Tag: Mental Health

New parent workshop announcement!

Posted on by alisakaczorowski in Parenting, Social Emotional Learning

I’m thrilled to announce a brand new parent workshop that focuses on the impact of social media and technology on kids and families! There are two versions of this workshop – one geared toward Catholic schools and includes content related to Blessed Carlo Acutis and one geared toward public and other private schools that does not.

Are your families expressing concerns over their children’s use of technology and social media? Are they wondering how to encourage a more unplugged childhood? Do they want to build a community of other like-minded parents? If so, my newest parent workshop will address all this and more AND in an engaging, hands-on way!

What will you learn during this training?

  1. How social media and technology use impact the brain, learning and behavior
  2. How social media and technology use impact social-emotional and mental health
  3. How to set boundaries and limitations around screens at home
  4. Strategies for encouraging a more unplugged childhood
  5. Ways to build community and support with like-minded families

What else will you get from this training?

  1. Access to a Google folder full of aligned resources
  2. Ongoing support from me

Our children are growing up in a society that values technology and instant gratification over most everything else. This has resulted in less praying and playing and more staying on screens for many of our kids. If your families are looking to empower themselves and their children to take back their childhoods, this workshop will do just that!

This training is designed for parents and caregivers. It can be done as a stand-alone 1-3 hour workshop.

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 community!

My Thoughts on yesterday’s school shooting in uvalde, Texas

Posted on by alisakaczorowski in Social Emotional Learning, Trauma Informed Care, Uncategorized
Photo courtesy of NBC News

I’m sitting here wondering how to express the thoughts going through my mind this morning, wondering what I could possibly say that is of any importance right now, wondering how our nation got to this place. I’m heartbroken for the people of Uvalde, Texas. As an educator and more importantly, as a mother, I’m feeling devastated, sad, helpless, scared and angry.

The shooting that occurred yesterday at Robb Elementary School killed 19 children and 2 adults, making it the 2nd deadliest school shooting on record behind Sandy Hook, and was the 27th school shooting of 2022. 27th. Let that sink in for a minute. In 2021, there were 34 school shootings and yesterday marked the 27th of this year. In May.

Between 1970 and 2021, 637 people were killed in school shootings. Obviously, this number has increased with the additional 27 shootings that have happened in 2022.

When does enough become enough? When do we stop being ok with children regularly practicing lockdown and active shooter drills during instructional time? When do we stop expecting school leaders to walk through their buildings several times a year, jiggling doorknobs and peeking through windows to ensure classrooms are locked and all children are out of sight?

I know that our country is full of “experts” this morning; people who think they know where we’ve gone wrong and how to fix it, people who will use this tragedy to push their own political platform and agenda. I am not one of those people. Why? Because, in my opinion, the number of ways we’ve gone wrong, as a country, is too many to count, particularly when it comes to our educational system. Because I don’t believe there is ONE solution to this problem. Because I don’t view the devastation that occurred in Uvalde yesterday as a political event. I view it as a human event; one where dozens of parents lost their babies and the community lost two beloved teachers.

Maybe, this morning, you’re wondering what can be done to stop this madness. Perhaps, like me, you’re not there yet and are still just full of grief and heartbreak for this community and our nation, as whole. I’m sure the coming days and weeks will be a barrage of “next steps,” but for me, for now, I am going to allow myself the time and space to feel sad, helpless and angry. Then, when I’m ready, I’m going to keep doing what I can to continue to bring awareness to the importance of trauma-informed practices, social-emotional learning and relationship building in schools. I’m not naive enough to believe that these things alone will even remotely impact the monumental mess we are facing in this country, but I know, for a fact, that they can and DO make a HUGE difference in the lives of individual children. And for now, that is good enough for me.

Mental Health Awareness Month

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

Did you know that May is Mental Health Awareness month? It’s time to start talking about the health of our brains, just like we do the health of our bodies. It’s time to BREAK THE STIGMA. That’s what this month is all about.

Not only do I feel passionately about this topic because it’s what I talk about for a living but also because my own family is impacted by mental illness just like so many of yours are. In fact, it’s one of the main reasons I focus my trainings and content on topics such as trauma, chronic stress and social-emotional learning.

The pandemic has certainly brought to light many of the challenges people with mental health issues face on a daily basis. It is also to blame for exacerbating these issues for tens of thousands of adults and children.

There has never been a better time to break the cycle of silence and gain a better understanding of mental illness. If not for your benefit, for the benefit of someone you love.

If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, please call the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK. Trained crisis workers are available 24/7.

New YouTube Series: Social-Emotional Learning

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

Click here to view Part I

I’ve been in a “series” kind of mood lately. I wrapped up the YouTube series on coping skills and decided to start a new one on social-emotional learning. Why? Because I am getting SOOO many questions on this topic right now, from educators and parents alike.

I think we’re all in this place where we realize that our kids/students are struggling (heck, WE are struggling!), but we’re just not really sure what else we can do to help them.

So let’s talk about it. What exactly IS social-emotional learning? How can we integrate it into our classrooms and homes? What does it look like? Over the next several weeks, we are going to tackle all these questions plus many, many more.

We will discuss the importance of social-emotional learning (although, I think most of us have been forced to figure that out in the past two years!), the competencies we can teach kids and specific strategies we can use at home or in the classroom.

I hope you’ll join me for this series, and when you do, don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel so you don’t miss out on any of the great content I’m sharing!