Music can be a powerful means of self-awareness, relaxation, and creative expression. This workshop will explore how music allows an avenue to authentic connection with ourselves and others, and cultivates the inner ability to pause and notice in our daily lives. We will explore various experiential methods that combine music and mindfulness to allow for increased self-awareness, reduced stress, and simple coping skills. Elementary teachers will learn strategies that will help both students and themselves address anxiety inside and outside…

Relationship building is an essential piece of teaching; how can we do it better? In this session, participants will explore both the challenges and possibilities of building authentic relationships with students. We will explore how rigor requires relationships and identify and practice strategies that can deepen our relationships with young people. By attending this session, attendees will leave with... - Specific strategies for deepening relationships with young people. - Self-reflection practices for showing up authentically in relationships with young people…

Whether we are aware of it or not, the classroom management approaches we adopt are a direct reflection of the values we espouse. Too often, these values are shaped by racist narratives that have embedded themselves within the institution of the school. For the students we teach (and especially for students of color), this means that they are subjected routinely to punitive approaches that cause lasting and undue harm. In the first installment of this two-part workshop series, participants will…

In part two of this workshop series, participants will build on their growing schema for growing their racial literacy by applying this knowledge to their own classrooms. Moving from small- and whole-group discussions to hands-on project work, teacher-participants will re-imagine their spaces as seen through more racially-literate lenses. Participants will take a critical eye to their classrooms and ask questions such as: Which aspects of the classroom's physical space reflect ideological or institutional oppression? How might the behavioral support systems…