Why do you believe SEL and EQ are important?
Taking care of our emotional and mental well-being is essential to our overall health. Having a positive attitude and feeling empowered to take responsibility for our lives and tackle the struggles before us will help us focus on energy on what we can do rather than what we can’t. It is easy to become overwhelmed, frustrated, and depressed when there is so much change in our lives, committing to practices that will help to recharge and renew the mind will provide us with the energy we need to create our masterpiece.
Do you have any personal anecdotes about how SEL/EQ has brought you success in your personal life/career?
As a young girl I struggled with negative, worrisome thoughts and didn’t know how to escape these unfavorable judgements about myself, others, and the world. Once I began the practice of changing the negative stories I had been telling myself and transforming my inner dialogue into more positive speech, I began to see my world change. Instead of focusing on what I perceived as negative, I began to place my attention on the positive and I observed the good things expand in my life. In my new book, The Beauty Underneath the Struggle ~Creating Your B.U.S Story, I share with readers how to embrace struggles as wonderful opportunities to connect with your purpose. We are the ones who give meaning to people and events around us, therefore we can create a positive experience or a negative one – the choice is ours.
What do you believe to be one or two of the main challenges in education (K-8) today?
One of the main challenges in our schools today is creating and sustaining positive culture. Because culture starts first in the mind, educators must be aware that each person that enters their building/classroom has their own personal goals, values, and perceptions of the world. In order to create a safe, positive learning environment that supports and values all people, we become more aware of how our own thoughts, values, and beliefs impact our personal growth and success as well those we serve (students and families). Being able to embrace an open mindset will provide educators with the opportunity to see and experience the world through a variety of lenses that will lead to more innovative ways to address many of the challenges in our schools.
Conversely, what do you believe to be one or two of the biggest opportunities in education (K-8) today? Student Leadership and Teacher Leadership. Leadership extends beyond a title or a position, it is taking 100% responsibility for your ideas, choices, and behaviors. Imagine for a moment a world in which there was very little blaming and complaining, and people who actually took responsibility for the problems they see around them. Developing a leadership mindset in schools, will not only encourage leaders and educators to feel empowered to make change, but will also encourage students as young as five years of age to do the same.