offerings
for New York City Public Schools
Professional Development Offerings for New York City Public Schools
“Sawabona”: Centering Staff Wellness
Description:
This workshop series was designed during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic to center staff wellness. The pandemic not only exacerbated the on-the job challenges educators faced but rendered an enormous toll on their mental health and wellness. Although most pandemic protocols have been lifted, post-pandemic, schools are still tasked with re-envisioning staff wellness as a tenet of effective schooling. This workshop series continues to center the voices, experiences, humanity, and resilience of staff and to engage them in envisioning and planning for a sustainable culture of staff wellness. As we centralize staff’s wellness, we embody the essence of the South African Zulu concept of “Sawabona”—seeing, accepting, and valuing their humanity.
Themes:
- Theme #1: “Sawabona”: Seeing, Embracing, and Valuing our Humanity
- Theme #2: Towards Our Resilience & a Sustainable Culture of Wellness
Key Indicators:
- Community bonding—sharing stories of hardships, compassion, and resilience towards valuing each other’s humanity
- Acknowledging, supporting, and expressing gratitude to colleagues in the team- building activity, “Appreciation & Gratitude Wall”
- Articulating self-care/wellness needs within the school context and envisioning a sustainable culture of staff wellness
Time Block Options:
- 45 minutes (4-6 sessions)
- 1 hour (3-4 sessions)
Team Building
Description:
Strong teams and positive relations among staff are key indicators of effective, proactive communities. In many of our public schools, teachers and staff continue to operate in silos. Leverage team building to break down silos and work across all levels of the school community to improve communication, build trust, and harness the collective wisdom of the group all while having fun!
Team building activities are facilitated on site or offsite as part of a staff retreat. They are conducted indoors, outdoors, or a combination of both. Foster positive relationships among and between staff members. Activities range from simple icebreakers to learn basic information such as first names, birthdays, and favorite colors to more structured, time-based activities that require self-awareness, meta-cognition, and problem solving.
Key Indicators:
- Teams creating norms to guide group interactions and relations within team
- Working together to understand team assignments and to organize team to achieve tasks within time allotted
- Actively communicating to engage all members and problem solve
- Considering group norms, needs, and goals when decision making
- Holding group accountable for enforcing group norms (e.g., reminding members of norms,
reflecting on impact of norms on group performance) and completing tasks
- Debriefing insights gained about self and team and planning for how to leverage going forward
Leading with Character Strengths
Description:
This workshop series is predicated on a strengths-based model developed by the VIA Institute on Character™ and designed to bring to participants’ awareness the role that character strengths can play in transforming the quality of their lives and work performance.
Character strengths are the positive aspects of our personality that make us feel authentic and engaged, and impact how we think, feel, and behave. When we understand and mindfully strive to apply our greatest strengths, we can use them to face life’s challenges, work towards goals, and feel more fulfilled both personally and professionally.
Themes:
- Theme #1: Introduction to Character Strengths
- Theme #2: Signature Strengths & Their Optimal Use
- Theme #3: Introduction to Character Strengths
- Theme #4: Signature Strengths & Their Optimal Use
Key Indicators:
- Awareness of character strengths and their benefits for improving life quality and work performance
- Familiarity with signature strengths and consideration of their optimal use
- Application of strengths in personal and professional settings to enhance thinking, behavior, and overall well-being
Pre-requisite: Completion of the VIA Survey of Character Strengths
Time Block Options:
- 45 minutes (8 sessions)
- 1 hour (6 sessions)
- 2 hours (3 sessions)
How Do You See?: The Role of Mindset in Shaping Experiences
Description:
“…[T]he view you adopt for yourself profoundly affects the way you lead your life.”
– Dr. Carol S. Dweck
Themes:
- Theme #1: Coaching and Neuroscience Lenses for Understanding Mindset
- Theme #2: Your Mindset Orientation & its Personal Implications
- Theme #3: Your Mindset Orientation & its Professional Implications
- Theme #4: Teacher Practices that Promote a Growth Mindset in Students
Key Indicators:
- Developing a foundational understanding of the scientific research on mindset
- Awareness and investigation of participants’ mindset orientations
- Consideration of the personal and professional implications of mindset orientation
- Exploration of teacher practices that promote a growth mindset in students
Time Block Options:
- 45 minutes (6 sessions)
- 1 hour (4 sessions)
Virtual Power Sips™: Group Coaching
Description:
Themes:
- Prioritizing Self-Care & Wellness Needs
- Emotional Self-Care: Managing Triggers & Setting Boundaries
- Strengths Spotting and Cultivating Your Character Strengths
- Self-Esteem, Confidence, & Authenticity
- Overcoming Obstacles
Key Indicators:
- To Be Determined by Group
Time Block Options:
- Four (4), 45-Minute Sessions
- 1 hour (3-4 sessions)