Today our guest is CharacterStong co-founder Houston Kraft! We talk with Houston about gratitude and how gratitude is one of the most low burden, hi impact things that we can do for our mental well being. He shares that we can start to practice gratitude by acknowledging and being aware of the good things in our lives, figuring out where they have come from, and then having this lead us to appreciation. Houston also unpacks the idea of beginning to train ourselves to look for the good things that are around us each and every day. Learn More:  Download FREE Gratitude Resources for Student ..read more

Today our guests are Brent Jurgensen and Tom Grogan.We talk to Brent and Tom about the importance of virtues and how virtues are our values in action. They share about the busyness of family life today and how we need to provide tools for both families and educators to focus on supporting students on who they want to be and what is most important to them. Brent and Tom also share why it is necessary to give students opportunities to think about, reflect on, and apply virtues in their lives. Brent Jurgensen is a 24-year veteran in the world of education and coaching. He is a graduate of the Uni ..read more

Webinar Link: 10 Powerful Moments To Get Right This School Year  Today our guest is Brandon Bakke, the Director of Secondary Education at CharacterStrong. We talk to Brandon about how intentionally making defining moments can improve the climate in our schools. He gives some practical examples of everyday events that we can elevate as we interact with students and staff. Brandon also shares 3 strategies that we can put in practice as we begin to think in moments, and he shares one way that a specific yearly milestone can be turned into a more memorable moment. Brandon Bakke is the Directo ..read more

Today our guest is Felisha Santiago the Director of MTSS at CharacterStrong. We talk to Felisha about how Environment is of the key ingredients of Tier 1 and how Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) can impact the way that students learn by establishing safe, predictable, routines. She also shares how educators bring PBIS it to life in classrooms, and what districts can to do to continue to support the work. Felisha Santiago recently served in public education overseeing PBIS, Restorative Practices and Social Emotional Learning under the MTSS Framework as a District Climate an ..read more

Today our guest is Mike Nelson, Assistant Executive Director for Professional Learning at the Washington Association of School Administrators We talk to Mike about WASA and the role that it plays in Washington in supporting Administrators. He shares the top 3 needs that his organization has heard loud and clear from educational leaders and talks about some ways leaders can help meet these needs. Michael (Mike) Nelson began his career as an elementary school teacher before becoming an elementary school principal. During his time as the principal, his elementary school received a National Blue R ..read more

Today our guest is Katherine Holden, Principal at Talent Middle School, in Talent, Oregon We talk to Katherine about ways that we can create more safe and nurturing learning environments that are calm, comfortable, and predictable. She talks about how the unpredictability of the last few years has impacted students’ learning and how helping students establish routines and structure is so important, especially in this season. Katherine Holden started teaching at Ashland High School in 2000 where she taught for ten years at the Wilderness Charter School, a school within AHS focused on sustainabi ..read more

Today our guest is Brian Miller, Principal at Chief Joseph Elementary in Great Falls Montana. We talk to Brian about his motto “Be the Story”, and how this can have a positive impact on people and the world around us. He also shares about ways they practice kindness with the staff and students at Chief Joseph Elementary by giving genuine, specific compliments. Brian T. Miller is the proud principal of Chief Joseph Elementary School located in Great Falls, Montana. He has been a principal and English teacher throughout the country as well as internationally. He is a blogger, writer, p ..read more

Today our guest is Julie Hinshaw, Director of Elementary Education at CharacterStrong We talk to Julie about the new update to CharacterStrong’s PreK-5th Grade curriculum PurposeFull People and how it has been expanded to better meet the needs of elementary schools. She outlines the 5 different activities that make up a week in the curriculum and some of the creative additions that have been added to help build core skills in students ..read more

Today our guest is Cory Notestine the Director of Continuous Improvement at CharacterStrong. We talk to Cory about selecting effective MTSS practices and he shares 3 reasons that even really good interventions fail. He overviews recency bias, treating the symptom vs the root cause, and choosing interventions that aren’t well fitted for our environment. Cory also shares how readiness and buy-in are connected and how we may need to look at buy-in differently ..read more

CharacterStrong Co-Founders John Norlin and Houston Kraft kick of season 5 talking about systems that we can put in place this year that will help us drive forward the impactful work of education. They talk about 3 goals: purpose for learning, engagement, & relationships, and give practical ways we can build systems that will help these goals come to life in our classrooms ..read more