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This week’s post:
it’s not about being a therapist
You wear so many hats as a teacher! I remember years ago seeing something like this (way pre-Covid) and thinking, "Yup! That's about right." If you've ever felt under the pressure of all these labels, you're not alone. And if you've ever wanted to shed a label or...
Recent Articles
it’s not about being a therapist
You wear so many hats as a teacher! I remember years ago seeing something like this (way pre-Covid) and thinking, "Yup! That's about right." If you've ever felt under the pressure of all these labels, you're not alone. And if you've ever wanted to shed a label or...
Who is arts integration REALLY for?
You have probably heard me tooting the horn of Teacher-Centered PD. (And I will probably never stop!) Because here's the thing - our professional development is Teacher-Centered for a reason. It gets US inspired so that (finish the sentence with me) --> we can be...
Healing Through Art
Is art the key to better mental health? Expressing yourself through art has proven again and again to have a positive impact on one's physical and mental health. What is art therapy? To put it simply, art therapy is: “the application of visual arts in a...
SEL Trilogy
Social-Emotional Learning is a topic that continues to grow and evolve in and around schools. Binge this trilogy of SEL videos as I discuss the status of teaching SEL in our schools and what is and is NOT social-emotional learning. Video #1: Let's Ban SEL | No...
6 Types of Art Therapy Exercises for the Classroom (and Some Examples)
In recent years, the need to address students' social and emotional needs have grown. Now is the perfect time to focus on beneficial and creative activities for your students. Art is excellent for mental health, and art therapy is a perfect choice to combat today’s...
5 Tools to Help You Integrate the ARTs with SEL
Social Emotional Learning or SEL is something that we ALL need to embrace if we are going to make a difference in our students’ learning. It's one of those things that every teacher is learning how to incorporate into their everyday teaching. In this article, I’m...
The (not so) Secret to SEL
One of the most common questions I get from other teachers is, “What’s the most important part of SEAL?” At first, I had to really think. Is it the artistic experiences? Or the explicit teaching? Or being proactive? But real the answer is so simple, it almost seems...
How Arts Can Help Improve Mental Health
Taking a painting class or visiting a museum can improve your health and transform your life. Now that we are in the middle of a pandemic, millions of people are turning to art to get opportunities for expression or find a creative outlet. Attraction to art can also...
Who Is Your Starfish?
Who is your starfish? I’ve been asked a few times about the starfish that appear behind me in videos and maybe you’ve noticed them too! There's meaning there and I can't wait to tell you more.The significance to these starfish actually have something to do with SEAL:...
Arts Integration Frame of Mind
Have your students ever asked to do something and you wanted to say, "NO" right away? But then you hesitate... And think, "What's the best thing to do in this situation?" That's happened to me before. I remember one year, I had a couple of students who really wanted...