Journeys to Belonging

This week's episode continues Ilene's December focus on self-belonging and my advocacy for starting in our classrooms and our homes with children. We shouldn't have to wait until we are much older to find self-belonging. There are many ways to instill this in even our youngest children and students. Ilene shares her childhood story and teachers she remembers who supported her self-belonging and those that didn't. She also shares some ideas to implement in your classroom/school (links below).

Ilene's book, Journey to Belonging: Pathways to Well-Being is available now at:

EduMatch Books

amazon.com

Barnes & Noble

Article mentioned by Ilene:

Creating a Learning Environment Where All Kids Feel Valued by Shana V. White for Edutopia

Mentally Strong Kids Always Do These 7 Things by Amy Morin for CNBC

Wakelet collection: Self-Belonging

To sign up for Ilene's course and other terrific PD go to EduSpark: https://eduspark.world 

Twitter: @IleneWinokur

EduMatch blog post: Self-belonging for Educators 

SELF-discovery

OPPORTUNITY to grow

APPRECIATE yourself and make sure you're hanging out with others who appreciate you without judgment

REACH out to ensure we leave our mark on the world with our legacy

Self-discovery is your first step to self-belonging once you embrace yourself, the good and the not so good. By first loving yourself, (wrap your arms around yourself and give yourself a big hug!) you are in the present and noticing yourself. You’re noting what talents you have, your ability to navigate the world and work, your resilience in the face of obstacles, and the care, empathy, and compassion that’s built into everything you do. After all, teachers can’t survive without it. This might take some time, but once you start listing it all, your heart will swell with a sense of self-accomplishment.

Next, give yourself the opportunity to grow. We’re not perfect and no one should expect us to be, including ourselves. We have many chances to improve, fill in the gaps, learn more. Take advantage of those opportunities. Join an organization that supports your interests as I did with ISTE. I wanted to know more about edtech and network with others who had the same interests. I’m a member of TESOL International and on the leadership team of the refugee concerns interest section. I have an amazing online PLN that supports my growth every day. You can too!

Appreciate and embrace your true, authentic self. Acknowledge that you’re on a journey to discover yourself and find people who support you on your journey without judgment. I have a wonderful support network that includes a few people who make me feel good about myself and will listen when I don’t feel so great. They listen for understanding and not for responding. They value me and validate my feelings and are willing to let me know if I’m making missteps.

Then, reach out to others and find your niche. What are you passionate about? How will you leave your mark on the world and make it a better place than you found it? What will your legacy be? Becoming a good ancestor is your way to give back to your community, local and global. Use your superpowers to benefit others. Talk about feeling empowered! My legacy is mentoring and coaching refugee teachers and leaders around the globe. What will yours be?

Twitter: @IleneWinokur

IG: @ilenewinokur

In this week's episode, I explain a bit about our Polyvagal Theory, our autonomic nervous system, and self-belonging. I share a personal story, discuss how important it is to understand our nervous system so we can have more control over how we react when it feels threatened. I also share some techniques I have used to overcome self-doubt and build my sense of self-belonging. Here are the links to resources mentioned in the episode:

Deb Dana's Beginner's Guide to Polyvagal Theory

Polyvagal Ladder (Trauma Geek) 

Stephen Porges's Polyvagal Approach and Dealing with COVID-19 Stress

Adult Chair episode with Deb Dana

Ilene's website 

This week's blog post   

Social media: @IleneWinokur

Links to purchase my book Journey to Belonging: Pathways to Well-Being

Barnes & Noble: https://journeys2belonging.com/3kmuwUN

Amazon.com: https://journeys2belonging.com/3C5Ojig

EduMatch Books: https://journeys2belonging.com/31eQF0s

Steve Sostak, the co-founder of Inspire Citizens, centers all of his work on teacher creativity, student agency, and transformative learning. He aims to enable youth to develop more compassionate empathy; think critically about information and community issues; solve problems flexibly through the application of interdisciplinary skills and civic literacies; embrace the challenges of uncertainties and complexities; make ethical decisions, and take informed action.

Twitter: @inspirecitizen1

Website: https://inspirecitizens.org

https://highresolves.org

Cathy Berger Kaye: Service Learning

Isaac Prilleltensky: Mattering

ISTE Student Standards

Mathew Barzun interviewed by Simon Sinek about his new book: The Power of Giving Away Power

Haider Al Mosawi is a Kuwaiti educator, user experience designer, writer, and community builder. He is passionate about leading a full & fulfilling life, exploring our views in an open-minded way, and taking a non-coercive approach to productivity and habit-building. Haider is the co-founder of Sirdab Lab, a startup space in Kuwait, as well as the co-founder of Catalyze, a UX design firm.

Twitter: @haideralmosawi

IG: @haideralmosawi

Books: https://haideralmosawi.gumroad.com

Daily writing platform: https://golifelog.com

Thank you for listening! Resources from today's episode can be found on my website. 

My new book, Journey to Belonging: Pathways to Well-Being is available at https://journeys2belonging.com/3C5Ojig

Noa Daniel's BOBs

Twitter: @IleneWinokur

IG: @ilenewinokur

FB: IleneWinokur

As an explorer/adventurer, Kate Leeming has cycled a distance greater than twice around the world at the Equator. On August 16th, 2010 she became the first person to cycle an unbroken line from Africa’s most westerly to its most easterly points; from Pointe des Almadies, Senegal to Cape Hafun, Puntland, Somalia.

Cycling 22,040 km over ten months, Kate’s Breaking the Cycle in Africa Expedition was not only a physical quest but an odyssey to highlight the development needs and activities of war-torn and poverty-stricken nations.

Cycling through twenty countries, Kate aimed to find out what is being done to give a ‘leg up’ rather than a ‘hand out’ – to shine a positive light on the issues, cultures, and geography of Africa.

In June 2019, Kate completed another original expedition when she became the first person to cycle the entire Namibian coastline, a 1621km sand cycling expedition from the mouth of the Kunene River on the Angolan border to the Orange River mouth on the South African border.

Read more about Kate's work here.

Belouga channel: https://www.breakingthecycle.education/belouga

Twitter and IG: leeming_kate

FB: https://www.facebook.com/kate.m.leeming

Lights of Ladakh expedition

Her books and videos

Evo Hannan is passionate about design and innovation in education. Innately driven by his desire to create positive change, Evo has utilised his 20 years of experience to channel into projects which have made an impact across the globe, including The Agency project and Ed Talks Live, a live YouTube talk show which engages in hot education topics with guests from around the globe. This inspired him to take a step out of the classroom in July 2021 and start his own education venture called Innovation X, a big thinking company created to help inspire new ideas to move education forward. He recently launched Vertigo, a social media agency for schools and education partners that offers a modern approach to community engagement and communication.

Twitter: @EvoHannan

IG: @evohannan

youtube: https://www.youtube.com/evohannan

Website: https://www.evohannan.com

Ken (He/Him/His) currently holds an M.A. in Education with a specialization in Educational Technology as well as New Media Design and Production. He has worked as an Educator for over 20 years and spent most of his classroom experience teaching technology at the Middle School level. As a part of his active involvement within the Educational Technology community, Ken is an Apple Distinguished Educator, a Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert, and a Google Certified Innovator. Hee has worked extensively at the policy level with a number of State Departments of Education, Ministries of Education, non-Profits, and was appointed to the Education Technology Task Force formed by a previous California State Superintendent of Public Instruction. Ken regularly gives keynotes, presentations, consults, and leads workshops, covering a wide variety of Educational Technology, Equity and Inclusion, Anti-Bias/Anti-Racist, Multimedia Literacy, Cultural Intelligences, Visual Storytelling, and Instructional Design topics. Ken is the ISTE Digital Equity PLN 2018 Excellence Award winner. Due to his extensive and broad impact, Ken has also been named by EdTech Magazine as an influencer to follow.

Website: https://kennethshelton.net

Twitter: @k_shelton

IG: @kshelton

Brave Space poem by Mickey ScottBey Jones

Hailing from Nova Scotia, Canada, Michelle Macumber started her journey with Participate Learning (then called VIF) back in 1999 when she accepted a job as an ambassador teacher in Fayetteville, North Carolina (Cumberland County). Connected to Participate Learning for her entire career in education, Michele spent 14 years as a global educator in North Carolina, England, and Paraguay. She taught 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade at different times.... but can't pick a favorite because she loved each one of those groups! In the summer of 2013, Michelle joined the team at their head office in Chapel Hill. She loves that her passion for global learning is the focus of her work each and every single day!. As a member of the Teacher Experience team, Michelle focuses on the ambassador teachers and their overall experience and engagement during the five years that they are here in the U.S.

Twitter: @MicheleMacumber

IG: @mmacumber

FB: Michelle Macumber

Email: [email protected]

United We Teach Community - Free for any and every educator!

Participate Learning Website

Participate Learning Blog