The Podclass

Jamie talks with Ben Schworer from Rocky Mountain Collective, a cannabis shop in Hinton, Alberta about how teachers, health promotion professionals, and cannabis retailers are unlikely allies in keeping cannabis out of the hands of youth. Additional Resources: Leafly Project CBD Dr. Ethan Russo

Elizabeth talks with Dana, a teacher and instructor at the University of Calgary and the University of Pennsylvania, about the need to prioritize teacher wellbeing in addition to student wellbeing when it comes to school health promotion. She shares practical strategies for teachers to feel their best, maintain perspective, and enjoy their work. Additional Resources: My Sleep Well CBC Article on S...

Elizabeth talks with Lisa Taylor, an instructor at the University of Calgary, about small shifts to embed wellness in your daily routine as a teacher. She shares stories about how she became health champion in the schools where she taught and how health promotion can lead to happier school communities. Apps for reading articles: For iOS:  Natural Readers App For android: Voice Aloud Reader

Elizabeth speaks with Lisa Bush, author of the book Teaching Well: How Healthy, Empowered Teachers Lead to Thriving, Successful Classrooms , about how teachers can intentionally change what’s under their control to be a well-rounded, happy teacher. She shares her favourite tips for time management, collaboration, and assessment with an eye to reducing workload but not our effectiveness as teachers...

Elizabeth speaks with Andrew Baxter, who works with Alberta Health Services to promote mental health literacy, about teachers’ role in promoting mental health in the school setting. He provides useful information on the most common mental disorders teachers may see in their students. Additional Resources: Teen Mental Health Teen Mental Health YouTube Channel Anxiety Canada

Elizabeth speaks with Dr. Kate Storey, associate professor in the School of Public Health at the University of Alberta, about how teachers can promote wellbeing in small but real ways. She focuses on the need for a good night’s rest and how we can encourage our students to prioritize sleep to improve their health and academic success. Additional Resources: CSEP Guidelines ParticipAction Kate Store...

Jamie and Elizabeth share their unique experiences of teaching in alternative school programs and student leadership initiatives in this episode that focuses on how school can be a site for skill development, social belonging, and positive mental well-being. Jamie talks about how a student-led volunteer project, Joy4All, landed his class in the media spotlight. Additional Resources Joy4All Maskwac...

Elizabeth talks with Dr. Teresa Fowler, assistant professor at Concordia University, on how trauma can affect student learning and behaviour. She shares stories and strategies on how to respond with compassion when students who have experienced trauma are in our care. Additional Resources: Tanen, N. (Producer) & Hughes, J. (Producer and Director) (1985). The breakfast club. [Motion picture]. U...

Elizabeth talks with Lianne Lee, Director of the Alberta Healthy Youth Relationships Strategy, about social-emotional learning and how key relationships are to youth development. Lianne shares how teachers can help students who may be experiencing teen dating violence. Additional Resources: Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) PrevNet Love Is Respect The Fourth R Paul...

Jamie speaks with Caroline Gosling, a former educator and current board member with the Alberta Restorative Justice Association, about restorative justice. Caroline shares proactive ways to build restorative cultures in schools and how restorative justice works in a school setting. Additional Resources: Relationships First Evans, K. & Vaandering, D. (2016). The Little Book of Restorative Justi...

Elizabeth talks with Krista Dumba, a teacher and nurse who currently works with Alberta Health Services on mental health promotion, on the many health benefits of kindness. She shares inspiring ideas and examples of teachers who have helped their students to experience the benefits of spreading kindness. Additional Resources: Dr. Dan Siegel’s Hand Model of the Brain Random Acts of Kindness Buddy B...

Elizabeth talks with Grade 3/4 teacher Tracey Tinley, recipient of the Prime Minister’s Award for Teaching Excellence, on how flexible seating can impact multiple areas of wellbeing for students. She shares practical, budget-friendly strategies on how to incorporate flexible teaching approaches in your classroom. Additional Resources: Tracey on Instagram Tracey’s flexible classroom on Twitter Othe...

Elizabeth and Dr. Shelly Russell-Mayhew, a psychologist who researches weight-based issues as a professor at the University of Calgary, talk about weight bias and how to promote holistic health at school. They share how to respond to weight-based bullying and how to make schools more accepting of everyBODY. Additional Resources: UConn Rudd Center Piran, N. (2004). Teachers: On "being" (rather than...

Jamie chats with Chris Fenlon-MacDonald, a specialist with the Calgary Board of Education, on ways to incorporate physical activity and movement into the school day and why all teachers share in the responsibility to help students move more. Additional Resources: Ever Active Schools Be Fit for Life Network Active for Life Health and Physical Education Council

Dr. Shannon Kell, associate professor at Mount Royal University, joins Jamie to discuss the benefits to both students and teachers of being outside and connecting with nature. Dr. Kell shares ways to gradually incorporate the outdoors into your teaching practice and lessons learned from the (literal and figurative) field of outdoor education. Additional Resources: Childhood by Nature Take Me Outsi...

Elizabeth talks with Katherine Zavodni and Anna Lutz, dietitians with expertise in treating eating disorders, about striking the right balance when teaching about healthy eating and nutrition in schools. They provide suggestions for a developmentally appropriate and protective approach so that students can have a positive relationship with food and their bodies. Additional Resources: Ellyn Satter...

Elizabeth talks with Medical Health Officers Dr. Hu and Dr. Gustafson in November 2020 to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on the school context. They share how the pandemic has highlighted social inequities and the importance of multidimensional wellbeing and how to keep perspective as a teacher.

Jamie is joined by Chrysta Bell, a program consultant in Alberta Health Services’ Tobacco Reduction Program, who shares her knowledge and expertise around tangible strategies for preventing tobacco use by students. Additional Resources: Alberta Health Services Information for Schools & Educators Alberta Quits   Alberta Quits - Resources for Teachers and Schools   Alberta Quits - The...

Elizabeth talks with Scott Bailey, a wellness consultant with Ever Active Schools, about the importance of health promotion in schools and why they're an ideal place for upstream approaches to improve wellness. They discuss what Comprehensive School Health is and what it looks like in practice. Additional Resources: Government of Canada: “Social determinants of health and health inequalities” Reim...

Hosts Elizabeth Tingle and Jamie Anderson introduce themselves and the new series Conversations on School Health. They discuss their own backgrounds in education, and have a conversation on land acknowledgements and what the series holds for listeners.