Category: Consulting

New training announcement! – Building Educators’ self-awareness to achieve wellness and transform classrooms

Posted on by alisakaczorowski in Business, Consulting, Trauma Informed Care

I’m thrilled to announce a brand new training that focuses on educator well-being!

If your school is looking for ways to better support the wellness of staff members, address and increase teacher satisfaction and retention or transform the culture of the building so that students and staff are happier, my newest training may be perfect for you!

A few things you will learn during this training include:

  1. What self-awareness is and why it’s so important for educators
  2. How self-awareness relates to wellness and classroom culture building
  3. The ways in which our students and our classroom management is impacted by self-awareness
  4. What collective care is and how we can use it to leverage teacher wellness and retention
  5. Dozens of strategies for building self-awareness, both individually and collectively

This training is designed for teachers and other school staff. It can be done as a stand-alone 2, 4 or 6 hour professional development.

If you’re ready to join the thousands of educators (and parents!) who have benefited from my trainings and expertise, send me an email at alisa@akeducationalconsulting.com. Let me help you build a happier and healthier school!

Being informed about trauma doesn’t make you trauma-informed

Posted on by alisakaczorowski in Business, Consulting, Trauma Informed Care

I’ve been reviewing the Missouri Model for Trauma-Informed Schools guidance document, and I LOVE this breakdown of stages to becoming trauma-informed.

I often say that I hate the term “trauma-informed” because it’s so overused and seldom actually understood.

This is such great insight into how most schools are actually only in stage 1 – trauma awareness. Until you begin to research and implement change at the building level, and see the results of those changes, you can’t leave the first stage.

Being informed about trauma does not make you TRAUMA-INFORMED.

Back to School 2024!

Posted on by alisakaczorowski in Business, Consulting, Social Emotional Learning, Trauma Informed Care

Well, it’s early August in Indiana which means…back to school. I know, I know…it feels WAY too early to go back to school. I agree! I don’t make the rules, though, so back they all go.

If you are one of the lucky ones who still have a lot of summering left to do, enjoy it! Your time is coming!

As we prepare for a fantastic 2024-2025 school year, though, let’s take some time to consider the culture we are building in our classrooms and schools. Is it one of safety, love and belonging or is it one of fear, submission and alienation?

I am passionate about building schools where children feel safe and loved, where behavior management is logical, intentional and appropriate, where communication and interactions are respectful and thoughtful and where feelings and emotions are welcomed and embraced.

If this is your wish for your school, let’s work together to make it happen! I believe we can change the landscape of education in this country, one school at a time.

Apriil 2024 SEL THEME – Empathy & Compassion – AN INTRODUCTION

Posted on by alisakaczorowski in Consulting, Parenting, Social Emotional Learning, Trauma Informed Care

Welcome to April and our 4th social-emotional learning theme of the month! This is a tricky one for many of our kiddos so get ready for some great information and strategies!

In this first week of the month, we will define our theme, discuss why it’s an important SEL skill and talk real-world application. This will serve as a springboard for the resources and other ideas I will be sharing throughout the remainder of the month.

So, let’s dive in!

What are empathy and compassion exactly? You may not know there is a difference between them, but there is! Here’s a good starting point to use with kids of all ages. You can adjust this definition to best fit the needs of the age group you work with. I know many of these themes are pretty self-explanatory, but sometimes we just need someone else to sum it up for us!

Now that kids know what empathy and compassion are, we need to help them understand why these skills are important and how they will be beneficial to them.

Next, we can begin connecting empathy and compassion with kids’ real lives by helping them recognize what these skills actually look like!

Empathy is a skill that takes some time, practice and modeling to fully develop. How can you be a picture of empathy and compassion this month (and beyond) for your kids or students?

Be sure to follow along all month right here on the blog, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. I will be sharing all sorts of tips, strategies and resources throughout April.

8 Steps to Building a Trauma-Informed School: A new youtube series

Posted on by alisakaczorowski in Business, Consulting, Social Emotional Learning, Trauma Informed Care

I’m excited to announce my brand new YouTube series – 8 Steps to Building a Trauma-Informed School. This series of 9 videos will begin with an overview of the 8 steps, and then subsequent videos will dive deeper into each step individually.

In each video, you can expect to learn more about each step and what it takes to accomplish it. This series is great for administrators, school counselors and educators who are interested in learning more about the steps needed to create cultural change in the school environment. Even if you aren’t prepared to tackle a huge, new initiative, I encourage you to check out the videos to gauge your own schools’ strengths and areas of need.

If you are ready to tackle a trauma-informed school initiative, send me an email at akedconsult@gmail.com. I will soon be opening up registration for 1 and 2 year partnerships that will kick off in August 2023 and spots will be limited!

10 Strategies for Building a More Trauma-Informed Classroom

Posted on by alisakaczorowski in Business, Consulting

My flagship, and most popular, training is 10 Strategies for Building a More Trauma-Informed Classroom. This training covers a LOT of material and is a great introduction for teachers and school staff who do not have a lot of experience with trauma-informed practices in the school environment. Not only will teachers get a solid foundation in what trauma-informed care looks like in a classroom and why it is critical to the success of their students, but they will also walk away with a toolbox full of strategies that they can begin using immediately. These strategies don’t cost a lot of money or take a lot of time to implement. They are simple, common sense strategies that are just best practice for ALL kids.

Additionally, this training will cover:

  1. The 3 Types of Trauma
  2. Adverse Childhood Experiences (or ACEs)
  3. Characteristics of Trauma
  4. How Trauma Impacts the Brain, Learning and Behavior
  5. Trauma-Informed Discipline
  6. Mindfulness and De-Escalation Strategies
  7. 10 Strategies for Building a More Trauma-Informed Classroom
  8. How to Get Started

If you are looking to give your teachers a toolbox full of strategies to help them have a successful year with students, particularly struggling students, this training is a great place to begin. It is typically a 6 hour training but topics can be added or subtracted, as necessary. This training is also great done in smaller 1-2 chunks during monthly staff meetings. Contact me today for more information or to schedule your next professional development.

New Training Announcement! – Fostering family engagement within your school

Posted on by alisakaczorowski in Business, Consulting, Parenting, Social Emotional Learning, Trauma Informed Care

I’m so excited to roll out my brand new training just in time for the beginning of the school year! This training is a critical component of building a trauma-informed school (see step #6 below).

There’s been a lot of chatter online lately about the difference between parent involvement and family engagement in schools (and yes, there is a huge difference!). Traditionally, schools have considered parents to be involved when they volunteer in the classroom, attend field trips or send in classroom donations. These things are great (and necessary!), but they do not necessarily equate to parents and caregivers being in true collaboration with the school. Additionally, this type of “involvement” is often exclusive to parents who have the time and financial means to participate in their child’s education in this way.

If your school is instead looking to partner with ALL families in a meaningful way by building strong relationships, engaging them in the curriculum and providing tools for helping children at home, this training is for you!

A few things you will learn during this training include:

  1. Specific strategies for engaging families as your partner in educating their child
  2. Tips to streamline family-school communication to reach more families
  3. Steps to establish a parent outreach coordinator or team
  4. How to host family workshops and interactive events that provide caregivers the tools and strategies to help their child academically, behaviorally and social-emotionally
  5. Strategies for building strong relationships between teachers, students and caregivers

This training is designed for teachers and other school staff. It can be done as a stand-alone 2, 4 or 6 hour professional development or as a partnership, in conjunction with a combination of my parent workshops (see informational flyer below).

If you’re ready to join the thousands of educators (and parents!) who have benefited from my trainings and expertise, send me an email at akedconsult@gmail.com. Let me help you build a trauma-informed school!

New Resource! – Building a Trauma-Informed Classroom Video Series

Posted on by alisakaczorowski in Business, Consulting, Social Emotional Learning
Get the video series here!

Are you ready to build a more trauma-informed classroom or school? If so, this video series is for you. Whether you are a teacher, administrator, school counselor or support staff member, there is something for everyone in these courses.

In this series, I will take you through the basics of trauma, how trauma impacts students in the school setting and specific strategies you can implement to help build resilience in your students.

Course 1 focuses on understanding the basics of trauma in our society, why schools should be trauma-informed and how to recognize the characteristics of trauma in children of various ages.

Course 2 focuses on understanding how traumatic experiences impact the brain and learning. You will learn how the flight/fight/freeze response works, how the stress response can be turned off and the benefits of mindfulness.

Course 3 focuses on understanding how traumatic experiences impact student behavior and how to implement a more trauma-informed classroom management system. You will learn about private logic and how that drives behavior and how to evaluate the pros and cons of the classroom management system you use.

Course 4 focuses on 10 specific strategies that can be used to build a more trauma-informed classroom. You will learn about the guiding principle of all 10 trauma-informed practices and reflect on the culture and climate of your own classroom in order to assess where improvements can be made.

Be sure to check out the video series bundle here, as well as all the resources in my TPT store that support the content in the videos!

Teacher Appreciation Week Special!

Posted on by alisakaczorowski in Business, Consulting, Trauma Informed Care
Find out more here

Contact me today for more information on scheduling and pricing. All trainings can be done in-person or virtually and are customizable to fit your schools’ needs and budget. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to bring this critical professional development to your staff! Check out my Facebook page here! 

Implementing Effective PLCs Course Preview

Posted on by alisakaczorowski in Consulting, PLCs

See a preview of my Implementing Effective Professional Learning Communities professional development course here. Just click the link, then click Slide Show and play the preview. Be sure to turn your sound on!

Like what you see? Contact me today for a free phone consultation to learn more about how I can help your school.