KindSight 101

What do business and generosity have in common? How does someone grappling with their own mortality bounce forward stronger than ever, with a newfound understanding of what matters in life? How do we teach what truly matters to our own children through our honest modelling? In this very special episode, you’ll meet Ruban Rebalkin, a loving father, husband and the Owner and operator of Tumblebums (a local toddler playcentre business that saved my sanity on numerous occasions when my two were little. I invited Ruben onto KindSight 101 because his story of resilience, courage, and faith is inspiring to anyone-parents, teachers, humans alike. He overcame some of the most challenging circumstances, bounced forward, and continues on to pay-it-forward to the community through the work that he does serving families. He provides hope for those going through dark times and does it with grace and humour. This story has the power to shift a person’s perspective on what matters in life and the importance of generosity in

Have you ever wondered what to do when a child in your class has a learning disability? How does one adequately ensure that the child maintains a strong sense of self, in spite of the fact that he or she may feel as though he/she is losing a race. What about parents? How do we support parents in navigating the rocky terrain related to having a child with learning difficulties? If you've ever taught or had a child with learning challenges, you're going to love this conversation. You'll learn some of the practical adaptations you can do at home and school. You'll also learn the one thing you'll need heading into a parent-teacher conference. Delphine Rule is the mother of three children, two of whom have ADHD as well as learning disabilities. And she, herself, has a learning disability. She has spent the last 14 years working with students with learning challenges, both in and out of the classroom. Parents often have questions that are not always answered. Her goal is to be that support and sounding board for f

If you want to make a big impact on those around you, to truly make positive change in your school, workplace, and community, check out this game-changing episode with the one and only, Dr. Jody Carrington! In this episode, we talk about trauma, ways to connect with the kids in our lives, and some of the ways we can take care of ourselves along the way. Jody is a passionate believer in the power of the relationship with the people we love, lead, and teach. Her favorite thing on the planet to do is to speak with educators – they have the power to change the trajectory of a life every single day. It is time, she believes, that we need to start focusing less on Kids These Days, and more on those of you who hold them. The core of everything she speaks and writes about comes down to this: We are wired to do hard things. We can do those hard things so much easier when we remember this: We are wired for connection. Jody Carrington is a clinical psychologist, mom, wife, author, minor hockey coach, and game changer. S

Deep down, most educational organizations care for their employees and students, and they want to keep up with new human rights policies and best practice, but when it comes to gender diversity in the workplace and school, many of us aren’t always sure how to proceed. In this episode, I talk with transgender educator Kingsley Strudwick, founder of Ambit Gender Diversity Consulting, which was initiated as a natural continuation of the work he’s been doing for the past ten years in the anti-violence and community engagement sectors. We discuss the complicated relationship of gender and sexual identity and tangible ways to create inclusive learning spaces. You can connect with him on twitter, Instagram, and facebook by searching AGDC or Ambit Gender Diversity Consulting.

This is the kindness activity I have always been looking for. It offers the perfect mix of kindness, student agency, and inquiry. I am ALL in. What is it, you ask? The Kindness Expo...a chance for students to showcase their kindnesses to people in their lives in order to make a difference in the world and inspire others to join in! As you know by now, kindness is my jam. I am always on the hunt for fabulous ideas and innovative strategies for infusing meaningful kindness into my practice as a teacher, for the 21-Day Kindness Challenge, and in my everyday life as a mom, wife and friend. Today’s guest has a true passion for kindness, will leave you feeling inspired, excited to take on your own kindness projects with the people you serve in your life. You will come away with dozens of easy-to-implement ideas for mobilizing kindness in your life, school, and workplace! Tamara Letter is a mom, tech integrator for her district, educator, and recent author of the incredible book, A Passion for Kindness. You can find

It’s 2007. Shutter shades are all the rage. People have to juggle ipods and flip phones for their respective music and T9 texting needs. Facebook is replacing My space. Transformers has just come out on the big screen. Picture a ninth-grade boy in Cambridge, Nova Scotia, Canada. One frosty February morning about, he enters his school wearing a pink shirt. The jeers start quietly, as people nudge and elbow one another, snickering under their breaths. Pink shirt. He’s unaware until louder, the quiet jeering quickly gains momentum, raucous name calling ensues, and the taunting continues relentlessly throughout the day. The boy, who entered his high-school that day, unaware that a singular colour could make him feel so wrong, emerges, crushed by the barrage of cruel insults and bullying. Thankfully, two Grade 12 students Travis Price and David Sheppard decide to take an iconic stand against bullying that day. They go to a nearby discount store and buy 50 pink shirts, including tank tops, to wear to school the nex

About Tamara She is a mom. Raising three children provides endless opportunities for reflection as you discover what works (and what doesn’t!) for each of the little personalities you are trying to shape. Tamara’s parenting stories are sparked by observations and interactions as her children learn and grow. She is an educator. Tamara began her teaching career in 1997 with Clark County School District in Las Vegas, NV. Since that time, she’s educated children, teachers, parents and district leaders through my work with Shelby County Schools in Memphis, TN, Staunton City Schools in Staunton, VA, and Hanover County Public Schools in Ashland, VA. Her professional experiences include serving as an elementary classroom teacher, a Differentiation Specialist and a technology integrator. She was named 2019 Mechanicsville Elementary Teacher of the Year and an R.E.B. Award for Teaching Excellence finalist (with final designations announced November 2018!) She currently hold a masters degree in Educational Leadership wit

Jody is a passionate believer in the power of the relationship with the people we love, lead, and teach. Her favorite thing on the planet to do is to speak with educators – they have the power to change the trajectory of a life every single day. It is time, she believes, that we need to start focusing less on Kids These Days, and more on those of you who hold them. The core of everything she speaks and writes about comes down to this: We are wired to do hard things. We can do those hard things so much easier when we remember this: We are wired for connection. Jody Carrington is a clinical psychologist, mom, wife, author, minor hockey coach, and game changer. She grew up in rural Alberta and was inspired by a teacher, way back when, to pursue a career in psychology. She received her undergraduate degree (with distinction) from the University of Alberta, and her Masters Degree and PhD from the University of Regina, in Saskatchewan, Canada. After completing her residency in Nova Scotia, Canada, she spent ten yea

George Couros is a leading educator in the area of innovation leadership, teaching, and learning. He has worked with all levels of the K-12 school system, as a teacher, technology facilitator, and school and district administrator. He is the author of the book, The Innovator’s Mindset and writes the blog, The Principal of Change, has done a ted talk, hosts his own podcast, and is a well-respected speaker. He is also the creator of connectedprincipals.com and is a contributor to edutopia.com. You can connect with him on twitter, Instagram, facebook and other social media by typing @gcouros or by searching his name. In this episode, we talk about the power of encouraging our learners and educators to be problem finders and solvers, what it takes to develop an innovator’s mindset, and the distinction between what it means to engage vs. empower our students. You'll learn how two simple questions are the key to changing student behaviour for the better. We dig deep into meaningful ways to motivate our school com

Laurie McIntosh is an incredible kindergarten educator based out of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada who dedicates herself to teaching her students to be kind through kindness cape superhero missions. A kindness superhero herself, she has been featured on The Ellen Show and has started The Kind Club, an international kindness club that any teacher can join with their class. She mobilizes kindness through her blog and social media where you can find her @lauriesmcintosh @MrsMacsKinders @the_kind_club. I hope you feel as inspired as I did after this conversation! Here's a clip of her Ellen Show appearance. Here's her class being featured in 2018 for the great work they do in their community. Here's a link to her blog. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram to keep up with all of the amazing work that she does!

Ever wonder how the physical classroom environment can promote inclusion? In this episode you'll learn to make your students feel comfortable and build their trust through the way you adapt your classroom environment. Dr. Rebecca Alber is an Instructor at UCLA's Graduate School of Education, a literacy specialist, a consulting editor at Edutopia, a compulsive reader, passionate about learning being relevant, engaging, and revolutionary and she dips into the Pacific as often as possible. you can find her on twitter @Wordlib or by searching Dr. Rebecca Alber. You can also find her work on edutopia.org

Hi Everyone! Thank you so much for all of your lovely reviews and kind words about KindSight 101. It's been such a blast and I've enjoyed hearing how much this show impacts your life. I have a call to action. Pink Shirt Day is February 27th and I'd like to feature some fresh new ideas that teachers can use in their classrooms to boost kindness leading up to this special day. If you want to get involved, here's what you can do: With your smart phone, record one or a few of your favourite ideas, resources, activities, books, and lessons you like to explore with your kids at school or home to reinforce kindness. Email the audio file to smallactbigimpact21days@gmail.com In your email, make sure to state your name, where you're from, and the main idea behind your audio. I'd love to feature you on the KindSight 101 podcast! Many thanks and please feel free to share the podcast with your friends and PLN. Morgane Michael smallactbigimpact.com

In Part three of my interview with Stefanie Faye Frank, we talk about the importance of developing beginners mind as teachers as a way to teach growth mindset from the context of our own authentic experiences. Sounds scary right? Nope…it doesn’t have to be. Stefanie shares a few easy and tangible ways that you can train your brain to be more adaptable, whether you want to help your students to grow or you want to develop beginner’s mind yourself. Struggle is an essential part of learning. Lean in. About Stephanie: WHAT I DO I show leaders how to help their staff adopt flexible mindsets, become more willing to learn, experiment, and tap into their brain’s highest levels of creative problem-solving. I combine my award-winning research at NYU, and fieldwork at the NYU Institute for Prevention Science, Phelps Lab for Neuroscience Research, the Department of Defense, Albert Einstein College of Medicine with training from meditation masters from India, Africa and Vietnam, and over a decade of counseling, consulting

In Part two of my interview with Stefanie Faye Frank, we explore the dark side of growth mindset and why it’s important to go beyond the superficial teaching of adaptability. We discuss some of the physiological clues that suggest whether a student in experiencing fight, flight or freeze and how to become more aware of our own body language in order to create a safe environment for our students. We discuss top down extremism, which is the belief that our success lies in our ability to control our own thoughts, rewrite our stories. While this can be a powerful model, it’s important to remember that someone’s adverse and traumatic experiences can make it extremely challenging to reframe their thinking. Therefore, thinking alone is not always enough to overcome adversity. We need to be advocates for creating better circumstances at home and within the classroom so that our students can be healthy, happy learners. We learned that when someone is in physiological distress or in a triggered stress response, they ex

In part one of my interview with Stefanie Faye Frank, we discuss how the factory model of education and our behaviorist stimulus-response approach to teaching is holding our students back from being able to compete within the new connection economy. We discuss the importance of running our classroom like an innovation lab, where failing fast is important and taking risks through vulnerability and emotional labour is key to developing the adaptability our students need to be successful in the future. The old model of education celebrated obedience over creativity, promoted stereotyping vs individuality, and resulted in a system that rewarded people for following instructions to spec. The truth is that our students need a different set of skills, they need adaptability and we can help them to develop it through personalization of education. Listen to the next two episodes with Stefanie Faye Frank for our deep dive into how to develop growth mindset in our students and how to create classrooms that celebrate ada

In this episode, you'll hear how Simon Sinek's brainchild Start with Why empowers teachers and educational leaders to see, hear, and seek to understand their students in order to create cultures of belonging and safety in schools. I speak with Stephen Shedletzky about kindness, the golden circle (finding your "why"), and the circle of safety. About Stephen: In his engaging and dynamic style, Stephen speaks, leads workshops and coaches leaders and organizations to discover, articulate and live their Why. Stephen has worked with clients all over the world in education, aerospace, banking, healthcare, consumer products, hospitality, government and real estate. Topics we explore: Kindness- What does kindness mean in the context of educational leadership? (Leaders Eat Last) How can a teacher or educational leader use the golden circle (Why, How, What) to focus on what matters in schools (the KIDS!)? Why it's important to focus on the nurturing the whole person within our schools and organizations. How c

In this episode, I explore the concept of homelessness, toxic masculinity, and a revolutionary way of bridging the gap between those living in privilege and marginalized individuals with Marko, the founder of the Existence Project. MARKO (Founder of the Existence Project) A creative, adaptive, self-starter with an aptitude for social enterprise, Marko passionately dedicates his energy and skills towards helping those in need. Recognizing the importance of connection in his own life, The Existence Project is an extension of a greater calling to build empathy and humanity within the communities we care about. Contact: marko@theexistenceproject.ca Or on social media @theexistenceproject The Existence Project runs storytelling workshops for marginalized people and community members who care: students, professional creatives and changemakers. Each workshop features a storyteller with a transformative experience of poverty, mental illness, addiction, or trauma. After a group discussion we build relationship to the

Whether you call it compassion fatigue, compassion burnout, or empathic distress, being on the front lines with those experiencing distress or trauma is taxing, emotionally. Often nurses, teachers, and community service employees suffer from this affliction, but there are ways to protect yourself and beat empathic distress. Listen, as Dr. Alber shares her tips for overcoming compassion fatigue so that you can give with a whole heart. Dr. Rebecca Alber is an Instructor at UCLA's Graduate School of Education, a literacy specialist, a consulting editor at Edutopia, a compulsive reader, passionate about learning being relevant, engaging, and revolutionary and she dips into the Pacific as often as possible. you can find her on twitter @Wordlib or by searching Dr. Rebecca Alber. You can also find her work on edutopia.org

“Creative thinking is the fuel for getting things going. Dreaming about the project is a huge part of the process. The actual 'doing' requires following through on the dream, but the dream is the rough sketch. I encourage people to ponder and conjure the vision, but eventually I'll nudge you to "prove your groove." Don't just say you are a writer... Write. Don't just dream about making a film... Pick up the camera and go!” Have you ever wondered how to empower the dreamers in your life to be the fullest expressions of themselves? To take audacious leaps? To connect with their passion in a meaningful way to serve the world? In this episode, you’ll learn the 4 questions you can ask to connect students with their purpose, the top two ways anyone can generate new and creative ideas, and the most important question everyone should be asking themselves in order to live a life of joyful intention. I am thrilled about this remarkable interview, with the best-selling, award-winning author, Peter H. Reynolds.

We all want to teach our students to be kind, but sometimes doing so explicitly can be harder than it looks. In this episode, you'll hear 3 tangible, actionable, and easy ways to teach kindness within the classroom that you can implement starting today. Dr. Rebecca Alber is an Instructor at UCLA's Graduate School of Education, a literacy specialist, a consulting editor at Edutopia, a compulsive reader, passionate about learning being relevant, engaging, and revolutionary and she dips into the Pacific as often as possible. you can find her on twitter @Wordlib or by searching Dr. Rebecca Alber. You can also find her work on edutopia.org