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Teaching the Vital Skill of Problem Solving
Read More: Teaching the Vital Skill of Problem SolvingProblem solving is second nature to many educators. For students, it is a vital skill they needs to learn and practice continuously. Sometimes, it feels easier to simply tell kids what to do rather than engage them in the problem-solving process. However, every time we solve a problem for a young person without their input, they miss out on an opportunity to brainstorm solutions and try them out. Ultimately, if we practice problem-solving, it will make our jobs in the classroom easier. We won’t need to solve every single conflict between students. This article from the Brookings Institution shares teachers’…
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Easy Ways to Appreciate & Celebrate Yourself and Your Coworkers
Read More: Easy Ways to Appreciate & Celebrate Yourself and Your CoworkersIn our opinion, educators have one of the hardest jobs in the country. For educators who have been navigating challenging behaviors all year and still showing up day after day, we see you. For educators that are tired and frustrated, we appreciate you. For the educators that find hope in the small wins with students, we celebrate you. We’d like to offer some easy ways to celebrate yourself and your fellow educators for Teacher Appreciation Week and all year long! Reflect On All You’ve Been Through With all the changes in the experience of being an educator over the last…
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Parents & Families Can Show Appreciation for Educators All Year Long
Read More: Parents & Families Can Show Appreciation for Educators All Year LongWe appreciate educators year-round for all their hard work, and in May, Teacher Appreciation Week gives us a chance to celebrate them and show educators how much we value them! Through COVID-19 scares, virtual teaching, and returning to in-person school, educators have remained nimble and dedicated in serving our students and families. Here are a few ways to celebrate educators: Write A Card (and Have Your Child Write One, Too!) A heartfelt card can go a long way toward making educators feel cared for and appreciative. Start your kids off with some sentence stems if they are having a difficult…
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Teaching boundary setting and repair conversations
Read More: Teaching boundary setting and repair conversationsAs educators, we teach so much more than algebra and spelling to our students. Crucial life skills, such as self-regulation, repairing harm, and setting healthy boundaries to prevent harm, are just a few of the life lessons we can provide for our students. Teaching the importance of boundaries, how to communicate your needs, and how to receive boundary setting are all foundational building blocks for healthy interpersonal relationships. Unfortunately, many of us did not have a blueprint in our childhood about boundary setting and repair conversations. Here are some tips for integrating preventative interpersonal relationship skills into your classroom culture. …
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Relationship Tools You Can Use to Repair Mistakes and Maintain Connection with Your Child
Read More: Relationship Tools You Can Use to Repair Mistakes and Maintain Connection with Your ChildConflict is an inevitable part of life, and we often are not taught how to repair harm once it occurs, especially not with our children. It is vital for parents and caregivers to remain in healthy connection with their child after conflict occurs, and to model what an effective repair conversation looks like. This not only strengthens the bond with your child, but it also teaches children the importance of apologizing and repairing harm when conflict occurs. This article from The Peaceful Parent Institute details the ways the parent-child relationship heavily influences how your child engages in future relationships. Navigating…
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Create an Inclusive Classroom Community by Learning Neurodiversity and Brain Science
Read More: Create an Inclusive Classroom Community by Learning Neurodiversity and Brain ScienceMarch includes both Neurodiversity Celebration Week and Brain Science Awareness Week. Helping students learn about neurodiversity and brain science helps to create an inclusive classroom community while building empathy and self-awareness. Here are a few ways you and your students can explore brain science and neurodiversity. Learn About Neurodiversity According to this Harvard Medical School article, neurodiversity “describes the idea that people experience and interact with the world around them in many ways; there is no one “right” way of thinking, learning, and behaving, and differences are not viewed as deficits.” Approximately 15-20% of the population has a neurological difference,…
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How Learning Brain Science is Helpful for Parents, Caregivers, and Kids
Read More: How Learning Brain Science is Helpful for Parents, Caregivers, and KidsBrain science is not just for neuroscientists! How can it help parents and caregivers? Educating yourself and your kids about brain science helps deepen your understanding of behavior and emotions. Everything—from the way humans learn, to the way we engage with each other, to our capacity for thinking, feeling, learning, and problem-solving — all functions through billions of neurons and connections in our brains. Understanding the basics of how the brain works helps demystify human emotions and behavior and gives us some agency in self-regulation and problem-solving. Kids love learning about their brains! They can become scientists of their own…
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Ideas for Teaching Self-Advocacy and Contribution in the Classroom
Read More: Ideas for Teaching Self-Advocacy and Contribution in the ClassroomWe believe fighting anti-blackness and speaking out against oppression of all forms deeply matters to the health of our communities and classrooms. As educators, we can create opportunities for young people to reflect on injustices, advocate for themselves, and contribute to their community for a more just world. Meaningful contributions not only help our community, but they also cultivate a sense of belonging and significance for young people. Get started or add to your current practices with a few of these suggestions: Incorporate Community Care & Advocacy into Your Classroom Build your students advocacy skills and encourage community by…
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Honor Legacies by Teaching Children to Take Action & Make Contributions
Read More: Honor Legacies by Teaching Children to Take Action & Make ContributionsHonoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy is deeper than his famous quotes and speeches. This year, we are honoring his legacy through action. King believed that all people should be able to belong and contribute meaningfully within their communities, and that anti-blackness and oppression prohibit community care. In our individualistic world, it’s vital to cultivate opportunities for young people to meaningfully contribute to the world around them. As children build and practice self-advocacy skills, they also can tune into what their community needs and how they can support one another. Step back and allow your child to identify causes…
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Self-regulation and Co-regulation are the Keys to More Peace and Fewer Power Struggles
Read More: Self-regulation and Co-regulation are the Keys to More Peace and Fewer Power StrugglesImagine you are on your way out the door and your 5-year-old is crying on the floor, your 8-year-old is yelling at them to stop crying, and you’re trying to talk over both of them to get them into the car. If this sounds familiar, keep reading! Almost every parent has experienced some rendition of this scene, power struggles and heightened stress levels included. Brain science like that explained in this paper from the Duke University Center for Child and Family Policy tells us that co-regulation between adults and children is an extremely supportive practice, and it can help reduce…
