Tag: Professional Development

Hello Summer Parent Workshops

Posted on by alisakaczorowski in Parenting, Social Emotional Learning

I’m excited to bring back my popular parent workshop, “Hello Summer: Going from Surviving to Thriving with Your Kids,” for 3 virtual events this May and June.

If you’re already dreading this summer and worrying about how you’ll survive having your kids home for weeks on end, join me for an hour of learning about how we can move from just surviving the summer to actually thriving at home with our kids.

We will discuss some of the struggles our kids have during the summer that contribute to their behavior and attitude challenges, and most importantly, I’ll share lots of tips and strategies for dealing with those behaviors.

Let’s fill your toolbox with practical ways to create a more peaceful and productive home environment that allows you and your kids to connect and have fun this summer!

Head over to my Eventbrite page to see dates and times and get registered!

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!

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.

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!

New Training Announcement!

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

Do your students struggle to control their brains and bodies? Do your teachers need tools to proactively engage disruptive or defiant students? Do you want calmer, more productive classrooms?My new training will help you address all this and more!

What will you learn during this training?

  1. What emotional regulation is and how we can help students achieve it
  2. Why some students struggle to self-regulate
  3. Why brains on stress can’t learn
  4. The importance of mind-body skills
  5. Dozens of mind-body skills that can be easily used in the classroom

What else will you get from this training?

  1. Access to a Google folder full of aligned resources
  2. An electronic workbook with dozens of mind-body activities and directions for use
  3. Ongoing support from me

Many of our students are lacking the skills to express their emotions appropriately. This results in disruptive behaviors, chaotic classrooms and stressed out teachers. If you’re looking for a way to empower your teachers, decrease behavior referrals and increase academic achievement, this training is for you. Let me help you make this a reality for your school! Contact me today through my website or at akedconsult@gmail.com.

De-Escalation and Mindfulness Strategies for Kids

Posted on by alisakaczorowski in Business

One of the most popular trainings I do is all about teaching kids strategies for calming down. Why? Because one of the most widespread effects of the pandemic on our children was stress and anxiety which has lead to them having the inability to regulate their emotions. For many kids, this was difficult prior to the pandemic, but now it is the chief concern for most teachers and administrators I talk to.

In light of what our kids have experienced over the past couple of years, it is critical that we give them the tools to understand what they are feeling, why they are feeling it and what to do about those feelings. They need to be explicitly taught strategies for calming down when they are escalated, as well as strategies for helping to keep their brain and body calm.

Fortunately, this training covers exactly how to do that, in addition to:

  1. What is happening in the brain when we become escalated
  2. How to strengthen the neural pathways in the brain to be more reflective
  3. The similarities and differences between de-escalation and mindfulness strategies
  4. How to recognize, identify and label emotions
  5. Dozens of simple strategies kids (and grown-ups!) can use to calm down

If you want to give your students a toolbox full of strategies to self-regulate, as well as better understand what is happening in their brain when they become escalated, this is the perfect training for you. Reach out to me at akedconsult@gmail.com to get more details.

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!

Coming soon!!! – Indiana School Counselor and Administrator Collaboration Institute (ISCACI)

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

Calling all school leaders (principals, assistant principals), school counselors, and graduate students/alumni in school counseling and educational leadership programs! You are cordially invited to join us at the inaugural Indiana School Counselor and Administrator Collaboration Institute (ISCACI). This conference focuses on school administrator-school counselor collaboration to better meet all PK-12 student needs. Three nationally and internationally known speakers will provide workshops and a keynote, and 34 local presenters will share knowledge and resources in breakout sessions during this exciting two-day event in June at Ball State University. We hope to see you there!  

Conference information

Dates: June 13-14, 2022

Location: Ball State Alumni Center, 2800 W. Bethel Ave., Muncie, IN  47304

Website: https://ncyionline.org/conferences/iscaci/

Cost: $20 (Graduate Student) and $95 (Early Bird Regular Registration)

Meals provided: Breakfast and Lunch for Two Days

Breakout session presenters are from a variety of organizations, such as the Indiana Department of Education, Standard for Success, local Indiana school districts, Indiana Online, and much more! Breakout session topics include:

  • Student Success
  • Community Engagement
  • College & Career Readiness
  • Educational Equity 
  • Principal/Counselor Relationships

Workshop: “Integrating MTSS Into Your Comprehensive School Counselor Program (CSCP)” with Dr. Carol Dahir from New York Institute of Technology

Workshop: “Working Together to Support Students” with Dr. Leigh Bagwell who recently served with the Tennessee Department of Education.

Keynote: “How Do You View the World? A Discussion of Diversity and Equity” with Robert Jamison from Virginia Beach City Public Schools.

Please contact Dr. Rachel Geesa (rlgeesa@bsu.edu) and Dr. Theresa Kruczek (tkruczek@bsu.edu) if you have questions about the conference.

New Training Announcement! 6 Strategies for building strong connections with kids

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

I’m so excited to announce my newest training – 6 Strategies for Building Strong Connections with Kids. As I talk about in all my other trainings, building strong relationships is really the foundation for all trauma-informed care, particularly in schools.

We cannot expect to get anywhere with the students or kids we work with without first building a relationship based on mutual trust, respect and compassion. This relationship becomes the basis for digging deeper into a child’s past experiences to better understand their words, actions and behaviors. By doing this, we can then provide them with the supports they need most and set them up for success in their school and home environments.

This professional development will cover the benefits of strong relationships for both children and adults and 6 key strategies that can be used to build, strengthen and maintain strong relationships with kids. This training is applicable to just about anyone who works with kids, from teachers and social workers to school counselors and childcare workers.

The strategies that are covered (in much greater detail) are:

  1. Know Their Story
  2. Be Human
  3. We are Family
  4. Build Them Up
  5. Thoughtfully Interact
  6. Be an Advocate

Interested in learning more? Send me an email at akedconsult@gmail.com.