Arkansas A.W.A.R.E.

Welcome to season 5 of Arkansas A.W.A.R.E.! De-escalation is one of our most frequently requested workshops and in this episode we touch on some of the high points.  How do we prevent challenging situations from getting worse?  What can we do to bring the temperature down?  Do you have a cover over your big red button? Join Betsy Kindall and Nicole Fairchild as they discuss issues related to menta...

Welcome to season 5 of Arkansas A.W.A.R.E.! Today we talk about how executive functioning skills develop, and the relationship between those skills and emotional intelligence.  When it comes to executive functioning skills, The Harvard Center for the Developing Child says, “Children are not born with these skills -they are born with the potential to develop them.”  How do we build them in our stud...

Welcome to season 5 of Arkansas A.W.A.R.E.! Have you ever wanted a student to change their behavior?  What works?  Lectures?  Threats?  Punishment?  Incentives? Motivational Interviewing is a particular way of talking with people that strengthens their own commitment to change.   We provide a 6 hour professional development on this interesting topic and we want to give you a quick episode so you c...

Welcome to season 5 of Arkansas A.W.A.R.E.! We have a resource for you!  In this episode we introduce you to the HIPAA/FERPA primer with the help of Cheria McDonald, the state school nurse consultant.  This is a tricky issue, and we’re not lawyers, but we think the primer will be a helpful resource to turn to when you have questions. You can find it on our website!   Just click on the HIPAA/FERPA...

Welcome to season 5 of Arkansas A.W.A.R.E.! Do high school students need play?  The students say yes, and the staff agree.  Listen to this episode to find out some of the ways the Valley Springs School District has made their building a “work-hard, play-hard” environment. Thank you to Dr. Kyle Mallett - Superintendent, Angie Bogle - High School Principal, and Scarlett Williams - High School Counse...

Welcome to season 5 of Arkansas A.W.A.R.E.! The Valley Springs School District decided to go phone-free early in the summer of 2024.  In this episode they talk about why they went phone-free, their implementation plan, and how it is going.  We also hear from them about class engagement, how the building feels and how discipline situations have been impacted.  Believe it or not, they might even be...

Welcome to season 5 of Arkansas A.W.A.R.E.! Wow.  Listen with us as we learn how it is going for a few local high school students from a district that went phone-free.  The students discuss school climate, bullying, stress-levels, and engagement in the classroom.  One of these amazing young people said, “Cell phones make us selfish.”  The student perspective is so important! Thank you to Abigail,...

Welcome to season 5 of Arkansas A.W.A.R.E.! We are in a series of episodes discussing The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt.  How have video games and social media shaped our young people?  Is there a connection between their mental health and this technology use?  Are we truly “forever elsewhere”?  Join Betsy Kindall...

Welcome to season 5 of Arkansas A.W.A.R.E.! We are in a series of episodes discussing The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt.  In this episode we focus on the role of free play and talk about how this applies to our everyday work in K-12 schools.  We encourage schools to consider some of the ideas from the book about r...

Welcome to season 5 of Arkansas A.W.A.R.E.! We have been reading The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt.  We couldn’t wait to talk about this with you!  In this episode talk about a few of our key takeaways from this book.  Join us as we reminisce about the beginning of the internet and compare this to our experiences...

CTSSC Academy Day Welcome to season 4 of Arkansas A.W.A.R.E.! Join the conversation anywhere you listen to podcasts! Join Betsy Kindall, Nicole Fairchild, and Stacy Moore as they discuss issues related to mental health in education. Their conversations are witty and relate-able, simultaneously shedding light on issues that can sometimes be hard to confront or understand. These episodes are chunked...

Boosting Morale Just this morning I heard, "I can't wait until Spring Break." It's that time of the year! In this episode we talk about ways we can boost morale in our buildings. Whether you are in charge or not, there are things you can do to make your school a place people want to be....even at the end of February!! We would love to hear what is working in your environment. Let us know by commen...

Coaching & Self-Awareness Coaching is a powerful way to gain more self-awareness. Too often coaching is seen as punitive, or only something you need if you're new, or if you are struggling as an educator. In so many other fields having a coach is simply a sign that you want to be better!...that you want feedback and you are looking for progress. Today we talk about how to gain more self-awaren...

Is it Me? Have you ever asked yourself, "is it me?" when you're having a difficult time with a student or behavior management in the classroom? Self-awareness is critical to our ability to make the kinds of changes we're always talking about. Today we talk about the very real struggle of managing your own shame response while managing a classroom. Does shame ever override your social skills as an...

Like or Value We were iced in with you all last week and we’re coming to you from our home offices! Today Betsy joins the conversation and wants some clarification on what we mean by “like” your students. For some people, maybe “value” is a better word because “liking” every single student seems like an unattainable dream. Has our definition of “like” changed with the influence of social media? We...

Attention Seeking Welcome to season 4 of Arkansas A.W.A.R.E.! How do you know when someone likes you? Does it take a lot of emotional energy or bonding to get to that point? "Every time you make eye contact, or you don't, your body language, all of it is relationship building. You don't have an option. You're doing it. It's not optional. It's not extra." Listen in as we talk about what it takes to...

Attention Seeking Welcome to season 4 of Arkansas A.W.A.R.E.! Why do students seek attention? "They just want attention." Just??? Is it negative to need attention? Is it unnecessary? They shouldn't need attention?... Let's talk about it! Join us on the Arkansas AWARE podcast. "What's the amount that you need, that I can give, that will fill you up and not drain me?" Join Betsy Kindall, Nicole Fair...

Lagging Skills Welcome to season 4 of Arkansas A.W.A.R.E.! When we think about challenging behaviors in the classroom, we think about lagging skills. How does this perspective impact you as you problem-solve the best ways to intervene? Join Nicole and Stacy as they talk it through. Join Betsy Kindall, Nicole Fairchild, and Stacy Moore as they discuss issues related to mental health in education. T...

Stories from Local Champions Today we have four guests! We wanted to hear a little more from people who have spent their lives being champions for kids. Ryane Owens-Sorey talks about tapping into her passion to be a champion in a local school district and now using that passion to begin her work with the AWARE team as a Regional Trainer. Andrea Fortner, Guidance and Counseling Coordinator, discuss...

Special Holiday Episode #2 Happy Holidays Everybody! Thanks for tuning in. We wanted to bring you a little "blast from the past." This is one of our episodes that are in the archives about resiliency and we just thought it might be a relevant listen during the holiday break. We hope you enjoy! Distinguishing Self-Care and Resilience Last week you heard an episode that was recorded live at the Coor...

Special Holiday Episode #1 Happy Holidays Everybody! Thanks for tuning in. We wanted to bring you a little "blast from the past." This is one of our episodes that are in the archives about resiliency and we just thought it might be a relevant listen during the holiday break. We hope you enjoy! What is the Difference Between Resilience and Powering Through? Do you know the difference? We talk about...

Why would you want to tolerate distress? Honestly. I just want *no distress.* Zero distress, please. Distress tolerance skills are necessary! If we don't have good ones then we'll use bad ones!! We'll talk about all this and we will explain the circles in this image. Join us for a fun episode with Betsy, Nicole and Donnie! Welcome to season 4 of Arkansas A.W.A.R.E.! Join Betsy Kindall, Nicole Fair...

Today we interview Kelli Martin and Tricia Benish from the Greenbrier School District. Listen in as we talk about how Greenbrier has found champions for positive behavior change and mental wellbeing in schools and what they are doing about it! Welcome to season 4 of Arkansas A.W.A.R.E.! Join Betsy Kindall, Nicole Fairchild, and Stacy Moore as they discuss issues related to mental health in educati...

Tier 2 behavior interventions are an area of growth for most of our schools. We have Tier 1, we have SBMH for Tier 3… but what can we do in-between there? Today we walk through several Tier 2 interventions and how it could be possible to “check the box” and do the intervention but get NO WHERE. We discuss the ways these interventions can go wrong and what the goals really are. There is more magic...

Have you ever tried, intentionally, to underreact? Can you imagine what that might be like?... Today Stacy tells us a little about how OVER underreacting might bring about the kind of reaction we really hope for from the other person. Is there a place for this in the classroom? What about those times when we feel personally hurt by a student or colleague? Welcome to season 4 of Arkansas A.W.A.R.E....