Parent/Educator Workshops

I offer the following workshops for schools and parent groups, and I can also custom-design a workshop for your needs.

These workshops run between one and three hours. Most can be customized for only educators, only parents, or both educators and parents together.

Contact me to book a workshop for your school, parent association, or conference.

Learn about private and group coaching for parents here.

 

Can’t You All Just Get Along? Conflict Resolution with Kids

“She’s being mean to me!” “He did it on purpose!” Many of us get knots in our stomachs from trying to untie all the arguments our children or students get into! In this workshop, you’ll share the challenges you face in helping children navigate conflict, and we’ll explore high potential concepts and strategies that will reframe your approach to helping kids resolve their problems. You will learn how to get out of “fix-it” mode and thus become a powerful facilitator of conflict resolution.

We’re in This Together: Effective Conversations between Parents and Teachers

While we all agree that teachers and parents should be partners in a child’s education, too often parent-teacher communication is fraught with anxiety. In this workshop, we’ll discuss the key factors that contribute to parent-school communication challenges, and you will learn and practice techniques and skills that will reframe your conversations and empower you to conference with confidence, calm, and clarity.

Getting Stronger Every Day: Building Resilience in Children

How do we teach children to face challenges and take good care of themselves in the process? In this workshop, you’ll learn how to provide children with the tools, experiences, and scaffolding they need to build resilience. You’ll learn to help children recognize, identify, and communicate their emotions, and you’ll get concrete tools, strategies, and language to help children self-soothe and manage their intense feelings. We’ll discuss the power of interpretation and parent/teacher language in supporting a struggling child’s self-image. Discover the power of resilience models and mentors, and how (and why) to help children set resilience goals. You’ll also get tips for working with highly emotional, expressive, and sensitive children.

Working with “Mean Kids” and their Parents: Supporting a Kindness and Empathy Deficit

How do we advocate not only for the child who is being teased, but also for the child who is being unkind? In this workshop, you will have the opportunity to share your own experiences and challenges working with children who struggle with kindness. As we reframe our approach to working with these children and their parents, you will learn specific techniques to create powerful relationships and conversations with these students and to partner effectively with their parents.

Not Just Teachable Moments: Creating an Inclusive Curriculum

How can we ensure that our classrooms are intentionally inclusive, whether or not the “That’s so gay!” moments happen to spring up in any given year? Professional coach and 9-year teacher Carrie Spaulding will share the process of developing and teaching an inclusive curriculum and the response from children and families in an independent progressive community.

How Is School Today? A Coaching Workshop for Parents

Join 9-year teacher and professional coach Carrie Spaulding for an open discussion of your school experiences. Through exercises, discussion, sharing, and coaching, you will explore the challenges and possibilities of navigating your school environment. Bring your stories and wonderings!

Social/Affective Education: Giving Kids the Life Skills They Need

A child’s social and emotional tool belt impacts every aspect of his or her academic life. Just as for multiplication and writing a paragraph, children need clear instruction in social skills. By explicitly and proactively teaching children tools for social and emotional regulation, we can empower children to take better care of themselves and each other—thus improving school culture and reducing classroom management challenges. In this experiential workshop, you will learn strategies for teaching social/affective skills in the classroom and practice implementing them.

Boundaries for Educators: Taking Care of Yourself While Taking Care of Others

So many of us in the helping professions struggle with self-care and setting healthy boundaries. We provide the best service and serve as the best models to our students when we are taking good care of ourselves. Easier said than done, right? In this workshop, you’ll learn the key blocks that teachers and administrators confront in drawing boundaries, and you’ll learn specific strategies to take better care of yourself while taking care of your students. You will leave with a personalized plan that you can implement immediately for a healthier, happier, and more sustainable practice.

Improvisation for Teachers, School Leaders, and Administrators

Can be tailored for a teambuilding emphasis or for an individual emphasis, depending on your school’s needs.

Few professionals are called to perform well on their feet to the extent that educators are. In this experiential workshop, educators will learn the basic concepts and skills of improvisation, developing crucial skills while playing and having fun. Most people think improv is a skill you’re born with or not. The truth is that as educators, you improvise every single day—whether or not you are aware of it—and the skills of improvisation can be learned and practiced! Educators are communicators, leaders, presenters, facilitators, partners, colleagues, creative developers, mediators…and the list goes on. Improvisation is a highly effective way to develop the skills that are crucial to your practice.

Improvisation practice can help you, in your work with students, parents, and each other:

  • Listen well
  • Build trust
  • Collaborate effectively
  • Improve communication with students, colleagues, and parents
  • Become more comfortable and adept at thinking on your feet
  • Create and perform in the moment
  • Stay present
  • Feel more confident
  • Silence your inner critic
  • Make decisions more easily
  • Adapt to and manage change flexibly
  • Access your innate creativity
  • Resolve conflicts
  • See possibility in all “offers” from others
  • When things go “wrong,” release the need for control and let go of the picture you had in your mind

 

Feedback for Carrie’s work with students, parents, and teachers:

“With her innate inter- and intra-personal intelligence as well as consciously developed strategies, Carrie has successfully coached numerous children and their parents. Over the years Carrie has helped me numerous times to reframe issues I’ve had with my own students, given me suggestions of ways to talk with their parents, and helped improve the wording of some of these issues in the narrative reports we write.” —Teacher

“Carrie … established an effective rapport and chemistry early on. Carrie was uniquely effective at pushing [the student] outside his comfort zone while also making sure he always felt safe and confident enough to take risks. We believe strongly that Carrie immediately understood [the student]—and coached him in such a way as to bring out the absolute best in him. We could not have been more thrilled with his experience and how much he developed and grew—as a learner and a person.” —Parent 

“A noted strength of Carrie’s is her relationship building.… She is patient, sensitive, and empathetic. She encourages students to become more self-reliant, find their voice, and offers a safe haven or trusted ear to rely on. A strength of Carrie’s is to know each of her students as individuals. She takes the time to know and appreciate them as unique learners and social beings. She has been creative, passionate, and focused. As a result, the … learning experience has been positive, thought provoking, and dynamic. Carrie has been supportive and encouraging, offering advice, coaching and support to each [student]. This has helped to build strong bonds of trust and respect between her and her students… Carrie is very knowledgeable and passionate about this work; her enthusiasm and commitment were contagious.” —Associate Head of School

“Carrie provided teaching and guidance that was extremely effective for the emotional and intellectual work [the student] needed to accomplish…. With Carrie’s guidance [the student] learned how to be more personally responsible for her own academic work, and also became more proficient in academic skills. Carrie has a unique ability to make someone feel like they are one of the best people on the planet – but that because they are so great they should work that much harder, since they obviously have the ability to become even better.” —Parent

Feedback for Carrie’s recent workshops:

“Your presentation was reaffirming. I found myself switching between my parent/principal hat. You offered many, many important and practical tips.” —Elementary school principal and parent

“This workshop has really reframed my thinking about working through conflicts with my students. I am actually looking forward to working through this new process.” —Teacher

“I thought the content was awesome! Thank you for introducing me to a new concept and a new tool to put in my “tool belt”!! So prepared and so attentive to the class. Great front of the room presence! Engaging and enthusiastic about the subject matter! Left me wanting more!” Coach

“Reaffirming, reinvigorating, reinvesting in how to best handle conflict resolution with children (and adults!).” —Administrator

It was a great energy shift for me and the group. As a presenter, it was clear to me you are comfortable, relaxed and had complete knowledge of the topic. I can see the value of using some of it to create cooperation for employees. It was really ‘Fabulous’!” —Coach

“Incredibly insightful and useful. Very grateful!” —Parent

“I loved it – Carrie, your energy and enthusiasm made it a 10 in my book!!” Coach

“I learned that if you “accept” people’s points of view even if you don’t agree with them, you can have a productive conversation/debate. If you don’t accept, then walls go up, and either nothing gets done or only one person’s point of view is heard.” Workshop participant

 

Email me today for a free consultation.