Through the use of COVID-19 Relief Funds, made available by the State of Iowa and our partners at Polk County Health Services, Heartland AEA is offering an exciting opportunity to support educator well-being and resiliency building.
As a result of the current pandemic, the stressors placed upon educators have been further magnified, with many lives significantly disrupted due to millions of students now at home, thousands of educators teaching from home, and entire families and communities living in isolation. ALL educational staff is facing a plethora of challenges due to the coronavirus pandemic. Schools may be shifting between online learning and in-person learning; educators are adapting to new schedules and different ways of teaching; and trying to meet the needs of their students, while also meeting the needs of their own family and friends.
CARE (Cultivating Awareness and Resilience in Education) workshops are unique, evidence-based professional development programs that help educators handle the stresses and rediscover the jobs of teaching.
The goal of CARE is to:
- Offer educators tools and resources for reducing stress, preventing burnout, enlivening teaching, and helping students thrive socially, emotionally and academically.
CARE introduces tools such as:
- Mindful awareness practices
- Caring and emotion skills training
Research shows that such practices are helpful for developing awareness, openness, emotional responsiveness and sensitivity - all essential qualities for modeling healthy behavior in the classroom and optimizing teaching and learning. By practicing the skills learned in the program, educators learn to cultivate calmness, awareness, presence, compassion, empathy and ability to listen. In the classroom these qualities improve teachers’ classroom management, curricular implementation and relationships with their students.
REGISTRATION
We will be offering separate sessions to meet the unique needs of administrators, educators and Heartland AEA staff. Registration is limited to 35 participants per session.
Administrator Session
Dec. 7 and 14; Jan. 14, 22, 27 and 29
8:30 - 10:30 a.m.
Via Zoom
Educator Session
Dec. 9 and 14; Jan. 13, 22, 27 and 29
8:30 - 10:30 a.m.
Via Zoom
AEA Staff Session
Dec. 9 and 14; Jan. 13, 22, 27, and 29
8:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
Via Zoom
With the crisis of the current pandemic, there has been an increased awareness of the stressors faced by ALL our staff and the need to provide quality supports. One of the supports we are making available for our staff, starting in November, is Listening Circles. 
You can now register for Sugar Smackdown! During this four-week challenge, you’ll complete daily tasks as you combat sweet, sweet temptation and limit the sugar in your diet. 
