Owning It: Proven Strategies to Ace & Embrace Teaching

Monday
November 9, 2020
4:00-5:00 pm

Alex Kajitani
@AlexKajitani

Twenty years ago, Alex Kajitani was a struggling new teacher in one of California’s poorest neighborhoods. His students seemed unmotivated, unengaged and uninterested in what he was teaching. Demoralized and desperate, he set out on a journey to turn his class, and his life, around.

Today, Alex holds the title of California Teacher of the Year and Top-4 Finalist for National Teacher of the Year, 2009, and is lauded for his motivation, innovation and “real talk” on what it takes to effectively manage a classroom, engage students, teach procedures and routines and create a culture where teachers and students are at their best, especially in the current environment where blending remote and in-person learning is essential and critical.

Alex’s journey – from frustrated new teacher to being honored at The White House – is one he now shares across the country, to inspire educators (especially new teachers!) to new heights and fresh ways of thinking about the jobs we do and the students we serve. His message of “Owning It” resonates deeply, and will set new teachers on the immediate path to success.

Session Follow-Up:
Monday, November 16, 2020
Alex will be available for new teachers to discuss anything from his presentation the previous week, in an “Office Hours”-style format. In addition, participants are invited and encouraged to contact Alex throughout the school year to ask additional questions as needed!

Creating a Culture of Consistency for EVERY Classroom

Monday
December 7, 2020
4:00-5:00 pm

Chelonnda Seroyer
@cseroyer

This session will give teachers highly effective, research-based strategies that support them in creating a school culture that ensures both students and teachers are provided with the structure and consistency they need to be successful. They’ll gain effective teaching and relationship-building techniques within the context of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. And they’ll learn to communicate the importance of a structured school environment for both student growth and healthy relationships with all students.

In addition, new teachers will be encouraged to identify areas that are currently causing them to have “less than effective” classroom management. Then, Chelonnda will provide them with ideas and resources they can use to address these issues and create a structured learning environment so students feel safe and achieve in school. This presentation will include practical information along with real-life examples and stories from her personal journey in the world of education. New teachers will leave feeling inspired, empowered, and motivated to continue the school year with a renewed energy to help their students succeed!

Session Follow-Up:
Monday, December 14, 2020
Chelonnda will be available for new teachers to discuss anything from her presentation the previous week, in an “Office Hours”-style format. In addition, participants are invited and encouraged to contact Chelonnda throughout the school year to ask additional questions as needed!

What I Learned AFTER My Credential Program

Monday
January 11, 2021
4:00-5:00 pm

Alan Sitomer
@AlanSitomer

Using Humor, Music, Poetry, Social Media, and Scaffolds to Make Pedagogy Powerfully Connect

Today’s students are worldly, wired and widely exposed to a host of trans-media literacy influences. Today’s students also have an average attention span less than that of a goldfish. So how does a modern-day, early-career educator make it all work? Discover how to bring rigorous academic material to life in a manner which is exciting, engaging and even cross-curricular (The Holy Grail, right?). Dynamic instruction and meeting the mandates of a standards-based curriculum do not have to be mutually exclusive. Discover how to have your academic cake and eat it to, two and too!

In this session, attendees will learn how to:

• tap the power of diverse literacies using good ol’ fashioned fun

• build bridges of relevance and accessibility to a bevy of challenging text types

• favorite closed restaurant (Just seeing if you are still reading!) :-)m to transmit yourself through the internet and into the kitchen of your use Zoo

The goal of this session is to provide "take-away" tools immediately usable in the classroom (as well as the theory behind the research-based best practices which will be presented). Engendering success for participants is the primary aim. That, plus smiles.

Session Follow-Up:
Monday, January 18, 2021
Alan will be available for new teachers to discuss anything from his presentation the previous week, in an “Office Hours”-style format. In addition, participants are invited and encouraged to contact Alan throughout the school year to ask additional questions as needed!

Transformational Emotional Intelligence for New Teachers

Monday
February 1, 2021
4:00-5:00 pm

Dorina Sackman-Ebuwa
@Dorina_BELIEVE

In this new environment of remote and distance learning, an increased amount of pressure has been placed on teachers (new teachers especially) to ensure that students are safe, equitably educated, and loved. It has also resulted in teachers experiencing heightened levels of stress far beyond recent years.

In this highly interactive and engaging session, Dorina will lead new teachers in learning about Transformational Emotional Intelligence (TEI) and how, with personal and professional reflective practice, they can learn to appropriately respond to the current world around them, while effectively and efficiently educating ALL children with equity and empathy.

Specific topics covered will include:

• How emotional intelligence impacts teachers, teaching and school culture.

• The importance of teachers’ awareness of their own emotional intelligence and why it is vital to succeed in today’s e-educational environment.

• The relationship between emotional intelligence and how it transforms teacher practice and everyday happiness (so they’ll return the following year!).

Session Follow-Up:
Monday, February 8, 2021
Dorina will be available for new teachers to discuss anything from her presentation the previous week, in an “Office Hours”-style format. In addition, participants are invited and encouraged to contact Dorina throughout the school year to ask additional questions as needed!