In a world that doesn’t always understand kids,
how can we help them thrive?
For Teachers and Schools
Through interactive workshops, I support adults to reach, encourage, and advocate for young people struggling to find their way through systems that weren’t built with their needs and identities in mind.
With decades of experience in K-12 teaching, school counseling, teacher training, and direct service, I really get it. I’m here to help you hone your own approach and better understand your students so you can build resilience and improve everyone’s day-to-day well-being.
For kids managing hard life experiences and transitions, school isn’t always the first priority.
But by learning to succeed in school, they build essential muscles—like collaboration, motivation, and problem-solving—that make them steadier in adulthood.
So how do we help struggling students and overwhelmed teachers?
We can start with relationships— when kids feel heard and learn to trust others, they develop the confidence to pursue their own interests. Similarly, when educators can approach teaching with authenticity, rather than relying on canned strategies, they build real bonds that set the stage for them to feel more effective and empowered at school. It’s often the little things that make the biggest difference for students.
I help EDUCATORS & School support staff
Create identity-affirming environments.
School is one of the first places we formally learn which of our identities are welcome and which to hide. When we teach with our whole selves and fill our schools with diverse resources that are culturally relevant, accessible, and identity-affirming, we invite students to bring all of themselves to school—setting the stage for authentic learning.
My trainings focus on teaching practices that improve engagement and social-emotional development. My approach helps educators leverage their own strengths and effectively support students as learners and as people.
Design accessible learning opportunities.
When I was a kid, teachers taught and we were supposed to listen. The ones who fell in line were praised and those who didn’t were given negative labels. While we may not be able to overhaul the entire educational system (one step at a time…), we can adjust settings to meet the needs of learners—and educators.
Addressing individual challenges and diverse learning needs through a big-picture lens is a powerful way to rethink how standardized systems have left certain kids behind. It can also address issues like teacher retention, admin burnout, and educational access.
Understand trauma in the classroom.
More and more students are arriving at school with complex life experiences, traumas, and emotional baggage that interferes with their readiness to learn. Our students’ behavior shows us that traditional teaching methods, our old bag of tricks, aren’t cutting it anymore. We want our students to feel understood and empowered.
Tending to traumatized students can feel like an extra responsibility, on top of teaching, but it doesn’t have to be. Small tweaks to the classroom environment and our communication— and minor adjustments to the lens through which we view our students and their tough behaviors— can often pay big dividends.
Make the most of their professional development.
There’s nothing worse than boring PD. I engage educators, administrators, caregivers, and social workers in experiential professional development, offering them opportunities to practice, experiment, and share their wisdom with one another.
I know what it’s like to be in a school or classroom all day. My goal is to give you skills that you can use immediately, while at the same time, providing a learning space where everyone can feel safe to bring their concerns and challenges. My webinars, interactive workshops, virtual support groups, training sessions, and conversations bring people together to share good ideas.