Port Clinton Social Emotional Learning & Mental Wellness Symposium

All educators are aware of the incredible demands of working with today's students. Not enough educators, though, take the time to look closely at ways to reduce their own workload and stress levels, to steal time during the school day and year, to invest time in the happiness of one's self and one's colleagues, and to lean into the common struggles all educators face. We tend to work only on some of these aspects, alone and in "quiet desperation," as Thoreau famously noted. This session will cover aspects such as taming the grading workload, improving morale as a staff or building, joyful communication, and other techniques that, in concert, will make a tremendous, positive difference for you and for your colleagues (and, by extension, your students).

This session will leave you with ideas on how to bring your students, families, and communities together through art. I will share visions and resources on how young students can bring their community to life with creativity. I will focus on events and projects we've completed in our school district to do just that! I will talk about annual art shows, family paint nights, and community involvement projects that we participate in throughout the year through our art program. Although I teach grades K-5, I feel the ideas I share could be adapted easily in grades K-12. Hoping to give other schools ideas that are manageable and productive while connecting with others within the community.

Many successful companies and organizations have intentionally created peak moments for their customers. Why can't we do the same in education for our students? Join me to discover and discuss ways we can create remarkable moments in our classrooms and schools that our students will never forget.

We will not accidentally build positive wellness habits and good self-regulation skills, and neither will our students. These skills need to be modeled, encouraged, and practiced with intention. This presentation based on both my children's book on wellness, anxiety coping skills and mindfulness, Unthink Before Bed, and my research an application for The Apple Education Community Forum on using devices to build self-regulation skills with devices and improve wellness, will help us identify and address many of the challenges students face and adults. I will recommend free apps and settings to assist in solving the challenge, and offer a vision of the desired outcome to improve wellness and increase self-regulation. Giving away copies of my book too, and podcast stickers. Participants will learn and practice coping and regulation skills both on their devices and with mind and body.