroes
Felisha Fields is a Mississippi native & she graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi. She is in her 11th year in education and her 2nd year in Crowley ISD. Felisha has spent 9 years as an ELAR teacher and was featured on NBC 5's Carter in the Classroom. She is an advocate for Positivity inside and outside the classroom, Optimism in learning, Student and Colleague Mentorship, and promotes a positive growth mindset.
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Dec 3, 2020
The Importance Of Shaping Our Teacher Identities - Kwame Sarfo-Mensah
Kwame Sarfo-Mensah is a 14-year veteran urban educator and the founder of Identity Talk Consulting, LLC., an independent educational consulting firm that provides professional development and consulting services to K-12 school districts, educators, colleges & universities and educational non-profit organizations. He is also the author of two books: "Shaping the Teacher Identity: 8 Lessons That Will Help Define the Teacher in You" and "From Inaction to 'In Action': Creating a New Normal for Urban Educators". As a staunch ambassador and advocate for teacher empowerment, Kwame has spoken at numerous national education conferences and worked diligently to support the recruitment and retention of teachers of color in the education system. In January 2019, he was selected to be in the inaugural cohort of the InSPIRED (In-Service Professionals Increasing Racial and Ethnic Diversity) Fellowship, an initiative organized by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education for vet…
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Nov 30, 2020
Purpose As A Form Of Self Care - John Norlin
CharacterStrong Co-Founder John Norlin reminds us that sometimes when things get difficult the first thing we can forget is our purpose, he talks about the difference between happiness and purpose, and he shares about the 4 different levels of happiness.
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Nov 26, 2020
All Students Have The Potential To Be Leaders - Melissa Purswell #EduHeroes
Today we kick off a new series highlighting EduHeroes! We know that there are education heroes in every building in every district, and we want to help put a spotlight on who they are & the amazing things that they do. Today we talk with Melissa Purswell, a middle school teacher at Armand Larive Middle School in Hermiston, Oregon.
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Nov 23, 2020
Sharing The Workload - Tracy & Maren Kelly
Tracy Kelly has ten years teaching Special Education in California. He has taught all grades K-12, as well as being a Lecturer, both Adjunct and Full Time, at University level. He taught those that were inspired to be General Education and Special Education Teachers. He earned an BA in Economics, MA in Special Education, and his Ed.D. in candidacy status in Educational Leadership. He has edited six books as he continues to write his dissertation on the self-efficacy of Special Education teachers. You can interact with Tracy on Twitter @tracyscottkelly.
Maren Kelly has been teaching Special Education for 14 years, 13 years in a moderate to severe environment from pre - k to 6th grade and 1 year as an RSP 8th grade teacher. She taught two years in a preschool Autism program then one Year in an Autism Specific class with k-5th grade. Maren had the pleasure of working with Dr. Ron Leaf who is the Director of Autism Partnership. She has earned a BA in Political Science/Pre-Law, and is fin…
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Nov 19, 2020
Thinking Outside The Box: Ordinary To Extraordinary - Marcia Stephens, Kacy Russell, & Sydni Edwards
We talk with Principal Marcia Stephens, Instructional Coach Kacy Russell, & 4th Grade Teacher Sydni Edwards from Airport Road Intermediate School about their participation in Rock Your School, the culture of outside the box thinking that this event helped create, and the positive impact that it has had with students.
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Nov 16, 2020
Inclusion As A Means Of Strengthening Community - Amy Campbell
Amy Campbell was the 2020 Washington State Teacher of the Year. After earning her Master in Teaching, Amy realized her deep passion for supporting students with unique learning needs and returned to school for an endorsement in special education. She has been teaching at Helen Baller Elementary School for 12 years. In her position as a teacher of students with significant learning challenges, she collaborates with staff, parents, and community to develop individualized plans that focus on each student's unique skills, abilities, and interests to help them find their place among their peers in the school community. Amy does not live in a world of deficits. She lives and teaches a world of possibilities, potential, and opportunities.
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Nov 12, 2020
Prioritizing the Social Emotional Needs Of Adults In Order To Support The Needs Of Students - Dr. Byron McClure
Dr. Byron McClure is a National Certified School Psychologist currently redesigning a high school in Southeast, D.C. His work centers around influencing systemic change and ensuring students from high-poverty communities has access to a quality education. Dr. McClure has extensive knowledge and expertise in mental health, social emotional learning, and behavior. Dr. McClure has done considerable work advocating for fair and equitable discipline practices for all students, particularly, for African-American boys. He has designed and implemented school-wide initiatives such as SEL, restorative practices, RTI, and trauma responsive practices. As a result of this work, led by Dr. McClure, his school recently won the 2019-2020 Whole Child Award. Dr. McClure has presented across the country as a panelist, and featured keynote speaker. He believes in the power of dreaming big to make dreams come true!
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Nov 9, 2020
Roadblocks To Connection In Supportive Relationships - Mona Elleithee
Mona Elleithee is the Founder and School Equity Strategist of Renewed Harmony, an organization committed to reigniting professional passion and retaining educators who serve students with challenging needs. The mission of Renewed Harmony is to build more just and equitable schools by cultivating authentic leaders, strengthening adult social and emotional learning, and nurturing culturally responsive practices. An award-winning National Board Certified Teacher leader and diversity trainer, Mona is celebrated for compassionately assisting educators reflect upon and connect their own backgrounds to their current beliefs and practices without shame or judgment. Her personal and professional development sessions invite educators to lead from their best selves - a place within that is calm, curious, compassionate, connected, confident, creative, and courageous. As they unpack the invisible barriers that unconsciously impact school climate, culture, and performance, teachers and administrator…
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Nov 5, 2020
Taking Care Of The Whole Teacher - Angelica Rodriguez
Angelica Rodriguez | Spanish Language Arts Middle School Teacher | Highland Middle School in Bellevue, WA | Educator for Justice | Mental Health Advocate | Resource & Content Creator of Peromiss Educational Resources | Believer in Mindful & Intentional "Self-care" (not just on Sundays)
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Nov 2, 2020
Consent In Social-Emotional Learning - Sarah Casper
Sarah Casper is a Consent Educator and the founder of Comprehensive Consent. Her mission is to help parents and teachers develop consent skills in their kids and teens in the present, so they’re prepared for their relationships in the future.With her background in psychology, mindfulness, and nine years of experience teaching social and coping skills to kids, Sarah pulls on evidence-based methods to teach kids, parents, and teachers the necessary skills for navigating body-boundaries and consent.
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Oct 29, 2020
The 3 Ships: Relationships, Leadership, & Partnerships - Dr. Randy Russell
Dr. Randy Russell currently serves as the Freeman, WA School District Superintendent. During his nine years in Freeman, the Freeman School District has achieved a high school graduation rate exceeding 98%; developed a collaborative professional development system grades P-12; successfully completed a $35 million construction project including the renovation of Freeman High School and Elementary schools, a new K-8 multi-purpose room, a new Palouse Regional Transportation Cooperative, a remodeled Freeman Middle School, the painting of all exterior buildings, and complete renovation of all athletic facilities; passed levies, capital project levies and technology levies; and developed a broad school and community engagement processes to create, implement and complete the Freeman 2020 Strategic Plan. He is a past member of the WASA Board of Directors and is currently on the AASA Governing Board Executive Committee. In addition to serving as the WASA President, Randy has also served as the W…
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Oct 26, 2020
Toxic Positivity & Neutral Thinking - John Norlin
CharacterStrong Co-Founder John Norlin shares some thoughts about the current conversations on toxic positivity, he digs into 3 parts of neutral thinking, and reminds us that we all can be mindful of the negative things that we say.
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Oct 22, 2020
Ways That We Can Increase Engagement During Online Learning - Mackenzie Adams
Mackenzie is a 3rd year kindergarten teacher who has a passion for early childhood education. She has a Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education and a Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education. Teaching has always felt natural and her love for the classroom stems from her big family of teachers. When Mackenzie is not teaching, she enjoys reading and spending time with family in Lake Stevens, Washington.
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Oct 19, 2020
Community Agreements: Co-creating Classroom Expectations - Erin Jones
Erin Jones has been involved in and around schools for the past 26 years. She has taught in a variety of environments, from predominantly Black to predominantly White to some of the most diverse communities in the nation. Erin received an award as the Most Innovative Foreign Language Teacher in 2007, in 2008 was the Washington State Milken Educator of the Year. She also received recognition at the White House in March of 2013 as a "Champion of Change” and was Washington State PTA’s “Outstanding Educator” in 2015. After serving as a classroom teacher and instructional coach, Erin worked as an executive for two State Superintendents. Erin ran as a candidate for State Superintendent and was the first Black woman to run for any state office in Washington state, a race she lost by a mere 1%. She and her husband of 25 years have a daughter who recently graduated from Central Washington University, a son who is a senior at Harvey Mudd College and one who coaches high school football w…
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Oct 12, 2020
The Importance Of The Integration Of Mental Health Practices In Schools - Dr. Bella Bikowsky
Dr. Bikowsky is a Child & Adolescent Clinical Therapist and an Educational Staff Associate Certified School Counselor with a Ph.D. in Educational Counseling/Psychology. Bella has diverse experience in the education and mental health fields spanning 20 years. Over her career, Bella has gained clinical experience working in long-term residential treatment centers as well as at Seattle Children’s Hospital in their inpatient psychiatric unit. Additionally, Bella has been a school counselor in the Seattle Public Schools as well as a Counselor and Behavior Specialist in the Edmonds School District. Bella is also a part of Brooks Powers Group, an Educational and Psychological Assessment team in the Seattle area as well as Sound Supports, an educational consulting company focused on building systems through a 3-tired model—Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS). Bella has extensive knowledge working with school teams and districts in helping to create systemic change using the Multi-Tiered…
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Oct 8, 2020
Using Creative "Hands On" Materials With Virtual Learning - Victor Hicks
"Coach" Victor Hicks is a computer science instructor at The Kindezi School at Old Fourth Ward in Atlanta, GA. Coach Hicks has over 20 years experience in education with the last 6 years devoted to his passion ,combining computer science and Historically Black Colleges and Universities to provide a culturally relevant 21st century learning experience for his scholars. Coach Hicks' work is featured on the Google Applied Digital Skills website and he was blessed with the opportunity to present on behalf of the Tynker Corporation at the ISTE convention in Chicago. He is a Computer Science Fundamentals facilitator with Code.org as well. In his spare time, Coach Hicks is the proud Coach of the Psi Phi Beta "HBCU Ready" Step Team! Follow Victor on Twitter here: @CoachHicks1914
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Oct 5, 2020
The Importance Of Chunking Course Materials - Dr. Will Deyampor
As seen on Schoology Exchange, District Administration, EdSurge, iNACOL, and TechEdge magazine, Will Deyamport, III, Ed.D. is an entrepreneurial educator who specializes in assisting educators in going digital. Dr. Will, as he is better known as, is a podcaster, writer, documentary filmmaker, and District Instructional Technologist for Hattiesburg Public School District. Dr. Will is the creator and host of The Dr. Will Show where he interviews educators and entrepreneurs on leveling up. In March of 2019, EduMatch Publishing released Dr. Will’s first documentary, The Edupreneur. The video explores the lives and careers of eight educators who have become educational consultants. You can find the documentary on Vimeo OnDemand as well as Amazon Prime.
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Oct 1, 2020
How To Engage In Conversations About Race With Students & Our Community - Derek Francis
Derek Francis is the Manager of Counseling Services for Minneapolis Public Schools. Antiracist school counseling and building multicultural counseling skills are his passion. In his 8 years as a school counselor some of his favorite moments include playing basketball, dressing up on Halloween as frozen, and having after school cooking club with students.
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Sep 28, 2020
Deep Kindness Book Launch! - Houston Kraft
We talk with Houston about his brand new book Deep Kindness, which comes out Tuesday, September 29th! He shares about why we need a different way to talk about kindness, and how going deep takes proactive work.
To learn more and to order visit: https://deepkindness.com
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Sep 24, 2020
Giving Students A Voice In Character Education - Emily Rose
Emily Rose is a school Counselor at Greenwood Elementary School in River Falls, Wisconsin. Greenwood Elementary is a State and National School of Character. This is Emily's 6th year as a school counselor and she has been at her current position for 5 years. You can follow Emily on Instagram at: @coffeefueledcounselor
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Sep 21, 2020
Designing Interactive Online Learning Experiences - Mike Flynn
Mike Flynn is the director of Mathematics Leadership Programs at Mount Holyoke College. He runs the Master of Arts in Teaching Mathematics program and creates a wide variety of professional learning for educators looking to become leaders in mathematics education. Mike was one of the first educators to use Zoom back in 2013 to design interactive online learning experiences and has been perfecting the format ever since. Presently, Mike is supporting teachers and school districts around the world in creating engaging online learning experiences for students. Visit Distance Learning Support to learn more about Mike's work in this area.
Mike also travels to schools around the country to work with teachers, coaches, and administrators. His expertise on developing people's mathematical content knowledge and supporting systemic change help make these big shifts much easier for staff, students, and parents. Click here to learn more about Mike's work in this area. Mike is also the author of Be…
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Sep 17, 2020
The Importance Of Teaching Students How To Learn - Jeromie Heath
As a former disengaged student himself, Jeromie grew up in low income and diverse communities where he has felt under-served in his own education. After years of hating school, and failing to see the relevance in education, he is now dedicated to keep any student from having a similar negative educational experience. Now a National Board Certified Teacher with 16 years of experience, Jeromie is an expert on instilling and igniting the love of learning. He's committed to creating a positive classroom climate where every learner is motivated, inspired, and engaged. He shares his successfully proven ideas and act ivies on his website and in collaborative workshops, including: lessons, activities, read-a-louds, videos, printables, posters, and more
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Sep 14, 2020
Establishing Genuine Relationships As Our Foundation - Fredricka Hunter
Fredricka Hunter has worked as an Elementary School Counselor for the last 6 years in Racine, WI. She is a woman with a heart of servanthood that stems from her love of Christ. She is the wife of her high school sweetheart of nearly 20 years; a mother to four daughters: two of whom she birthed and two whom were given to her as added blessings. She’s a Nana to five beautiful little people who she loves more than life itself. Although, she’s an educator by profession; it’s not just a career choice for her- she believes it’s her PURPOSE! It is her belief that she was called to serve children and families; although every day is different, she embraces every challenge and is the loudest cheerleader for every victory! Those sentiments aren’t only applicable to her students but towards their entire village: parents/guardians, teachers, administrators, social workers; anyone who is fundamentally essential to her students being their best self “Teamwork works make the Dreamwork!”…
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Sep 10, 2020
The Intersection Of Race, Black Masculinity, Hip Hop Culture & Education - Matthew R. Morris
Matthew R. Morris is an educator, writer, and speaker born and raised in Toronto. His writing focuses on the intersection of race, black masculinity, hip-hop culture, and education. He currently teaches middle school in the TDSB. He also has an MA from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto. He has been featured in the Toronto Star, Huffington Post, ETFO's "The Voice" magazine, and Education Canada magazine. His blog, www.matthewrmorris.com, serves to inspire and provide insight on educational matters.
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Sep 7, 2020
Season 3 Kickoff - John Norlin & Houston Kraft
Welcome to SEASON 3! John & Houston reflect on what has been going on with CharacterStrong this past year, a few of the things that they are excited about, and they preview some of the things to look forward to in Season 3 of the podcast.
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Sep 3, 2020
Helping Students Learn SEL Thru Story - Matthew Moyer
Matthew Moyer is an elementary school principal with over 17 years of experience in administration, and over 23 years of experience in education. In addition to his job as principal, he is a Nationally Distinguished Principal, Pennsylvania Principal of the Year, Author, National Speaker, Adjunct Professor, and staff developer with Thom Stecher and Associates.
Matt started his career as a 5th-grade teacher in the Spring-Ford Area School District. He earned a Masters degree and Principal's certificate. He then spent 3 years as an assistant principal at Schuylkill Valley Elementary School in Leesport, Pennsylvania. From there he moved to his current position as principal of Rupert Elementary School in the Pottstown School District. He is in his 15th year as principal of Rupert, and absolutely loves it. He recently completed his course work for his letter of eligibility to be a superintendent. For the last ten years he has been the district's safety coordinator and certified CPI Nonviolen…
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Aug 31, 2020
The Importance Of Special Education - George Stewart
George is an educator, non-profit leader, and public policy advocate who is committed to the academic, social, emotional, and physical development of our youth and their families. He started his service career as a teacher's aide and worked his way up to becoming a certified teacher in the state of Texas and the state of Mississippi. As an urban educator, seeing parents not armed with basic education policy information, recognizing needed system changes in education, and his son’s autism diagnosis, led George to seek opportunities in youth/family advocacy and public policy. An example of his advocacy is his service as board president of the only family run organization, in the state of Mississippi, that supports families who are raising children with mental health and behavioral challenges. This organization serves families all over the state of Mississippi. George has also shown leadership in the public policy arena. He effectively advocated for a bill that was written and introduce…
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Aug 27, 2020
Student Engagement Ideas For The Virtual Classroom - Maddie Bogart
Maddie Bogart just finished her first year teaching third grade in Everett, Washington. Maddie has degrees in Elementary Education and Teaching English as a Second Language from Central Washington University. In 2017 she was selected as one of Good Housekeeping Magazine’s “Everyday Heroes”. She is currently working on her M.S. in Curriculum and Instruction and is an intern this summer at CharacterStrong.
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Aug 24, 2020
Social Emotional Learning Is Our Moral Compass - Dan Wolfe
Dan Wolfe is going into his 23rd year as an educator in Pasco County, Florida. He is currently the Assistant Principal at Cotee River Elementary. Over his career Dan has held multiple roles as a K-5 teacher, Math Instructional Coach, District Curriculum Specialist K-12 and administrator. He is currently on our District’s SEL committee which has written K-12 SEL standards for the county. Dan was selected as the 2011-2012 Teacher of the Year for Pasco County and currently writes a blog called Our Moral Compass and produces a podcast by the same name. Most recently Dan completed writing his first book called Our Moral Compass: Not All Who Wander Are Lost that he hopes to get published soon.
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Aug 20, 2020
Pedagogy As Protest: Reimaging The Center - Dr. Jessica Zeller
Jessica Zeller is an Associate Professor of Dance in the School for Classical & Contemporary Dance at Texas Christian University. She holds a Ph.D. in Dance Studies and an MFA in Dance from The Ohio State University, and she is the author of Shapes of American Ballet: Teachers and Training before Balanchine (Oxford University Press, 2016), which unearths the work of several European and Russian ballet pedagogues during the early twentieth century. Her current research brings ballet and dance studies into conversation with progressive, feminist pedagogies.
Zeller received the TCU Deans’ Teaching Award in 2018 and was part of the Scholar-in-Residence Program in the Department of Dance at Temple University last year. She currently serves as President-Elect of CORPS de Ballet, International, and sits on the review board of the Journal of Dance Education.
You can follow Jessica's blog at: https://www.jessicazeller.net
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Aug 17, 2020
A Special Announcement: Deep Kindness - Houston Kraft
CharacterStrong Co-Founders John Norlin & Houston Kraft make a special announcement about Houston's new book, Deep Kindness, and Houston shares a little of the heart behind it. Pre-order your copy here: https://deepkindness.com
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Aug 13, 2020
Empowering Students From The Inside Out - Jasmyn Wright
Jasmyn Wright is the founder of the Push Through Organization and a former elementary school teacher. She began her teaching career at a Title 1 school in Memphis, Tennessee, as a member of Teach for America. More recently, she taught at a charter school in Wilmington, Delaware, and was chosen to be a Teachers for Global Classrooms Fellow. Visit the Push Through Organization at WePushThrough.org.
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Aug 10, 2020
Keeping Our Core Values At The Center - Tanner Natzke
Tanner is a senior at the University of Iowa. Tanner is the Vice President of the nationally ranked Club Baseball Team on campus and is also the founder and co-owner of Iowa City Apparel, an apparel company based out of Iowa City. In 2019, Tanner interned for the World Series Champion Washington Nationals in Washington D.C and currently is working virtually for the 2020 New York Mets.
Tanner's life has always been about taking opportunities that present themselves and striving - to use those to further his career while staying humble and remembering the core values that he grew up practicing.
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Aug 6, 2020
Maintaining Passion & Hope - Diana Patton
Diana Patton is a motivational speaker, author, attorney, social justice and integrative health advocate, and creator of the RISE program - a unique approach to helping schools build positive culture through diversity training and insightful communication between educators and students.
Diana held a General Counsel/VP/COO position at a Toledo-based non-profit and has had several executive level positions at Fortune 500 companies. She is licensed to practice law in Ohio, has conducted corporate diversity training, and has taught various business courses at Owens Community College. Diana currently serves on the University of Toledo College of Health and Human Services Board, is the UT African American Initiatives Talented Aspiring Women Leaders community liaison, and previously served on the Toledo Public School District’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee.
Having grown up through many adverse childhood experiences, Diana intimately understands the importance of self-care…
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Aug 3, 2020
Focusing On The Social Emotional Well-Being Of The Whole Staff Team - Jamie Brown
Jamie Brown is currently the Vice Principal at Holmdel High School, NJ. A proud NJ educator since 2001, Jamie’s passion and dedication to both Character Education & Social-Emotional Learning helped develop the 1st District-Wide PEER Leadership Program in NJ Public Schools. Embracing a “Compassion over Curriculum” growth mindset, Jamie’s approach to Whole Child Development & Future Readiness focuses on Positive School Culture Revitalization. His K-12 SEL Program, ACCEPT U, has earned a National “Promising Practice” by Character.org & has been recognized by Future Ready Schools and the Alliance for Excellent Education. Jamie’s Professional Learning & Development trainings, Keynotes and assemblies on Civic Education, Social Inclusion and Social & Emotional Well-Being, have assisted many school districts, staffs, students & communities in developing community partnerships driven by student voices. You can follow Jamie on all Social Platforms, as he looks forward to making new…
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Jul 30, 2020
Using Social Media For Good In Our Schools - Clementine Chamberlain & Leigh Cambra
Clementine Chamberlain is a graduate from Carmel High School in Carmel, CA and in her first year of college. She is a past president of Carmel High School’s This Club Saves Lives and the creator of Tampon Tuesday. Clementine was a 2019 #ICANHELP Digital4Good award winner for her creation of Tampon Tuesday // While Tampon Tuesday collected thousands of menstrual products for people in need, it brought education and awareness of Period Poverty to Carmel High School while normalize talking about periods.
Leigh Cambra is a teacher at Carmel High School in Carmel, CA. She has been an Activities Director, ASB advisor, Home Economics teacher, and now a Health teacher. With her students she created a service club, This Club Saves Lives, and grew it into a non-profit. The club acts on the passions of the students in the club while working closely with WE Schools and Thirst Project. Among other things, the club has collected toiletries, tampons, makes Valentines for the entire school, and spe…
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Jul 27, 2020
Why We Need More Than Metrics - Jeff Berger-White
Jeff Berger-White teaches English at Deerfield High School, where he has been teaching his entire career. This is the end of his twenty-eighth year. Over that time period, he has taught all grades and all levels. He currently teaches Sophomore English, A.P. Literature and Composition, and Sophomore English Survey, a course for struggling readers. In 2007, Jeff was selected as one of Golden Apple’s Teachers of Distinction, and last spring, Jeff won the Distinguished Secondary Teaching Award (DSTA) from Northwestern University.
Since 1996, Jeff has been a faculty associate at Bard College’s Institute for Writing and Thinking, where he leads workshops for teachers. He holds a B.A. and an M.A.T., both from Boston University.
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Jul 23, 2020
Expressing Feelings Through Creativity - Kelly Griffin
Meet Kelly Griffin! Most of her 500 students call her Miss G!! Miss G rocks the schoolhouse by teaching social-emotional and character development skills at an elementary school in San Diego. She has a master’s degree in elementary education from Rockhurst University (back home in the Midwest) and a certification in Social-Emotional and Character Development from Rutger’s University online program. She is the co-creator of a program that provides universal SEL instruction to all students.
Miss G is passionate about emotional literacy! In today’s world, she believes it is more important than ever. Much of what she does is give a voice to the emotional lives of her students. She builds community and helps create a space where students feel emotionally safe, connected and cared for. This is where the magic happens. Walls come down, hearts open up and students can express their feelings and connect as human beings. These are moments of growth, moments of change that create ripples i…
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Jul 20, 2020
Behavior Is Communication: Can You Hear Me Now? - Dr. Lori Lynass
Dr. Lynass is the owner and Executive Director of Sound Supports whose mission is to support every student and very school through the use of a Multi-tiered framework. Dr. Lynass has over 22 years of experience in the field of education and has worked directly with over 100 schools, 1,000 districts and 4 state departments of education on their implementation of academic and behavioral systems. Previously Dr. Lynass has been the Executive Director of Northwest PBIS and a research scientist at the University of Washington. Dr. Lynass has also overseen and coordinated grants related to academic and behavioral Multi-tiered Systems of Supports in schools and actively disseminates through presentations and publications. Dr. Lynass has also taught courses as an adjunct professor for the University of Washington, Seattle University and Seattle Pacific University.
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Jul 16, 2020
Focusing On Soft Skills In The Classroom - Rachael Kettner
Rachael Kettner is a Nationally Board Certified Teacher and has been teaching middle school Science for the majority of her 19 years in public schools in Arizona, Idaho and Washington State. She currently teaches 7th and 8th grade Science at Selkirk Middle School just outside of Spokane, WA.
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Jul 13, 2020
Dismantling Toxic Cultures In Our Schools - Joe Truss
Joe Truss is committed to dismantling white supremacy culture in schools. He brings 15 years of experience, and originally grew up in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood. A first generation college student, he graduated from UC Berkeley, before attending Tufts University where he got his teaching credential. He began as a high school Spanish teacher in East Oakland. After attending UC Berkeley's PLI program, he started school leadership work and now has been the Principal of Visitacion Valley Middle School in SFUSD, for 5 years. There, he has worked to grow Project Based Learning, restorative practices, and reading intervention. In 2018, he started his blog CulturallyResponsiveLeadership.com, where he writes about school leadership and racial equity work.
He also offers workshops and leadership coaching, learn more at https://culturallyresponsiveleadership.com
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Jul 9, 2020
Practical Ways To Help Implement SEL - Dr. Jacob LeBlanc
Jacob D. LeBlanc, Ed. D. is the principal at Katy Junior High in Katy, Texas. He has been an educator for 29 years in the great state of Texas! His wife is an elementary school counselor. They have 3 adult children; an LSU Tiger son, a Notre Dame Fighting Irish son and a daughter with one more year as a UT Longhorn! Jacob has dedicated his life to serving others and created and Co-Moderates the LeadUpKaty podcast.
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Jul 6, 2020
Empathy & Love: Building Authentic Relationships From The Ground Up - Luis Perales
Luis Alberto Perales, M.S., is a native son of the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas. He is the son of an immigrant mother and an 5th generation Tejano father. A transplant to Tucson, AZ and the Sonoran Desert, Luis has spent over two decades in the Old Pueblo. He is the official Spokesman for the K20 Changemaker Campus, CEO for the Institute for Transformative Education, and lead consultant for ZenCons Transformational Consulting. For the past twenty years he has directed his energies to the support, development, and transformation of people, places and institutions. His expertise has led him to train and lead individuals, groups, and organizations wanting to develop their innovative mindset, increase their reach, and maximize their impact. Luis lives with his wife, 16-year-old son, and two 12-year-old twin sons in Tucson.
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Jul 2, 2020
Transforming School Culture Toward Innovation & Student-Led Entrepreneurship - Don Wettrick
Don Wettrick is the founder and president of StartEdUp, an organization dedicated to help transform the school culture toward innovation and enable student-led entrepreneurship. He is also the author of "Pure Genius: Building a Culture of Innovation." Wettrick has worked as a middle school and high school teacher; educational and innovation consultant; CEO, and podcast host. Don has lectured across the US, Europe, South America and Africa about collaboration, social media use, and work environments that enable innovation. Through his travel, he has worked with hundreds of entrepreneurs from Silicon Valley to Ghana, and seeks to bring that entrepreneurial mindset into our classrooms. His podcast, StartEdUp, has featured some of the most successful entrepreneurs, authors, and thought leaders in the world- focusing on educational change. Most importantly Don works with educators, students, and entrepreneurs to bring innovation and collaborative skills into education.
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Jun 25, 2020
Modeling Vulnerability And Risk Taking In The Classroom - Morgan Castillo
In her 16 years in education, Morgan Castillo shares her hunger for lifelong learning among students of all ages and backgrounds with experience in primary and secondary levels. She also empowers educators to share their passions as in various leadership roles and as session presenter at regional conferences. Morgan continues her drive for inspiring others in Midway ISD where she teaches fifth grade science at Woodgate Intermediate in Waco, Texas. Morgan is the 2020 Texas Region 12 Secondary Teacher of the Year and 2020 recipient of the prestigious H-E-B Excellence in Education in Teacher Leadership Award.
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Jun 22, 2020
The Law Of The Lid - Houston Kraft & John Norlin
CharacterStrong Co-Founders Houston Kraft & John Norlin get together and talk about the concept of the Law of the Lid, they remind us that as leaders we set the tone, and share that this takes vulnerability & practice.
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Jun 18, 2020
Temperature Checks: Taking Time To Support & Care For Staff - Bill Weinsheimer & Russ Peters
Bill studied biology and philosophy at The University of Notre Dame and earned his Masters in Teaching at The Evergreen State College. He worked in adolescent group homes for several years before becoming a high school science teacher in Tumwater, Washington. In 2005, Bill transitioned to administration, first as an Associate Principal at Oak Harbor High School and then as Principal at North Whidbey Middle School on Whidbey Island, Washington. Mr. Weinsheimer embraces the philosophy of servant leadership, and believes that his job is to take care of teachers so that they can take care of their students. An ideal vacation for Bill is to escape with his family on their sailboat and explore the islands of the Salish Sea. Studied biology and philosophy at University of Notre Dame Earned a Masters in Teaching from The Evergreen State College Studied school leadership and earned principal's certificate from Seattle Pacific University Taught high school sciences and a philosophy elective in T…
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Jun 15, 2020
Being The Best Version Of Yourself So That You Can Give Kids Your All - Andrea Haisch
Andrea is a Seattle-area kindergarten teacher who keeps relationships and balance at the center of her practice. She believes, in order to show up and be the best teacher possible, you must intentionally work on the best version of yourself. Mindful check-ins with colleagues, intentional relationships with students, and a healthy life away from the classroom are all things that Andrea prioritizes as an educator.
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Jun 11, 2020
Kindness Cultivators: Making the World a Better Place to Lead, Love, and Learn - Tamara Letter
Tamara Letter is a passionate educator with more than two decades of experience as an elementary teacher, differentiation specialist, technology integrator, and instructional coach. She received the 2018 R.E.B. Award for Teaching Excellence and is the author of A Passion for Kindness: Making the World a Better Place to Lead, Love, and Learn. You can connect with Tamara on her website at www.tamaraletter.com or on Twitter or Instagram (@tamaraletter)
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Jun 8, 2020
Social Emotional Learning Is Needed Everywhere - Richa Shivangi Gupta
As Co-Founder of Labhya Foundation, an India-based nonprofit, Richa's journey has revolved around the question, “What does it take to preserve empathy among children?” Richa has worked as an educator, volunteer, mentor & activist with children from at-risk, refugee & migrant communities across India. She has been a Teach For India fellow & a Teach For All Global Girls’ Education fellow. At 21 years old, Richa founded Labhya with a vision to enable all children to become conscious decision makers. Labhya Foundation enables children from low socio-economic backgrounds with Social & Emotional skills. Today, her program impacts over 2 million children and 110,000 teachers in about 21,000 government schools of India, on a daily basis. Recently, she represented India at the 2019 G(irls)20 Summit Japan, where she helped draft a communiqué to be deliberated on by G20 leaders this year.
Follow Richa's work on Twitter: @HappinessDelhi @SEL4India
Article - https://www.thehindu.com/soc…
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Jun 4, 2020
Focusing On The Whole Educator Through Self-Care - Diana Patton
Diana Patton is a motivational speaker, author, attorney, social justice and integrative health advocate, and creator of the RISE program - a unique approach to helping schools build positive culture through diversity training and insightful communication between educators and students.
Diana held a General Counsel/VP/COO position at a Toledo-based non-profit and has had several executive level positions at Fortune 500 companies. She is licensed to practice law in Ohio, has conducted corporate diversity training, and has taught various business courses at Owens Community College. Diana currently serves on the University of Toledo College of Health and Human Services Board, is the UT African American Initiatives Talented Aspiring Women Leaders community liaison, and previously served on the Toledo Public School District’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee.
Having grown up through many adverse childhood experiences, Diana intimately understands the importance of self-care…
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Jun 1, 2020
Working As A Team When Advocating For Children - Leigh Kokenes
Leigh Kokenes is a Nationally Certified School Psychologist in Raleigh, North Carolina and works at an elementary and middle school in an urban school district. Her early career included work on a birth to age 3 early intervention team and later working with adults who are developmentally disabled. She then found her way to the field of School Psychology. Ms. Kokenes serves on her professional association’s board (North Carolina School Psychology Association) to support advocacy for increased mental health services in schools, recruitment, and retention. In 2019 Ms. Kokenes was awarded the National School Psychologist of the Year award by NASP. She is a member of the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) and is currently a state liaison for the Government Professional Relations committee. Her goal is to provide comprehensive school psychological services within teams through social emotional learning, consultation to teachers and parents, assessment/evaluations, interve…
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May 28, 2020
How Do We Reach, Empower And Equip Students In The Juvenile Correctional System? - Amy Heimerl
Amy Heimerl is a wife, mom, grandma, educator, gardener, aspiring artist & author, prayer warrior, worship leader and most importantly, daughter of God. Amy has been an educator for 26 years. Twenty-three of those years have been focused on working with students who have emotional and behavioral struggles and students who learn differently. From 1997-2004 she was a special education teacher at a juvenile correctional facility in Northern Wisconsin. From the moment she began teaching there, Amy knew it was part of her calling. After seven years, Amy made the very difficult decision to leave the youth prison so she could spend summers taking care of her own children. Amy was blessed with the opportunity to teach at her local high school as a special education teacher and employment coach. Amy was also blessed to get involved with Link Crew and as a coach for The Boomerang Project. After thirteen years in public education and her own children graduated, Amy felt the call to return to the…
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May 25, 2020
Leveraging Technology As We Continue To Encourage & Council Students - Sandi Pinner
Sandi Pinner is a wife, mother of 4 boys, Nani of 2 and has been married to her husband for the past 26 years. Sandi has been in education since 1999 and currently is the Pre-K-12th Grade School Counselor in Chireno ISD a small 1A district in deep East Texas.
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May 21, 2020
The Principal's Lunch Summit: Building Relationships With Students - Jordan Osborn
Jordan Osborn is in his 10th year of working in education. He started off as a social studies teacher in several different schools in Oregon where he also coached football and basketball. During his 10 years he has spent 7 years as an Athletic Director and 5 years as a vice principal most recently at Chiloquin Jr/Sr High School in Southern Oregon. Jordan is in his first year as Principal at Bonanza High School in South Central Oregon.
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May 18, 2020
The Power Of Good Vibes In A Building - Brian Slater
Brian Slater is an Assistant Principal at Fred Lynn Middle School. Brian believes in finding the good throughout the school! Finding the good, celebrating it, and sharing it with others sends a message of positivity and good vibes throughout the building and school community. He values each day, each moment and understands the importance of spreading love and kindness! School is and should be a place of fun and laughter, where we should never take ourselves too seriously. Enjoy the moments, do something nice for someone, and always bring the daily good vibes.
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May 14, 2020
Six Questions That Cultivate Deeper Relationships All Year Long - Jen Molitor
As an educator for 19 years, Jen has enjoyed teaching in the classroom, as a gifted intervention specialist, and more recently as an instructional coach. Her recent Amazon #1 New Release, The Happy Teacher’s Handbook, shares strategies for inspiring teachers to find a reason to stay and make their impact on the world, one class at a time. Jen's superpower is getting teachers to smile again. She brings a refreshing perspective that lifts you up when you want to walk out, reminding you of the real reason you became a teacher. She has this amazing ability to shift perspective from the overwhelm of state mandates to the fire within you that keeps you going. Her newest project, The Inspired Teachers Podcast, shares real coaching conversations with dedicated teachers looking to upgrade their craft. Listeners can access chapter 1 of Jen's book for free @ happyteachershandbook.com and can find her on Twitter @TeacherRenegade and on Instagram @renegadeteacher
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May 11, 2020
What Keeps Me Up At Night? Supporting Children Of All Different Backgrounds
We talk with Bethany about the lack of belonging in our schools, ways that we can focus on this work, and she shares about the importance of growing a culture of empathy.
Bethany has been an educator for 21 years and considers herself a teacher who has filled many roles. Her experience includes teaching grades one, two, and three, instructional coaching, literacy trainer for her district, assistant principal, and principal. She is currently the assistant principal at Magness Creek Elementary in Cabot, Arkansas. She is the founder of #JoyfuLeaders, a hashtag that promotes positivity and encouragement among educators, and one of the originators of #EduAR, a Twitter chat focusing on trending topics in education. Her passions include: school culture, adult learning, growing leaders, scientifically based reading instruction, trauma informed practices, and social emotionallearning. You can connect with Bethany on Twitter: @bethhilll2829, Instagram: @bethanyhill1,her website at bethanyshill.…
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May 7, 2020
The Principal's Cabinet: Helping Drive Positive School Change - Wes Kanawyer
Wes Kanawyer is the Principal of Woodgate Intermediate School in Waco, TX. He has a passion for serving, developing and empowering educators to pursue their own growth as they seek to enrich and enhance the lives of their students. He believes that relationships with students, families and staff are the foundational component to every area of success. He has spent his career in service to students and staff at a Title 1 District, where he taught history and coordinated an After School Program targeting at-risk youth. He then transitioned into full-time administration at a high-performing CA Charter School before relocating with his wonderful wife and three children to Central Texas, where he works with amazing educators at Midway ISD.
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May 4, 2020
Hope, Gratitude, & Optimism: Learned Behaviors That Take Work - Dr. Jenny Severson
Jenny's from Madison, WI -- she played college hoops at Lake Forest and earned her doctorate at Loyola University in Chicago. Dr. Jenny Severson taught and led as a principal in Gurnee School District 56 before becoming an educational consultant. She works with schools, corporations and is trained in Brené Brown's Dare To Lead content and leadership work. Learn more about Jenny at JennySeverson.com
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Apr 30, 2020
The Question That's Not Getting Asked: What Have You Done For Others Today? - Tyson Sturza
Tyson Sturza resides in West Pasco with his wife JJ and their two year old son Will. His is currently the building principal at Mabton Jr/Sr High School. Before coming to Mabton Tyson was a math and leadership (CharacterStrong Curriculum) teacher at Connell High School.
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Apr 27, 2020
Frequently Asked Questions Around Well-Being - Dr. Clayton Cook
Dr. Clay Cook holds the John and Nancy Peyton Endowed Chair in Child and Adolescent Wellbeing at the University of Minnesota and is a Professor of Educational Psychology in the College of Education and Human Development. He has extensive research and practical experiences involving the implementation of multi-tiered systems of support to promote children’s social, emotional, and behavioral wellbeing as the foundation for academic and life success.
He co-founded the School Mental Health Assessment, Research and Training (SMART) Center at the University of Washington and is a core faculty member who helps direct the Institute of Translational Research in Children’s Mental Health at the University of Minnesota. He has received over 12 million dollars in external grant funding from multiple agencies and foundations to conduct research on educational program and practices that promote student social, emotional, and behavioral competencies. In addition to his research, he consults with…
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Apr 23, 2020
The Power Of Affirmations - Ranesia Davenport Edwards
Ranesia Davenport Edwards has a track record of successful teaching experiences teaching struggling readers and is motivated to provide EVERY child with an exceptional education as a campus school administrator. Ranesia taught for 7 years, served as an Instructional Coach, and is currently in her 10th year in Administration in Katy ISD as an Assistant Principal. Ranesia’s Top 5 Strengths are Achiever, Discipline, Focus, Learner, and Analytical. Daily, those strengths are working together to provide students with rich learning experiences both academically and emotionally while serving at McMeans Junior High. Ranesia is INTENTIONAL with every Interaction, because kids deserve our personal best.
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Apr 20, 2020
Taking Time At The End Of A Project To Reflect - Erin McCarthy
Erin McCarthy is the 2020 Wisconsin Teacher of the Year. She teaches 8th grade social studies at Greendale Middle School in Greendale, Wisconsin. In her eight years teaching she has collaborated to create a welcoming environment where students turn up the volume on the untold stories of history. She believes all students can be curious, self-directed activists and influencers and that we need to amplify the stories of educators who are grassroots change agents. After receiving her MA in Public History from Loyola University, Chicago, Erin managed museum education programs at several Chicago area museums. After moving to Milwaukee in 2009 she attained her teaching license from Alverno College and has been teaching since 2011.
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Apr 16, 2020
Ep70 - Celebrating 30 Days Of The Kindness Journal! - Houston Kraft
Houston Kraft is a professional speaker, leadership consultant, and kindness advocate who speaks to middle schools, high schools, colleges, and businesses nationally. He has spoken at over 500 events and counting. Student Body President in High School, Class President at Bowdoin College, Leadership Camp Staff for 12 years in Washington - he is a lifelong learner of character, culture, kindness, and leadership.
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Apr 13, 2020
The Whole Child Virtual Summit - Lindsay Norlin
Lindsay was a High School Social Studies Teacher for over 10 years. She passionately believes that building relationships with students is not only important to creating a strong classroom culture, but vital to student learning. She enjoys the behind the scenes work at CharacterStrong and focuses most of her time on the operations of the organization.
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Apr 9, 2020
Using Technology To Build Community & Teach Content - John Rodney
John Rodney graduated in 2004 from the University of Maine at Farmington with Bachelor of Science degrees in both English and Secondary Education. He began his career teaching at John Burroughs High School where he aided in the implementation of the College Preparatory English classes, working closely with Glendale Community College to ensure students were college ready in the area of English. For the past 9 years, John has been teaching at John Muir Middle School in Burbank, California as a 7th grade English teacher. For the past 4 years, he has also been the ASB/student leadership advisor. His philosophy for the classroom is one of inclusivity. While teaching the skills of reading, writing, punctuation and grammar, he strives to build empathy though the work the students do with their classmates and their interactions through the stories they read and the writing they produce.
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Apr 6, 2020
We Need To Continue To Spread Hope, And Connect With Each Other - Naudia Bosch
Naudia Bosch is the Activities Coordinator, ASB Advisor, and Leadership teacher at North Creek High School (NCHS). She started out as a Special Education teacher in 2005 and in 2012 she had the opportunity to step into student leadership as a co-Activities Coordinator and ASB Advisor at Inglemoor High School. Once she dipped her toes into student leadership, there was no going back. She taught both ASB and Special Education up until this school year. In just their third year of being opened, NCHS has doubled their ASB student enrollment, and now Naudia teaches full-time ASB and Leadership classes. With her background in special education and also being an Air Force veteran, Naudia instills equity, inclusion, service, and sacrifice in every aspect of her teaching. She works diligently with her students to create an ASB program that has servant-leadership at the core, and strives to show all students, staff, and community members that step onto campus that they are valued, cared for and…
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Apr 2, 2020
Character Kits: Supporting Families With Resources At Home - Brandee Collins
Brandee Collins is a fourth-grade teacher at Lloyd R. Ferguson Elementary in League City, Texas. She is a wife, a mother, a 25-year veteran teacher, and enjoys reading and staying active.
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Mar 30, 2020
How Adults At Home Can Create Stability With Kids Being At Home - Kevin Ozar
Kevin Ozar was born and raised in the city of Detroit, a place he deeply loves. He graduated with degrees in History, English and Education from the University of Dayton and has a Masters in Teaching and Learning from Marygrove College. He has been in education for the last 23 years, has taught every grade from 6-12 in content ranging from Drama, AP literature, US History and pretty much everything in between. He currently teaches 8th grade at Farmington STEAM Academy and is a trainer for the Boomerang Project, traveling around the hemisphere helping teachers and students improve the culture of their schools and foster youth leadership. He has spoken in front of more than 15,000 people, collects Air Jordans, and plays basketball despite being both old and slow. Sometimes he has a beard, sometimes he doesn’t. He lives in Grosse Pointe, Michigan with his two daughters, his very patient wife, three cats and two fish.
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Mar 27, 2020
Celebrating #SELday! - CharacterStrong Co-Founders Houston & John
John and Houston celebrate national #SELday! They talk about what SEL is, how CharacterStrong's work is advancing SEL in schools & communities, and Houston shares a story of a district that has creatively implemented the CharacterStrong Curriculum and the impact that it has had.
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Mar 26, 2020
How Educators Can Help Students Respond To The Corona Virus - Josh Ruddick
Josh Ruddick is a high school science teacher at Changemaker High School in Tucson Arizona. He is a former board member of the Arizona Association of Environmental Educators and a co-founder, instructor and member of the executive committee for the Arizona Master Naturalist Association. His classes focus on environmental and social justice issues and building community resilience in the face of a changing climate. He lives in Tucson AZ with his wife Emily and his children Isadora and Cassius.
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Mar 23, 2020
Providing Inspiration & Hope In A Changing World - CharacterStrong Co-Founders John & Houston
CharacterStrong Co-Founders John and Houston talk about the changes in our world these last few weeks and they share about some resources & practical tools that can provide hope & inspiration: Virtual Assemblies, the CharacterStrong Virtual Tool Kit, the Whole Child Virtual Summit, and the Kindness Journal.
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Mar 19, 2020
Building A Social Emotional Learning Reflective Classroom Environment - Lindsey Stevens
Lindsey graduated from Stephen F. Austin State University in 2013 with a degree in history and secondary education. She has a master's degree in educational leadership and has been working in education for 8 years. She has taught 8th-grade U.S. History for the past 5 years at Mayde Creek Junior High. In 2015, Lindsey was awarded Campus Teacher of the Year. Just recently, she became a Social Studies Instructional Coach for Mayde Creek Junior High and Cardiff Junior High in Katy ISD. She is a proud wife and mother.
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Mar 16, 2020
The Woman Of Color Project (ProjectWOC) Inspiring & Empowering The Next Generation - Christine Mazzi
Christine Mazzi is a 16 year old Ugandan-American living in the Bay Area. She is the CEO and founder of The Woman of Color Project (ProjectWOC), an instagram based community organization that strives to inspire and empower young women and girls of color. When she is not Leading Project: WOC she loves to read YA novels, have light-hearted debates, spend time with her family, and rewatch Friends (or any Jubilee youtube video under the sun). Christina was recently named the 2020 MLK Student Humanitarian of the Year in her County and a #icanhelp 2019 Digital For Good Award Recipient. You can find out more at: https://instagram.com/projectwoc
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Mar 12, 2020
Relationships Are The Foundation Of Everything That We Do - Dawn MacFarland
Dawn MacFarland has 20 years of service to military-connected students and families through DoDEA (Department of Defense Education Activity). She began her teaching career in Tucson, Arizona, and has since taught in London, England, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, as well as Hanau and Stuttgart, Germany. Ms. MacFarland teaches language arts and humanities, and her lifelong commitment is dedicated to educating the whole child—mind and heart. Ms. MacFarland’s career is cultivated by a mindset that looks beyond typical markers of student success and dives deeper into areas of long-term student development and growth. Her entire concept of teaching revolves around the idea that in education, as in life, leaders need to build relationships, and create climates of security, in order to get the best out of the communities they serve. Ms. MacFarland was a finalist for DoDEA 2020 State Teacher of the Year, and she is the 2020 Europe East Teacher of the Year.
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Mar 9, 2020
Making Character Development Intentional Thru Mentorship - Coach Aaron Hancock
Aaron Hancock has been the Head Coach at Wyoming High School in Cincinnati, Ohio for the last eight seasons. He attended and played D3 football at The College of Mount Saint Joseph in Cincinnati. He has been a Physical Education Teacher at Wyoming High School for the last 19 years. The last four seasons his teams have gone 52-3 and has a career record of 85-14. In eight seasons as a HC, his program has won 6 League Titles, 2 Regional Runner up, 2 Regional Titles and 1 State Title. Prior to becoming the fourth Head Coach in last 64 years at Wyoming High School, he was an assistant coach at Wyoming for eleven seasons. Aaron and his wife, reside in Wyoming with their three boys.
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Mar 5, 2020
Administrators Need To Be Treasure Hunters That Are Looking For The Good In Our Schools - Micah Mortensen
Micah Mortensen has been in education for 17 years. He started as middle school history teacher, quickly moved into the assistant principal and then principal position in Vail School District in Tucson Arizona. Micah made it a goal to know every single student's name on campus and could be found outside interacting with the students more than behind the closed door of his office. He has been the Superintendent for Benson School District in Arizona for the past 6 years. Micah was Arizona's 40 Under 40 Man of the Year in 2012. Micah's passion is to create a workplace where adults want to be with the ultimate goal of creating excellent academic and social/emotional experiences for our students.
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Mar 2, 2020
We Can't Wait On Our Kids - John Norlin
John Norlin is a Co-Founder of CharacterStrong, a Servant Leadership trainer, and motivational speaker. He was Advisor of the Year, taught 5 leadership classes per semester for 10 years at Sumner High, and was an Administrator for the Whole Child.
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Feb 27, 2020
Every Young Person Has A Genius - Antonio McLemore
Antonio McLemore is a highly accomplished MBA graduate in Executive Leadership, who drives growth-oriented, Tacoma-based programs initiatives with a focus on community engagement, sustainable strategies, team building, and local/regional network development.
He's a hands-on self-starter who exhibits personal, professional, and academic experience as a dedicated trailblazer, public speaker, and dedicated advocate toward creating positive change in the community. Antonio McLemore is the Male Involvement Program Manager, and he believes mentorship is the vehicle we use to introduce young men to an idea that’s greater than their realities or circumstances. Mentorship is also a vehicle MIP uses to prepare young Kings for the world in front of them. Antonio leads a team of four mentors that serve over a 100 students weekly, throughout four campuses, and using outcome driven curriculum to empower, equip, and encourage young men to be agents of change in their homes, communities, and campu…
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Feb 24, 2020
Supporting Our Students Through The Arts - Ryan Carle-Ogren
Ryan Carle-Ogren graduated from Northern Arizona University in 2011 with a Bachelor of Music Education (Music Secondary Education- Instrumental) and a Bachelor of Music (Performance-Instrumental Music). Throughout his education, Carle-Ogren has worked to develop an educational philosophy that ensures a positive, challenging, constructive, and inclusive learning environment while cultivating an appreciation for music and skills necessary to succeed in all aspects of life for all students involved. This philosophy was enacted at Walden Grove High School- a brand new school in Sahuarita, AZ in August of 2011. Beginning the year as the sole music teacher, Carle-Ogren began to develop an award winning music program. Over the course of the next five years, the band and orchestra programs grew from fewer than 25 students to over 100, receiving superior ratings at numerous competitions and festivals across the State of Arizona. The growth of the program has enabled Carle-Ogren to challenge stu…
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Feb 20, 2020
Student Leadership Programs Positively Impact The Climate & Culture Of Our Schools - Lisa Schroeder
Lisa Schroeder has taught for 17 years, cross circularly, and has received various honors, and educational awards for her teaching, leadership, community service and program development. Lisa is the recipient of The Student Leadership Advisor of the year for the state of Arizona in 2015, The National Young Leaders Congressional Youth Leadership Council Selection, and Who's Who Among National Educators. She has been a keynote speaker for educational leadership workshops at district, state and national leadership conference events. She has been a mentor teacher for the past 10 years. Lisa is passionate about investing in building our future through making impactful student and community connections.
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Feb 17, 2020
Relationships Are The Currency Of Success - Dr. Dakeyan Cha’ Dre’ Graham
Dr. Dakeyan Cha’ Dre’ Graham, the 2019 Hillsborough County Teacher of the Year, was selected in July 2019 as the 2020 Florida Teacher of the Year, representing 74 school districts and more than 195,000 teachers. This year, Dr. Graham is on sabbatical from teaching and serves as the Christa McAuliffe Ambassador for Education. In this role, he tours the state delivering motivational speeches and workshops focused on empowering teachers to create the most impactful learning experience possible for their students. A product of Hillsborough County Public Schools, Dr. Dakeyan Cha’ Dre’ Graham recently served as the Director of Instrumental Studies at his alma mater, C. Leon King High School in Tampa. He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Music Education (University of Florida), a Master’s in Educational Leadership (Concordia University), and a Ph.D. in Music Education (University of South Florida). During his 10 years in HCPS, his students consistently demonstrated determ…
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Feb 13, 2020
Using Activity To Bring Character Development To Life - Brett McDaniel
An acclaimed, experienced and versatile sports consultant, Brett McDaniel is a regular face on the sports performance scene and has consulted a variety of sports programs all over the northwest. A former all-state and collegiate athlete, has worked with college teams all around the region as well as numerous high school programs scattered around the state. In addition to his work with teams, he also has serves as a yearly presenter for the WIAA, WACA, FCA and numerous local coaching clinics. After graduating from Western University, he started his career in coaching having accepted an opportunity to assist a small high school basketball program (Blaine HS) that featured future NBA star, Luke Ridnour. It was this experience as a coach that influenced a desire to use sport to influence character and mental development in athletes. His work as a coach for over 22 years now has led Brett to a variety of coaching positions and opportunities with both boys and girls that have shaped his visi…
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Feb 10, 2020
Celebrating 100 Podcast Episodes w/ CharacterStrong Co-Founders John & Houston!
CharacterStrong Co-Founders John Norlin & Houston Kraft celebrate 100 episodes of the CharacterStrong Podcast. We take some time to answer questions from YOU! Topics: the #1 tip in year one of CharacterStrong for implementation, the role of extrinsic rewards in the CharacterStrong programs, the time it takes for impact, how we can stay kind and loving daily, and how empathy connects to kindness.
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Feb 6, 2020
Creating Healthy Safe Spaces For Students During The School Day - Judith Elise Pratt
Judith Elise Pratt lives on the East side of the Big Island of Hawaii in a small town called Kea'au. She has been an educator for the last nine years and teaches English at Kea'au High School. Her focus in on the 9th grade, but also teaches both AP English Language and AP English Literature. Her primary focus is building positive relationships with students to ensure they can become successful both in and out of the classroom. When she is not teaching she focuses on running and raising her children.
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Feb 3, 2020
The Importance Of Belonging - Jeff Gerber
Jeff Gerber is a Leadership teacher and Student Council Advisor at Waterloo-Oxford District Secondary School, 5 minutes from his home in New Hamburg, Ontario, Canada. At Waterloo-Oxford he leads one of the largest and most impactful student leadership programs in the province of Ontario. He is passionate about servant leadership and character development and travels across North America speaking about Leadership, Love and Belonging. He was recognized as Advisor of the Year for the province of Ontario in 2013 and as a National Leader of Distinction by the Canadian Student Leadership Association in 2017. You can check out his TEDx talk on Belonging on Youtube and connect with him on social media @jeffgpresents
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Jan 30, 2020
How Schools Can Utilize School Nurses To Address Social-Emotional & Healthcare Trends In The Classroom - Tessa Mcilraith
Tessa Mcilraith is the District Nurse for Burlington-Edison school district. She has been a nurse for 12 years, is going into her 6th year as a school nurse. Tessa serves as the Legislative Chair for the School Nurse Organization of Washington working on legislative advocacy, and is on the board for NW career and technical academy's nursing assistant program supporting the instructor. She also serves on the Burlington Healthy Community Coalition and Sedro-woolley R.I.S.E supporting healthy communities for youth. In edition Tessa has served in youth ministry for 11 years.
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Jan 27, 2020
PurposeFull Parents: Schools And Families Working Together To Support The Whole Child - Cory Gould
Corey has spent the last 37 years of his life in schools...19 of those as an educator! He started his career at a private Christian school in Renton teaching in multi-aged classrooms comprised of 19 different ethnic groups. For the last 13 years, he has served in his home community district, SBLSD, as a classroom teacher, Behavior/Family Support Specialist, Student Success Dean, and Assistant Principal at the elementary level. His passion is in coaching both the hearts and minds of the students he serves.
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Jan 23, 2020
Failure As A Pathway For Learning - Ryan Healy
Ryan Healy who has taught for 13 years at Ridgeline Middle School in Yelm, WA. Ryan is the 2019 Capital Region ESD 113 Teacher of the Year and was a finalist for the 2019 Washington State Teacher of the Year. He was also honored with the Association of Washington Student Leaders Middle-Level Adviser of the Year Award in 2014. At his school, he helped develop a transformative student leadership program focused on social and emotional learning and character development. He teaches five SEL & Character Development classes each day and much of his current work is centered around getting access to those skills for as many students as possible. He serves other organizations and many of his former students and colleagues long after they leave his school. He is fond of saying relationships matter and even more fond of trying to provide others with the tools to build great relationships in their own lives.
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Jan 20, 2020
Soft Skills Are The New Hard Skills - Jon Harper
Jon Harper is the host of My Bad and the co-host of Teachers’ Aid. He has had the chance to interview and learn from over 150 of the top minds in education and psychology. For over 20 years Jon has worked in education. He spent 10 years in the classroom teaching 1st, 2nd, 4th and 5th grade, during which time he earned National Board Certification. Jon was also a math coach for 3 years. For the past ten years he has been an assistant principal. He is currently the assistant principal at New Directions Learning Academy, an alternative school for students in grades 3-12. Jon has spent the past 23 years laughing, crying and celebrating with teachers. He knows what they go through each day and he is on a mission to help make their days better.
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Jan 16, 2020
The Power Of Language & The Virtues Project - Dara Feldman
Dara Feldman is the Chief Enthusiast Officer (CEO) of Virtues Matter. She is a passionate educator, speaker, coach, consultant and the author of The Heart of Education: Bringing Joy, Meaning and Purpose Back to Teaching and Learning. Dara has been an educator for 35 years and was honored as Disney’s 2005 Outstanding Elementary Teacher of the Year and Maryland’s 2015 Mother of the Year.
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Jan 13, 2020
Mindfulness: The Ability To Be 100 Percent Present - Trish Brown
Trish Brown is the Counseling Department Chairperson & 9th Grade Counselor at Mercy High School, as well as a Therapist for Better Help in Farmington Hills, Michigan. She is a wife, a mother, an Executive Officer for the PTA at her daughter's elementary school, and a lover of yoga.
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Jan 9, 2020
Authentic Relationships And Intentional Connection - Jake Kelfer
Jake Kelfer is a lifestyle entrepreneur and life elevator. He is the bestselling author of Elevate Beyond and Elevate Your Network, a high-energy motivational speaker on a mission to inspire millions of people to achieve personal success and happiness. He is the founder of the Professional Basketball Combine which helps NBA draft prospects turn their dreams of playing pro basketball into their reality. He and his work have been featured on Forbes, Sports Illustrated, ESPN, NBC Sports, USA Today, Bleacher Report and many other major media outlets. Connect with Jake on social @jakekelfer
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Jan 6, 2020
Meaningful Work In The Classroom - Vincent Perez
We talk about the work that Vincent is doing specifically around historicizing conversations, he shares about the audit tool that he has created, and gives some first steps to get started in this work.
Vincent Perez currently leads Rethink Manhood, working with men and boys to deconstruct and counter, cultural narratives regarding what it means to be a "real" man. Vincent's practice is rooted in experiential education with a focus on culturally responsive pedagogy, trauma-informed systems, juvenile justice reform, ethnic studies, family engagement, near-peer mentorship and Latina bilingual leadership. He frequently speaks at schools, facilitates student programs and trains adult staff to better serve their students. As a 20+ year veteran in education, Vincent Perez aims to sustain the integrity, courage, and commitment of children, families, and service providers.
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Jan 2, 2020
When We Focus On Relationships, It Can Change A Community - Jordan Osborn
Jordan Osborn is in his 10th year of working in education. He started off as a social studies teacher in several different schools in Oregon where he also coached football and basketball. During his 10 years he has spent 7 years as an Athletic Director and 5 years as a vice principal most recently at Chiloquin Jr/Sr High School in Southern Oregon. Jordan is in his first year as Principal at Bonanza High School in South Central Oregon.
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Dec 30, 2019
The Power Of Story In Building Relationships - Robert Hand
Robert Hand teaches at Mount Vernon High School. His subjects are Family and Consumer Sciences and Leadership. He is currently teaching Careers in Education - Recruiting Washington Teachers, Leadership, Nutrition, and Life After High School. Robert is the 2019 Washington State Teacher of the Year.
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Dec 26, 2019
Monday Morning Huddles With Staff CharacterDares - Dr. Lara Gilpin
Dr. Lara Gilpin has been in education for 29 years. Her career with the St. Joseph School District began in 1993 as a P.E./health teacher at Spring Garden Middle School. In addition to teaching, Dr. Gilpin coached basketball and track at SGMS as well as varsity basketball and volleyball at Benton High School in St. Joseph, Missouri. In 1999 she became assistant principal at Robidoux Middle School and later moved to assistant principalship at Truman Middle School in 2001. The following year, Dr. Gilpin became principal of Spring Garden Middle School, where she remains after 18 years as the principal. Dr. Gilpin has spent 24 of her years in education at Spring Garden Middle School in the capacity of a teacher and administrator. She has received a Bachelor's, Master's, and Specialist Degree from Northwest Missouri State University and received her doctorate from Baker University. Dr. Gilpin was named the Northwest MOASSP District Middle School Principal of the Year in both 2017 and 2019.…
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Dec 23, 2019
Meaningful Inclusion Can Lead To Lasting Friendships #choosetoinclude - Odessa High School Students
As the recipient of Special Olympics Missouri’s 2018 School of Character Award of Merit, Odessa High School values kindness and meaningful inclusion. The school with just over 600 students is in a rural community approximately 30 miles east of Kansas City. Following a year of using Character Strong resources in their student-led lessons in freshman classes, the school is in its first year of school-wide implementation of the Character Strong Advisory Curriculum. The school’s student council is recognized as an Honor Council by the Missouri Association of Student Councils. The senior student council members featured on the podcast include President Keiton Johnson and Vice President Makenzie Lewis along with Tyler Hepworth and Lyndsey Roseler. Tyler and Lyndsey are a Special Olympics unified pair who recently represented Character Strong at the Inclusive Youth Leadership Summit held in Chicago. The school utilizes unified pairs to teach Character Strong lessons to freshman classes. T…
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Dec 19, 2019
Creating A Mastermind Group For Teachers - Rebecca Mieliwocki
Rebecca Mieliwocki is the 2012 National Teacher of the Year and a 23 year veteran middle school English teacher. She is the author of Adventures in Teacher Leadership: Pathways, Strategies, and Inspiration for Every Teacher from ASCD and the founder of Girlfriends for Good. She is currently on special assignment with Burbank Unified School District coordinating new teacher induction and secondary educator development. She is happily married, the mom to a terrific college freshman and an adorable puppy. She loves running, reading, and traveling but not necessarily in that order.
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Dec 16, 2019
It Is So Important To Make Time Daily For Character Development - Andy DiDomenico
Andy DiDomenico is a nineteen year educational veteran who currently teaches history and leadership at Tappan Zee High School in Orangeburg, NY and coaches sprint football at the United States Military Academy at West Point. His mission is to help foster inclusive school culture by building caring relationships and establishing trusting communities in and out of the classroom. He, his wife Anne and their daughter Mary are proud to be a part of the CharacterStrong family!
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Dec 12, 2019
Being Intentional In The Everyday Things We Do - Justin Pierce
Justin has been a teacher, coach and assistant principal for the last 12 years in SW Washington. He is blessed to have married his best friend who challenges and supports him, has birthed their 3 boys, and is his partner in life. Justin believes teachers are the ones that make the magic happen in school buildings and that relationships are the key to their influence in the lives of our children. Justin’s mission is to create a Non-Anxious environment where his family, friends, and colleagues feel valued, loved, supported and challenged. He believes in the CharacterStrong Curricula and its use of low burden high impact tools to cultivate a culture of character, develop social-emotional skills, and challenge students, staff, and the community to make kindness normal.
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Dec 9, 2019
The Power Of Staying Positive - Maurice Dudley
Maurice Dudley is a graduate of Palm Beach Gardens High School 1976. He joined the US Army in Feb 8, 1977 and served 20 years in the Army. Retired June 1997 as a First Sergeant. Maurice did a combat tour in Gulf War (Desert Storm) and was awarded the Army Bronze Star after the war. He started working at Sumner High School Aug 1997 – Presently serves a Campus Safety Officer and Track Coach. Maurice was awarded Coach Of The Year 2018. Maurice's primary role at Sumner High School is to provide a safe environment for education and positive social interaction between multicultural teenagers grades 9 – 12.
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Dec 5, 2019
Having A District-Wide Focus On Kindness - Bernette Lindamood
Bernette Lindamood is a 22 year classroom veteran teacher that has worked with high school level students and middle school students in Texas and Alaska. Bernette works in the Lewisville Independent School District at DeLay Middle School teaching Teen Leadership and Social Studies. She is a firm believer in teaching students first and content second! Cultivating relationships and modeling kindness, compassion and love are her primary goals in her profession. All kids can learn and all kids need love. Bernette has been married for 29 years and has three grown kiddo’s and two amazing grandkids that are her world.
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Dec 2, 2019
How Time, Intentionality, & Mindset Changes School Culture - Hans Appel
Hans Appel has worked as a counselor in the Richland School District for the past 19 years and at Enterprise Middle School since it opened. He’s passionate about school culture, servant leadership, and kindness. In 2018, EMS was awarded the ASCD Whole Child Award for the State of Washington and the Global “Class Act Award” for creating a culture of excellence through kindness, service, and empathy. Additionally, they were selected as a finalist in the 2019 PBIS Film Festival and took top prize in the Community, Parents, and Staff category. In 2018, Hans launched his own blog about School Culture and rolled out a student-led leadership podcast called Award Winning Culture: Hosted by Wildcat Nation, which can be subscribed, listened or reviewed on iTunes Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Play, Spotify, PodBean, and Libsyn. Hans’ blogs have appeared on DisruptED TV magazine, CharacterStrong, and PBIS Rewards. He’s written social-emotional lessons for CharacterStrong. Furthermore,…
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Nov 27, 2019
Gratitude: What Are You Grateful For? - CharacterStrong Co-Founders Houston & John
On the day before Thanksgiving 2019, CharacterStrong Co-Founders Houston Kraft & John Norlin reflect on this past year and share a little bit about what they are grateful for, and also give a challenge that reminds us what this holiday is all about.
To read the transcription of this episode please visit: https://buff.ly/2KO8zfF
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Nov 25, 2019
There's Always A Reason For Every Behavior: Looking Past Rules And Seeing People - Charles Moss
Chuck Moss is in his 23rd year as a professional educator, all but 6 of those years have been at the middle school level. He currently serves as the principal at Dinwiddie Middle School in Dinwiddie County, Virginia and is the Middle School Representative on the Board of Directors of the Virginia Association or Elementary School Principals. Chuck started his career as an 8th grade civics and English teacher, has coached football, wrestling, and soccer and is the PA announcer for the Dinwiddie Generals Varsity Football Team. Through it all, relationships have fueled his passion for education and he is dedicated to transparency and sharing his school’s story.
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Nov 21, 2019
Storytelling In The Classroom: Using Stories & Telling Stories As An Educator - Esteban Gast
Esteban Gast is Colombian, grew up in Puerto Rico and Illinois, and currently lives in LA. He toured as a comedian at the age of 23, taught creativity and design thinking at the college level, co-authored a book on creativity, and was President of a sustainability-focused institute in Panama. He is co-founder of Scriptd, a script database and story platform that elevates underrepresented creators. Most recently, he was the star of the tv show Jungletown, airing on VICELAND. He’s been profiled in WBEZ, Huffington Post, Hollywood Reporter, Brooklyn Magazine and others. With his background in comedy and his years in the classroom, Esteban is a gifted communicator who loves breaking down complex issues. He has spoken at middle schools, high schools, colleges, corporations, and conferences all over the world about the power of kindness, the importance of storytelling, and how to create a more connected and empathetic world.
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Nov 18, 2019
Being Intentional About Putting A Focus On Belonging - Carla London
We talk with Carla about how her district has put a focus on belonging, the importance if having these tough conversations, and some of the strategies and resources that have helped the staff in the Columbia district.
Carla London is originally from Columbia, MO, but moved often as a child and got to experience the excitement of such diverse places as New Orleans, LA; Dallas and El Paso, TX; and Stamford, CT. After beginning her career in education in north Georgia, she returned to Columbia where she was privileged to create the Aspiring Scholars program for At-Promise youth. In 2006, she followed her husband’s career back to Texas and spent 7 years in Round Rock, just outside of Austin, as both a classroom teacher and in educational leadership for a student body that included 1500 middle school students. In 2013, Carla returned to Columbia as the Supervisor of Student and Family Advocacy, for Columbia Public Schools. She was subsequently promoted to Director of Student Services, an…
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Nov 13, 2019
World Kindness Day! - CharacterStrong Co-Founders John Norlin & Houston Kraft
Happy World Kindness Day!
John Norlin is a Co-Founder of CharacterStrong, a Servant Leadership trainer, and motivational speaker. He was Washington Advisor of the Year, taught 5 leadership classes per semester for 10 years at Sumner High School, and was a Program Administrator for the Whole Child for five years.
Houston Kraft is a Co-Founder of CharacterStrong, a professional speaker, leadership consultant, and kindness advocate who speaks to middle schools, high schools, colleges, and businesses nationally. He has spoken at over 500 events and counting. Student Body President in High School, Class President at Bowdoin College, Leadership Camp Staff for 12 years in Washington - he is a lifelong learner of character, culture, kindness, and leadership.
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Nov 11, 2019
TeacherFit - Helping Schools Change The Culture Of Wellness - Nick Mann
Nick Mann is a Veteran of The United States Marine Corps where he served 8 years as an Infantry Officer. Since moving on from the Marines, Nick has been working with individuals and groups to change their lives through health, fitness, and nutrition. Nick is the owner of Occoquan Bay Fitness in Woodbridge, VA, runs an after school fitness program at Fred Lynn Middle School, and is the founder of TeacherFit, an online health and wellness program for educators.
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Nov 7, 2019
Making Your School A Place Where Everyone Belongs - Jeff Gerber
Jeff Gerber is a Leadership teacher and Student Council Advisor at Waterloo-Oxford District Secondary School, 5 minutes from his home in New Hamburg, Ontario, Canada. At Waterloo-Oxford he leads one of the largest and most impactful student leadership programs in the province of Ontario. He is passionate about servant leadership and character development and travels across North America speaking about Leadership, Love and Belonging. He was recognized as Advisor of the Year for the province of Ontario in 2013 and as a National Leader of Distinction by the Canadian Student Leadership Association in 2017. You can check out his TEDx talk on Belonging on Youtube and connect with him on social media @jeffgpresents
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Nov 4, 2019
Leading The Culture & Climate Of Your School - Dr. Bill Ziegler
Dr. Bill Ziegler is the principal at Pottsgrove High School in Pennsylvania. He has served as a school leader for twenty years at the middle and high school levels and is the co-author of a Corwin book, Future-Focused Leaders: Relate, Innovate, and Invigorate for Real Educational Change. Dr. Ziegler serves on the NASSP Board of Directors and the Apple Distinguished Schools Advisory Board. Dr. Ziegler was honored to be selected as the 2016 Pennsylvania Principal of the Year, the 2015 NASSP Digital Principal Award Winner, and as a member of the United States team of Principals to present at the Great Leaders Summit in China. Bill has also served as the President of the PA Principals Association on two separate occasions, 2014 and 2016. Dr. Ziegler is an adjunct professor for Temple University, and served on the rewrite team for NASSP's Building Ranks framework for schools. Bill resides in PA with his wife Kim and two children.
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Oct 31, 2019
How Do We Change The World? One Act Of Random Kindness At A Time - Dalton Lemert
Dalton Lemert is a graduate of Purdue University and formerly worked as the Director of a nonprofit organization that aimed to make the world a better place, one act of random kindness at a time. Together, he and his team traveled more than 35,000 miles around the U.S. in their RV performing acts of kindness, ranging anywhere from buying coffee for a stranger, to throwing a senior citizen prom, to taking a Boys and Girls Club to Disney World. His work has been featured on the Today Show, Steve Harvey Show, USA Today and others. Dalton has also led digital, social, and print marketing initiatives for companies like PayPal, Fifth Third Bank, Amway, and Boxed Water, and has recently joined the CharacterStrong team to help bring social-emotional learning into more schools across America.
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Oct 28, 2019
Identifying And Reducing Cognitive Overload - Dr. Todd Finley
Todd Blake Finley, PhD, is a tenured Professor of English Education at East Carolina University and an assistant editor and blogger at Edutopia: George Lucas Education Foundation. He has taught elementary and 7-12th grade English and co-developed the Tar River Writing Project. Also, he was selected as one of the Top 12 Global Teacher Bloggers of 2014 and again in 2016 by Cathy Rubin for the Huffington Post. He has written Dinkytown Braves, a teaching memoir available on Amazon and Rethinking Classroom Design (Rowman & Littlefield) with Blake Wiggs. And he writes a free newsletter for educators.