TWCC - USA

TWCC congratulates Ketanji Brown Jackson on her Supreme Court nomination. She's another example of excellence. In her acceptance speech, she stated she strived for a judicial appointment since childhood. What are you striving for? How can we help?

"Happy Teacher Appreciation" Week to all Educators! We are inspired by you and can not thank you enough for EVERYTHING YOU DO!

Curious Elephant recognizes April as Child Abuse Prevention Month. Please make an effort to check on our smallest citizens and to ensure they are all safe.
As a reminder, a child's social-emotional health is built during the early years - 0-5. Let's make sure they have a solid foundation to base interactions and grow into healthy, reliable, and stable individuals who are ready and able to thrive.

Hello everyone, can you believe its February? Please remember to highlight the works of African-Americans this month. A few easy ways to accomplish this is through books, food, or music.

Please engage your students or children in more than reading a book or listening to the music. Discuss their feelings and visual imagery as they engage and find a way to associate it to their life.

You've got this - have fun exploring the rich history of our nation.

As always- let me know how TWCC can help.

Educators and Leaders alike, as we continue to embrace the uncertainty of the world; remember to choose your words carefully when engaging with your children and students.

While we do not want to alarm students, we also want to share with them the FACTS. The key word here is "FACTS" not our spin.

Give children nuggets of information at a time and allow them to absorb the information prior to giving them more. A best practice is to also allow them to ask you questions and to strategize your responses. If you are ever in doubt - take a step back before responding.

You are not alone... let us know how we can help.

Together We Can.!

Greetings Educators and Family Members alike, as the semester draws to a close remember to engage your students by celebrating your achievements. I understand this semester has been hard for everyone; however, it is important for our students to realize your successes and to learn from us how to handle and deal with emotions, environmental changes and yes COVID19.

You each have traveled through this time exhibiting great character which must be commended (giver yourself a hand - you did it - not matter how difficult it was!). As I parent, I know its tough; however, hang on and in there. Together We Can Consultants can support you as you Zoom with your child and educate them at home.

Happy Holidays to each of you. Remember we are an email away - [email protected]

Intentional teaching is an active process and a way of relating to children that embrace and builds on their strengths, interests, ideas, and needs. It requires teachers to be purposeful in their decisions and actions.

Intentional Teaching should extend children's thinking, building deep understanding, and include emergent and planned experiences.

Intentional Teaching should include opportunities to challenge students, collaboration opportunities, the processes of identifying, evaluating, explaining, imagining, and instructing using various formats and medians.

An example of intentional teaching is how to take turns, to demonstrate care and empathy, and in small settings or groups, to be prepared and focused, which means that you are concentrating on a particular item/concept or strategy vs. concept creep when we talk about one concept but begin to address or assess multiple items. An example of this is "colors"; if colors are the concept you are working on, this becomes your focus. As students began to classify their colors, your attention then does not go to… how many yellow cars do you have, or how many green letters can you find. Let's count the cars or letters.

As a leader, provide opportunities for teachers to be creative/innovative in their thinking and encourage them to practice these skills, building weekly. Note that encouraging and building upon intentional thinking may include additional funding for classroom resources and supplies.

As a parent, ensure you understand from your child's teacher the concept for the week/day/quarter so that you are enforcing the correct item. A calendar marked with this content may be helpful. You will also want to ensure you understand where your student is on mastering that concept to not frustrate them; however, provide opportunities to challenge or discuss. As a parent, remember that the best way to reinforce a concept or strategy is first through reading and communication, then numeracy.

To teach intentionality, you must practice being intentional. Your intentionality will teach your students to be Intentional.

Join me next week for "Events in Instruction!"

Welcome Back to Thursday's Tools, Techniques and Tips with Dr. Rena. Below are the tips for this week as families and educators alike prepare for parent/teacher conferences.

Communication has many elements. Your communications should be Clear, Consistent, and Centered.

Clear – ensure you are speaking clearly and using straightforward methods/language. Communications are also reflective of your non-verbal actions and cues. Therefore, your actions and the words spoken should be the same. Straight talk is the best talk.

Consistent - Your actions and your words should match. Ensure your body language is matching your verbal communication. Although you should tailor your conversations to meet your audience, your communications should be consistent (your messaging is the same, although your words may be different).

Centered – your communications must be focused and centered. Centered on the topic(s) at hand, and not dependent on emotions, the receiver’s tone, or feedback you are receiving. Too often, we read more into what was or is being communicated than necessary. If your communications get off track, politely end the conversation and revisit at another time.

Join me next week for Intentional Educational Strategies.

Please join me, Dr. Rena each Thursday for tools, tips and techniques designed to drive and transform your educational practices.

These tips are practical for leaders, educators and families alike.

Please feel free to contact me at [email protected] with questions or a request for assistance.
Remember - Together We Can!

Have you ever considered how your leadership style impacts your overall mindset and health?

Hello Friends and Educators,
I have partnered with PsychHub a great mental health resource platform. What I like the best is that the information is shared in short 2.45 minute videos at no cost. I shared this information with Head Start Nashville's Educators during their annual training on yesterday. The educators found the resources invaluable. Please check them out - just visit PsychHub. TogetherWeCan!