Teaching our students about wellness and developing their social and emotional needs is becoming more and more necessary. The ARTS can be an integral part of this learning for them. During our time, we will explore SEAL strategies and techniques that can be integrated into what we do with students to promote their well-being and build their social-emotional competencies.

As always, this PD is Teacher-Centered, meaning we will experience these art forms for ourselves and how they can develop our own Social-Emotional Competencies. After all, our motto remains that we need to GET Inspired in order to BE Inspiring!

Instructors and Workshops

Overview

Each year, other teachers and artists join Elizabeth to bring amazing SEAL workshops starting on Friday evening.  Later that night, you are invited to enjoy the company of others with a glass of wine and take advantage of the retreat center’s hot tub and sauna.  And if you want even MORE SEAL fun, be sure to join us for a “Night Owl” workshop.

Dinner is included on Friday evening and breakfast and lunch are prepared for us on Saturday.  Weather permitting we will have a special outdoor drumming circle.

Saturday will be filled with great SEAL experiences that you will want to bring back to your school, classroom or office.  Not to mention, you will get so much out of this for yourself!

We will end our time together as we reflect the SEAL activities that developed both arts skills and social-emotional competencies. Discussions will be had about how this all plays out in our schools and classrooms: how our experiences with Teacher-Centered PD will feed what we do with our own students.

Instructors

Elizabeth Peterson, C.A.G.S. (Arts, Leadership and Learning) arts integration specialist, elementary teacher and founder of The Inspired Classroom has been designing Teacher-Centered PD for years.  Her philosophy is steeped in the idea that teachers need to be inspired in order to be inspiring to their students.  She will lead the retreat from the beginning to the end, intertwining the ideas of wellness and the social-emotional competencies into all the SEAL activities.

This year, Elizabeth is joined by Erin Warren, repeater retreater and art teacher living in Southern New Hampshire. She got her bachelor’s degree in Art Education from Plymouth State University and has worked as a florist, photographer, para educator and now as a K-8 Art Teacher in Haverhill, MA. Erin has also taught several workshops to both adults and children through the Merrimack NH YMCA and the Durham NH Parks and Recreation department focusing on photography, graphic design, and recycled arts.

Workshops

Wish Flags – This amazing SEAL project will build self and social awareness while building relationships among the retreaters!  Each retreater will create 1-3 wish flags on fabric using modified tie dye and stamping methods.  Each flag will represent a wish or hope for the future and will be strung together in a wonderful display to use for meaningful reflection.

The Meaning Behind the Screaming – In this workshop, we will take a close listen to a genre of music that can tell us so much of what is going on inside some of our students.  Carefully chosen songs will be analyzed and discussed and current songs that send a positive message will end this rockin’ workshop.

“Night Owl” Workshop – Want more fun?  Late at night, we will share some materials and create together.

Morning Yoga – Start the next day with some refreshing, centering yoga.

Inside the Eye – Inspired by Rene Magritte’s painting “The False Mirror,” this project focuses on how the “sky” portion of the eye in the painting is not a reflection, but rather a view inside of the person.  Retreaters will create their own eye image of self-awareness and self-management illustrating what one would see if they could see inside you.

Hanging wish flags