2023 Schedule
KEYNOTE (Kristin Souers) Fostering a Trauma-Invested Learning Environment
(9:00 - 10:25)
Childhood trauma is real, and it is more prevalent than we might believe. Add to that the aftermath of a lingering pandemic, political turmoil, strained race relations, and a host of other factors, and education is an extremely challenging field right now! In this engaging, relevant keynote, learn from childhood trauma expert Kristin Souers about the importance of acknowledging our reality, building empathy for ourselves and others, understanding our mindsets, and fostering resilience as we face extraordinary challenges. Because we’re in a service-oriented profession and continuously look outward to help others, we’ll turn our lenses around to build self-awareness, curate some self-regulation strategies, and embrace the concept of grace as we collaboratively build a Culture of Safety for our youth, families, staffs, and communities. If we’re going to be good to others, first and foremost we’ve got to be good to ourselves. BALLROOM A & B
MORNING WORKSHOPS
(10:35 - 12:00)
Availability vs. Accountability: The Purpose of Intervention (Kristin Souers) - Childhood trauma is real, and it is more prevalent than we might believe, especially now. We recognize that our staff are struggling and that we can’t be good for others if we aren’t good to ourselves. We all want our students and staff to be successful in education. Understanding the need behind the behavior opens up immense opportunity for our youth to grow, thrive and become their best selves. In this engaging, relevant, and practical session, learn about the importance of incorporating trauma-invested practices into the work we do with each other, caregivers and our youth. We will examine the role that intervention plays and identify proactive ways to support regulation as well as review the importance of repair when things don’t always go the way we hope. This session is rich with strategies and approaches to do just that…so we can foster resilient learners. BALLROOM A
Stress Better™: The Science of Stress Optimization for Enhanced Health and Performance (Dr. Matt Dewar) - You can't always avoid, escape, or reduce stress—nor should you want to: Stress is as much a catalyst for health, learning, and growth as it is for disease, disability, and regression. Whether or not stress enhances or debilitates has less to do with stress itself and more to do with the mindset, skill, and lifestyle you employ in response to it. In this presentation, you will learn practical, research-based strategies, techniques, and practices that will teach you how to get better at stress so that you can enhance your health, teaching, and personal growth. BALLROOM B
Media Literacy: The Hidden Key to SEL (Julie Smith) - The average American consumes up to 12hrs/day of electronic mass media. Yet we try to teach SEL to kids who consume opposite messages nearly every moment they are out of class. In what ways can media literacy education make SEL education even more effective? You'll leave this session with concrete ideas of how to help students critically evaluate all the messages they consume. BALLROOM C
Self - Sacrifice Vs. Self Care, Restorative SEL (Eboni Ruckers) - This session will include a getting to know you icebreaker. We will explore what self sacrifice looks and feels like in our lives. We will also explore what self care is, forms and ways to apply the information to our everyday lives, both inside and outside of the classroom. BALLROOM D
Everyday SEL: Incorporating Strategies Into ANY Classroom (Carla Philibert) - Carla literally wrote the books on SEL strategies for every classroom in schools. In this session, be ready for a rapid-fire demonstration of these strategies. You'll be surprised how easy it will be to implement them when school starts again. SALON 6
LUNCH - On your own
12:00 - 1:00
AFTERNOON BREAKOUTS
SESSION #1 = 1:00 - 1:55 and SESSION #2 = 2:05 - 3:00
Regulating and Fostering Resilience in the Midst of Stress (Kristin Souers) - Persevering in the midst of stress is not an easy task. Many of us are faced with challenges that can affect our ability to “be our best selves.” In this engaging, relevant, and enlightening session, learn from childhood trauma expert Kristin Souers about the importance of celebrating our successes and honoring our resilience. She will ground us back in what we need to know about the impact of stress on development and will remind us of the things we can do every day to ensure our own health and wellness. She will revisit some regulation strategies and help us to reset our focus on what we can control and ways we can excel despite the stress. We know that every behavior is an expression of a need. Often in education, we get lost on how the need is being asked for instead of focusing on what the need really is. We spend a lot of time traveling to Oz, spinning in a tornado of misbehaviors and a whirlwind of chaos, as a result. By understanding need we can more effectively support student and staff growth and success! This session is rich with strategies and approaches to do just that…so we can foster and celebrate our resilient learners. Sessions 1 & 2. BALLROOM A
Why Teacher Identity and Self Care Matter (Dr. Matt Dewar) - Research shows that our identity has a lot to do with how we take care of ourselves—and how we take care of ourselves is arguably the most important and impactful lesson taught to our students. This session will explore the powerful relationship between teacher identity and self-care and the impact they have on student learning and well-being. Session 1. BALLROOM B
Enhancing the "Heart" of Learning: Heart Rate Variability (HRV), Self-Regulation, and Optimal Learning (Dr. Matt Dewar) - What if we had a single metric that predicted students’ resilience, physical and emotional health outcomes, and ability to learn? What if we had a practice that in as little as ten minutes a day could improve students’ resilience, physical and emotional health, and ability to learn? Sound too good to be true? Well, it’s not. This presentation will explore the promising research on “heart rate variability” (HRV), it’s connection to health and learning, and what this means for the future of education. Through a live biofeedback demonstration, this session will have a volunteer explore their own physiology in real time and highlight the vital connection between breathing, the heart, and learning. Session 2. BALLROOM B
What We Need to Know Our Social Media Use & TikTok in Particular (Julie Smith) - Students are tired of being lectures about social media. It's time to COACH them. You'll leave this session with 27 specific ways to help students navigate their digital lives. From self-tracking to smishing, anxiety to agency...the time for "digital citizenship" has passed - now it's time for "digital wellness." Sessions 1 & 2. BALLROOM C
Abolitionist Education & Culturally Responsive Teaching (Eboni Ruckers) - We will explore education of all students and becoming more aware of how to educate those around us from a more culturally responsive lens. Session 1. BALLROOM D
Introduction to Restorative Practices (Eboni Ruckers) - Introduction to Restorative Justice and Restorative Practices. We will explore the history and foundation of Restorative Justice in Education. Session 2. BALLROOM D
You've Started an SEL Program: Now What? (Carla Philibert) - Every program is evaluated and tweaked by data. Let's take a look at what data can be collected and how to analyze that data for continuous improvement. Then, once you have data, how do you effect change? Carla Philibert has collected terabytes of SEL-related data over the years, and has worked with researchers at the University of Chicago to parse that data into useful, shareable nuggets. SALON 6
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Evaluating SEL Curricula (Carla Philibert) - With national attention on mental health, it's expected that schools now have some sort of SEL-related curriculum for their students. How can a school determine which one best suits its needs? Having developed such a curriculum, Carla Philibert will give an unbiased view as to the criteria schools should look at when shopping for new materials. SALON 6
(9:00 - 10:25)
Childhood trauma is real, and it is more prevalent than we might believe. Add to that the aftermath of a lingering pandemic, political turmoil, strained race relations, and a host of other factors, and education is an extremely challenging field right now! In this engaging, relevant keynote, learn from childhood trauma expert Kristin Souers about the importance of acknowledging our reality, building empathy for ourselves and others, understanding our mindsets, and fostering resilience as we face extraordinary challenges. Because we’re in a service-oriented profession and continuously look outward to help others, we’ll turn our lenses around to build self-awareness, curate some self-regulation strategies, and embrace the concept of grace as we collaboratively build a Culture of Safety for our youth, families, staffs, and communities. If we’re going to be good to others, first and foremost we’ve got to be good to ourselves. BALLROOM A & B
MORNING WORKSHOPS
(10:35 - 12:00)
Availability vs. Accountability: The Purpose of Intervention (Kristin Souers) - Childhood trauma is real, and it is more prevalent than we might believe, especially now. We recognize that our staff are struggling and that we can’t be good for others if we aren’t good to ourselves. We all want our students and staff to be successful in education. Understanding the need behind the behavior opens up immense opportunity for our youth to grow, thrive and become their best selves. In this engaging, relevant, and practical session, learn about the importance of incorporating trauma-invested practices into the work we do with each other, caregivers and our youth. We will examine the role that intervention plays and identify proactive ways to support regulation as well as review the importance of repair when things don’t always go the way we hope. This session is rich with strategies and approaches to do just that…so we can foster resilient learners. BALLROOM A
Stress Better™: The Science of Stress Optimization for Enhanced Health and Performance (Dr. Matt Dewar) - You can't always avoid, escape, or reduce stress—nor should you want to: Stress is as much a catalyst for health, learning, and growth as it is for disease, disability, and regression. Whether or not stress enhances or debilitates has less to do with stress itself and more to do with the mindset, skill, and lifestyle you employ in response to it. In this presentation, you will learn practical, research-based strategies, techniques, and practices that will teach you how to get better at stress so that you can enhance your health, teaching, and personal growth. BALLROOM B
Media Literacy: The Hidden Key to SEL (Julie Smith) - The average American consumes up to 12hrs/day of electronic mass media. Yet we try to teach SEL to kids who consume opposite messages nearly every moment they are out of class. In what ways can media literacy education make SEL education even more effective? You'll leave this session with concrete ideas of how to help students critically evaluate all the messages they consume. BALLROOM C
Self - Sacrifice Vs. Self Care, Restorative SEL (Eboni Ruckers) - This session will include a getting to know you icebreaker. We will explore what self sacrifice looks and feels like in our lives. We will also explore what self care is, forms and ways to apply the information to our everyday lives, both inside and outside of the classroom. BALLROOM D
Everyday SEL: Incorporating Strategies Into ANY Classroom (Carla Philibert) - Carla literally wrote the books on SEL strategies for every classroom in schools. In this session, be ready for a rapid-fire demonstration of these strategies. You'll be surprised how easy it will be to implement them when school starts again. SALON 6
LUNCH - On your own
12:00 - 1:00
AFTERNOON BREAKOUTS
SESSION #1 = 1:00 - 1:55 and SESSION #2 = 2:05 - 3:00
Regulating and Fostering Resilience in the Midst of Stress (Kristin Souers) - Persevering in the midst of stress is not an easy task. Many of us are faced with challenges that can affect our ability to “be our best selves.” In this engaging, relevant, and enlightening session, learn from childhood trauma expert Kristin Souers about the importance of celebrating our successes and honoring our resilience. She will ground us back in what we need to know about the impact of stress on development and will remind us of the things we can do every day to ensure our own health and wellness. She will revisit some regulation strategies and help us to reset our focus on what we can control and ways we can excel despite the stress. We know that every behavior is an expression of a need. Often in education, we get lost on how the need is being asked for instead of focusing on what the need really is. We spend a lot of time traveling to Oz, spinning in a tornado of misbehaviors and a whirlwind of chaos, as a result. By understanding need we can more effectively support student and staff growth and success! This session is rich with strategies and approaches to do just that…so we can foster and celebrate our resilient learners. Sessions 1 & 2. BALLROOM A
Why Teacher Identity and Self Care Matter (Dr. Matt Dewar) - Research shows that our identity has a lot to do with how we take care of ourselves—and how we take care of ourselves is arguably the most important and impactful lesson taught to our students. This session will explore the powerful relationship between teacher identity and self-care and the impact they have on student learning and well-being. Session 1. BALLROOM B
Enhancing the "Heart" of Learning: Heart Rate Variability (HRV), Self-Regulation, and Optimal Learning (Dr. Matt Dewar) - What if we had a single metric that predicted students’ resilience, physical and emotional health outcomes, and ability to learn? What if we had a practice that in as little as ten minutes a day could improve students’ resilience, physical and emotional health, and ability to learn? Sound too good to be true? Well, it’s not. This presentation will explore the promising research on “heart rate variability” (HRV), it’s connection to health and learning, and what this means for the future of education. Through a live biofeedback demonstration, this session will have a volunteer explore their own physiology in real time and highlight the vital connection between breathing, the heart, and learning. Session 2. BALLROOM B
What We Need to Know Our Social Media Use & TikTok in Particular (Julie Smith) - Students are tired of being lectures about social media. It's time to COACH them. You'll leave this session with 27 specific ways to help students navigate their digital lives. From self-tracking to smishing, anxiety to agency...the time for "digital citizenship" has passed - now it's time for "digital wellness." Sessions 1 & 2. BALLROOM C
Abolitionist Education & Culturally Responsive Teaching (Eboni Ruckers) - We will explore education of all students and becoming more aware of how to educate those around us from a more culturally responsive lens. Session 1. BALLROOM D
Introduction to Restorative Practices (Eboni Ruckers) - Introduction to Restorative Justice and Restorative Practices. We will explore the history and foundation of Restorative Justice in Education. Session 2. BALLROOM D
You've Started an SEL Program: Now What? (Carla Philibert) - Every program is evaluated and tweaked by data. Let's take a look at what data can be collected and how to analyze that data for continuous improvement. Then, once you have data, how do you effect change? Carla Philibert has collected terabytes of SEL-related data over the years, and has worked with researchers at the University of Chicago to parse that data into useful, shareable nuggets. SALON 6
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Evaluating SEL Curricula (Carla Philibert) - With national attention on mental health, it's expected that schools now have some sort of SEL-related curriculum for their students. How can a school determine which one best suits its needs? Having developed such a curriculum, Carla Philibert will give an unbiased view as to the criteria schools should look at when shopping for new materials. SALON 6
