It’s easy to fall into the trap of seeing everything that’s going wrong. But sometimes we can spend so much time focused on what’s not working that we miss seeing success. Here’s one thing we like to keep in mind when it comes to behavior.
What you call your students is what you want to elicit in them. That's why I think certain terms should be avoided, and others added to your teacher vocabulary. Consider these options.
We sat down with Momentous School second grade teacher Brenda Ortega to explain this classroom Changemakers project.
We are in a unique moment in education – an experience none of us have ever seen before. And yet, we know that we can’t take the foot off the gas. So what can we do? We must be explicit about social emotional learning.
It’s always a great idea to remind students of the basics. But this year, it’s essential. When we say basics, we mean BASICS. Consider these prompts to help get students prepared for this new year.
It’s not always easy to get kids to sit down and read. Here are six tips to help encourage the reader in your child.
Helping children make sense of violence in the world is one of the hardest things an adult must do. For resources to talk to kids about violence and what we can do to make the world a less violent and more peaceful place, consider these four books.
We have created a free guide to building a collaborative process at your school for supporting teachers in their work with students exhibiting challenging behavior. Read more to learn how this process can help you.
Last week on live television, the nation watched something that unfolds every day in my kindergarten classroom. Something hurtful was said, someone had a reaction, and an action was taken. Y’all, let me tell you… this is what we go through every day in kindergarten.
We are so excited that Jon Batiste won big at the Grammy’s with his Album of the Year, We Are. In honor of this incredible album (that we’re all still singing and dancing along to) we wanted to share three things we learned from our time with Jon.
Momentous School teacher Anthony Castro shares how he broached the conversation about the Russia/Ukraine conflict in his third grade classroom.
Who isn’t feeling overwhelmed these days? Here is just one tiny little trick that might help for those days when it all feels like too much.
The winter break is approaching, and I’ve been feeling more stressed than excited. I decided to ask some friends and teachers how they plan to recharge and find joy over the break. Read their tips to make the most of your time off!
What if professional learning was more personal, focusing not just on new ideas and skills, but on encouragement?
We are approaching the anniversary of September 11th, and you may find yourself fielding questions from students and children. We have compiled a list of helpful tips for navigating these conversations and answering tough questions they might have.
Schools and districts must renew their focus on how to prioritize social and emotional support for adults through coaching and professional learning. Read more about how a strong social emotional lens can support coaching practices and improve outcomes.
This free lesson plan, We All Have Expectations, introduces students to classroom expectations and guides students through established expectations for both the teacher and the students/classroom. The lesson can be adapted to fit any elementary or middle school classroom.
Every year it is important to get started on the right foot with building relationships with students, but never more than this year. As students return to school, they will need explicit focus on relationships to help build a classroom environment where every student feels a deep sense of belonging and safety.
Last year was a breakthrough year on bridging the gap between school and home for many schools. As we head into a new year where most students will physically return to classrooms, we don’t want to lose this momentum! Here are a few tips for keeping families included in school as kids return to classrooms.
As students come back to classrooms this fall, safety will be on everyone’s mind. And while physical safety is very important, emotional safety must also be front of mind. Here are a couple ways to increase emotional safety for students this school year.
Safety is on everyone’s mind as we start this new school year. We want to ensure that every student, teacher, school personnel and family member stays healthy this year as most students return to school full time for the first full school year since the pandemic began.
There’s no way to effectively support students if you’re feeling run down, overwhelmed or maxed out. As you return to school this year, consider these tips to prioritize your own wellbeing and mental health.
Check out the exciting work Terrell Independent School District is taking on as they add our Changemakers curriculum to classrooms this fall!
Teachers: it is okay not to feel ready, or even motivated at all, to go back to school. Here are five ways to help prepare for the work ahead – and maybe even gain a little motivation – as you get ready for another school year.
This free lesson plan, When I Feel..., introduces students to the concept of mental health and helps them explore ways to manage their mental health. It can be adapted for any elementary or middle school classroom.
Compassion fatigue is the cost of caring “too much”. It can occur as a result of helping, or wanting to help, those who are in need. But by identifying the signs early, teachers can be quick to respond in a resourceful way.
Burnout can drain you of your passion and enthusiasm for your job, or even for life in general. Burnout is kind of like a fire that is slowly extinguishing. Learn how to mitigate the risks of burnout and keep those flames ignited.
This free lesson plan, Changemaker Chronicle, introduces students to what it means to be a changemaker and can be adapted to fit any elementary or middle school classroom. Age it up or down with your choice of books and vocabulary!
In order to help children reach their full potential, they must have adults who take care of their own mental health needs.
This free lesson plan, Heroes of History, helps teach resilience to students and can be adapted to fit any elementary or middle school classroom. Age it up or down with your choice of books and vocabulary!
¿Busca datos cerebrales divertidos y fáciles para niños pequeños? Disfrute de esta lectura en voz alta de "Tu Cerebro".
While the term social emotional learning, or SEL, has gained momentum, here at Momentous Institute, we continue to focus on the term social emotional health.
After six years of work to meet educators’ demand for social emotional learning best practices, our staff finalized the Changemakers Curriculum this summer. Check out the details here!
Learn about ways we have stayed dedicated to educators despite the changes of 2020 and head to the e-store to see all the products.
This post from Momentous School 4th grade teacher Katherine Probolous is the first part of a series on building student portfolios.
Looking for fun, easy brain facts for young kids? Enjoy this read aloud of "Your Brain", available in print at momentousinstitute.org/shop.
Teachers across the country are navigating virtual back-to-school routines, so we caught up with two teachers at N.W. Harllee Early Childhood Learning Center in Dallas ISD to learn about what they’re doing to welcome students to the 2020-21 school year.
As children head back to school this fall, many are asking questions that teachers may feel unprepared to answer. While we can’t provide a script for how to respond to each question a student may ask, here's some guidance on appropriate ways to handle these tough conversations.
While we can’t create consistency in this unpredictable world, we can create it where we have control – in the classroom (or virtual classroom).
Regardless of the circumstances, the decision between virtual learning and in-person learning can be surrounded with anxiety and uncertainty.
Momentous School 4th grade teachers share this back-to-school strategy designed to help teachers create a virtual classroom for distance learning.
Many states and schools require or encourage people to wear a mask to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Here are seven quick tips to help students adapt.
There’s never been a better opportunity for schools to capitalize on the partnership with parents as there is now.
Students coming back into the classroom this fall, or students logging on to virtual platforms, will need an even more intentional refresher course on how school works. And frankly, teachers probably will, too!
When students start back at school this fall, creating a sense of belonging must be top priority.
Here are some behaviors we may see in children as we head back into classrooms this fall.
Here are a few tips to get started learning student’s names if the school year starts with remote learning.
From daily distance learning zoom sessions to birthday visits to a special drive-thru send-off, our teachers went above and beyond to make sure our students and their families were able to finish the year on a positive note.
To help teachers and administrators handle the stresses of teaching from home, consider adding a social emotional component to your online faculty meetings. Here are a few tips!
In this new age of teaching remotely, relationships between parents/caretakers and teachers have never been more intertwined. To capitalize on this new relationship, teachers can lean in to parents and ask how they'd like to be supported.
Having one-on-one connection with students can be tough during distance learning, but we have a few tips for setting up individual touchpoints.
Every teacher has classroom expectations. As classrooms have shifted to online platforms, it is important to set expectations for distance learning.
Many people meal prep their meals for the week, why try 'meal prepping' lessons for the week!
Creating a schedule for yourself is more important than ever when teaching from home. We have a few tips to help you get started creating your schedule.
Students of all ages love recess, to give them some time to experience recess from home, try a virtual recess.
Even for classrooms as young as elementary school, virtual office hours can provide a great way for students and teachers to connect.
Let's look at an easy mindfulness strategy that students can do from home: mindful listening.
Kids are currently spending more time on screens than they normally would in a classroom. Today's strategy looks at ways to get them up and moving.
Starfish breathing is a quick breathing strategy that can easily be done via video chat.
Morning meetings help start the day and build a sense of community. Just because students and teachers aren't in the same room doesn't mean morning meeting can't happen!
As teachers adapt to a new method of teaching, prioritizing social emotion learning in the absence of a classroom environment can be a challenge. We're here to provide some strategies that teachers can implement from their homes.
Momentous School Principal Daniel Knoll shares what's currently most on his mind during this global pandemic.
Here are some learning strategies to walk through together at home so you don’t just survive with your children, but thrive.
In the United States, schools are closing at a rapid pace and parents are in uncharted waters to figure out how to homeschool their children. We’ve got three strategies that will help!
Meet Ms. Garcia as she walks us through Momentous Institute’s Strategic Intervention Model that equipped her with tools to help her student, Sarah.
While homework aids students with repetition exercises and memory, it can often limit evening family time. These three strategies will help children succeed in school without homework.
Momentous Institute is passionate about being a leading voice for equipping educators with trauma-informed practices and had the opportunity in May to take part in advocating for Texas House Bill 18, which just passed in the Senate! Learn more about House Bill 18, how Momentous Institute is working with legislators and how social emotional health is being showcased throughout political platforms.
Dear White Teachers, Are you like me, a white teacher in a classroom with mostly students of color? Do you feel secretly uncomfortable at the idea of talking about race in the classroom? Keep reading...
We recently read Eric Jensen's book, "Teaching with Poverty in Mind". Find out more about why we love the concept of the emotional keyboard.
Nutrition is a vital part of a child's development. For children living in poverty, there are obstacles that prevent access to healthy food, which in turn affects their performance in school.
In this post, we discuss the inherent bias in standardized tests and how students' life experiences and socioeconomic situations affect their ability to perform on standardized tests.
How much does it cost to educate a child in poverty? We break down school funding and look at the effect of poverty on education cost.
How we talk about poverty matters. In this post, we take a look at how we define and talk about poverty.
Both boys and girls bully and are bullied. In this post, we take a look at some key differences in how boys and girls bully.
Taylor Freeman shares a powerful story about a time when she asked students to line up by gender... and what she learned from it.
Spaces and places, and how we move within them, are deeply rooted in gender. In this post, guest author April Larremore asks if these spaces are serving boys and girls equally. Read more...
Continuing to learn about how gender plays a role in education, I recently visited Young Men's Leadership Academy, and all-boys Middle School located in Southern Dallas. Read more about my visit.
I recently toured Solar Preparatory School for Girls, an elementary school in the Dallas Independent School District. Read my thoughts about this amazing all-girls campus!
It is widely accepted that careers in STEM fields are dominated by men, and that women and girls do not pursue these fields at the same level as their male peers. Through my research and practices, I want to share seven ways to help girls gain interest in STEM. Read more...
Today's conversation is with Mr. Jim Taylor, director of admissions at Cistercian Preparatory School, a small, private, all-boys school in Irving, Texas. Read more about what makes a boy's school unique...
It’s common to walk into an elementary school classroom and hear a teacher say, “Good morning, boys and girls!” Is there any harm in this approach? Let's take a look at the research.
This post comes from former Momentous School teacher, Jorgelina Marin, on helping students' develop a strong sense of self.
As adults, one of our first instincts is to protect and comfort children who are afraid. But that instinct can be challenging when a child’s fear is real, and there’s nothing we can do to protect them from it. One big area where we see this fear is around the topic of immigration. Keep reading...
Misconceptions and misinformation can quickly become the norm if educators do not address differences within a classroom. Here are some tips for how teachers can be proactive in the process of talking about race and ethnicity in the classroom.
"We were on a seventh grade class field trip. I don’t remember where. I do however, remember being in the elevator. He stood behind me and touched my body, without my consent." Read on...
For some back-to-school motivation, watch this story of how relationships make all the difference.
Make yourself comfortable and enjoy this full tour of our elementary lab school, where we focus on social emotional health in concert with rigorous academics.
It’s back to school season, which means teachers everywhere are setting up classrooms and getting ready for the new year. At Momentous School, August means home visits: a week-long excursion visiting every student in his/her home. Keep reading...
The students at Momentous School are hard at work on their summer reading. And we know they're enjoying it, because we can see their progress! Read more about how we went digital with summer reading...
We made an intentional shift in the way our cafeteria works and it’s made a world of difference. Keep reading...
"It wasn't too far into the year when Cristina considered quitting her job. She loves teaching and knows that it's her passion in life. But this student had pushed so many buttons that she thought it might be time to walk away." Read more...
Teachers often set expectations for students. But another step is sometimes left out: expectations for the teacher. Read more!
We don't like to play favorites, but... we do love this classroom! Join us for the next stop on our tour of Momentous School.
We’re big on parent involvement at Momentous School. Learn about how we involve families in our school community through our Parent Center.
Ever heard a teacher say, "Please don't touch the walls"? At Momentous School, we say, "Go ahead! Touch the walls!"
As part of our tour of Momentous School, read about our huge entry art project designed by school families.
Want to know more about what happens in our elementary school? Join us as we showcase our work and strategies in action.
Momentous School families write vision statements for their children. Watch this video to learn about the incredible impact this has on our families and teachers.
Dive deeper into our relationship with Susan Kaiser Greenland by reading about our recent Skype session.
Our Director of Education Sandy Nobles shares more about our in-depth work with Susan Kaiser Greenland. Read more...
This past school year was was incredibly hard for teachers and here at Momentous Institute that was no different. Our pre-k teacher, Crystal Ramirez, talks to us about some of her struggles and how she worked through them coming back from virtual learning.
Here's how our 2nd grade teacher, Brenda Ortega, utilizes SEL practices with one of her favorite classroom tools - the number corner.
What is classroom culture and how do you create one? Our own 3rd grade teacher, Anthony Castro, can help!
Why is it important for schools and teachers to build relationships with students' families? And how can you start?
We’re big on parent involvement at Momentous School. We want families to be connected to each other and form a supportive community, which then influences their involvement in the school community. We want our school to be a warm, welcoming space for families.
Our Pre-K3 teacher, Juanita Cabrales, shows how we can teach children as young as 3 to focus on their breath.
Kindergarten teacher, Derrick Hicks, Jr., describes why modeling mistakes is important in the classroom.
Here's how we use a conflict corner during phys. ed. at Momentous Institute. Please feel free to adapt this to have it fit your learning space!
How does a child's brain work? Well... It's complicated, but let's see if we can make it a little easier to understand. And with a little (a lot of) help from Dr. Tina Payne Bryson!
Who isn’t feeling overwhelmed these days? Here is just one tiny little trick that might help for those days when it all feels like too much.
Momentous 4th Graders talk about the 3 parts of the brain!
From our March 11, 2021 webinar, we discuss in detail important strategies for building resilience in the school setting.
From our March 9, 2021 webinar, we examine frequent causes of big behaviors in the classroom and offer insight on how to manage them.
From our March 4, 2021 webinar, we address challenges that are unique to social emotional learning and offer solutions to managing them.
From our March 2, 2021 webinar, we discuss trauma in the classroom and the most appropriate strategies for managing classrooms and campuses.
Should having diversity in the classroom dictate how diverse the learning is? During the Changing the Odds 2019 conference, Austin Channing Brown speaks on the importance of diversity in learning for students.
From our April 30, 2020 webinar, Daniel Knoll, M.Ed. and Rhonda Vincent, Ph.D., discuss ways to facilitate social emotional learning while teaching remotely.
From our April 24, 2020 webinar, Daniel Knoll, M.Ed., and Tina Robertson, LCSW, discuss ways to support teachers' mental health as they navigate distance learning.
From our May 15, 2020 webinar, Stephanie F. McGary, LPC, RPT and Tara Becker, LMSW discuss parenting tips for sharing COVID-19 news, managing fears and how to keep learning going at home.
Thanksgiving is around the corner and a great way to be festive while teaching gratitude is utilizing Thankful Pumpkins! Use this with your students or children!
We're all familiar with classroom agreements, but have you considered adding agreements for what students can expect from their teacher? Learn more in this quick video.
3 self-care practices to help teachers prepare for the upcoming school year.
Classroom expectations and procedures for teachers to consider in preparation for the school year.
Most teachers are familiar with the classic clip chart, a behavior management technique designed to help students control their behavior and make good choices. Flip the Clip turns this concept into a method that is positive, respectful and results in a classroom culture with strong social emotional health.
Momentous School 3 year olds perform "The Brain Song" by their teacher, Juanita Cabrales. Enjoy!
Testing can be just as stressful for teachers as it is for our students, so it's important to remember to take time for ourselves during this time.
Try using Friendly Wishes to have your students practice empathy for their friends and classmates!
One of the keys to building safe relationships with students is making sure the adults on campus have safe relationships among themselves. Vickie Echols fills us in!
Harllee's new principal, Amber Shields, talks about her excitement in starting her first year as Principal for Harllee Early Childhood Center and working with Momentous!
When hoping to build safe relationships with a new class after summer break, it's important to consider your space (the learning environment) and time!
Ruptures and mistakes can be fairly common to classrooms and, although they are unfortunate, they can be used to further build repairs with your students by focusing on repairing those mistakes or ruptures.
Want to know how we incorporate mindfulness into the classroom at Momentous School? Watch this short video to learn more.
Learn more about Momentous School, a lab school in Dallas, Texas dedicated to social emotional health.
Flash Focus on Relationships, a presentation from staff at Momentous Institute. Jennifer Hartmann shares about Relationships: The Difference that Makes a Difference.
We believe that all parents truly want the best for their children and have high hopes and dreams for their futures. At Momentous School, we ask all parents to complete a vision statement for their child. We use these to help guide our students and to refocus on the big picture if things go off-track. We encourage every school to add vision statements to their beginning of the year routine!
Momentous Institute staff and students share the definition of empathy.
What is a typical day for Momentous School? Check out this video to learn more about how we infuse social emotional health into everything that we do.
Before the start of each new academic year, Momentous School teachers visit students at their homes. This helps build a great relationship between home and school.
Learn more about how Momentous School visits each of our Pre-K families in their home throughout their first year. Home visits help strengthen the parent-school connection and set students up for success both at school and at home.
Momentous Institute's Director of Education shares how she approaches discipline with social emotional health in mind.
The glitter ball is our favorite strategy for helping kids understand the power of breathing to calm their big emotions.
Every parent who sends a child to school deals with appropriate ways to communicate effectively with the school. We talk about parent conferences, how to respond when things aren't going well, and other tips for getting started on the right foot.