Keynote Address

Caring for Yourself While Caring for Others

Joe Sherman, MD

As educators, most of us feel a sense of mission to serve.  By choosing this path, we become increasingly aware of both the joys and challenges involved in our work.  Some of these challenges emerge from the flawed macro and micro systems in which we work, and others come from our constant struggle to care for ourselves while caring for our students. Both can lead to isolation, resentment, and burnout. The only way we can be there for our students is if we are there for ourselves. In this presentation we will explore some of the methods of self-care that can not only help us, but also transform the culture in which we work. 

Sessions

Mindful Self-Compassion for Teachers 

Joe Sherman, MD

As the COVID Pandemic lingers on, teachers are facing challenges which have expanded beyond just fear of infection and virtual education.  The emotional impact of living in a constant state of stress and uncertainty has taken its toll on our mental health. One powerful tool of dealing with the stress from external influences beyond our control is Mindful Self-Compassion. In this workshop, participants will learn the basics of transforming self-criticism into self-compassion with guided practices to be used formally and informally in moments of stress.

Pandemic Recovery: Healing for School Staff

 Mona Johnson, Ed.D

Dr. Johnson will be discussing how stress, trauma and disasters affect our brain and can lead to burn out, moral injury and compassion fatigue.  This session will look at how we need both system levels of support and individual supports to continue coping.  She will also introduce self-awareness strategies that we can put into place to maintain our sense of well-being and our ability to serve and support others.

Collaborating with Adults to Support Multi-Tiered Systems of Support in Social Emotional Learning and Behavior

Lisa Hoyt, PhD

To promote students’ social and emotional competence, it’s important for schools to simultaneously foster a supportive staff environment that cultivates the social and emotional competence and capacity of the adults in the building. Research has learned that schools are more effective at teaching and reinforcing SEL for students when they also cultivate SEL competencies in the adults. Successful SEL implementation depends on how well staff work together to facilitate SEL instruction, foster a positive school community, and model social and emotional competence. This calls on schools to focus on adults’ professional growth as educators as well as their own social and emotional learning (Jones et al., 2018). This session will discuss the reasons for why it is important to practice adult social emotional growth and how to align this within the school’s Multi-Tiered Supports for Social Emotional Learning and Behavior.

Strategies to Support Resilience in Educators

Maggie Schulze, PhD, BCBA

This session will begin by discussing what resilience is, why it matters in education, and key factors that contribute to resilience in educators. Strategies to promote resilience in adults, including fostering optimism, developing empathy and compassion, and shifting mindsets through cognitive strategies will be outlined. Through these various mechanisms, adults can build their capacity to adapt and recover from challenges which, in turn, allows them to support the students they serve in more effective and compassionate ways.  

Offered in partnership with Key Connection, Benton Franklin Public Health District & Greater Columbia Accountable Community of Health.