In this episode, 2020 National Teacher of the Year Tabatha Rosproy joins new hosts Latoria and Amy for their Real Talk for Real Teachers debut. Tabatha is a Conscious Discipline practitioner and the first early childhood educator to be named National Teacher of the Year.

Listen in as Tabatha discusses her joyful experience developing a preschool inside a nursing home in Winfield, Kansas, where resident “grandmas” and “grandpas” volunteered in her classroom. She also shares her brilliance on topics including intergenerational connection, coaching children through loss, the importance of play for all ages, and how to build positive partnerships with families.

Essential Takeaways

• Through the practice of Conscious Discipline, children learn how to recognize, accept and discuss big feelings. With these foundational skills, they are better equipped to manage the big feelings that accompany loss.

• Play helps cement learning in children’s brains. When we incorporate play with lessons on reading, math, science or social-emotional learning, children remember what they’ve learned.

• Play is important for people of all ages. It decreases worry and stress, allows us to build relationships with others, and helps us think creatively to find new solutions to big problems. Play doesn’t have to be childish. It can be simple, playful moments or laughing with a friend.

• Schools should be hubs for community and building relationships and connections with one another. They need to be places of trust and involvement.

• It’s essential to establish positive partnerships with parents so you can work together to support the child. Make frequent positive contact to show that you see and value their child. These small deposits into the relationship build trust and make it easier to have hard conversations when necessary.

Important Links

• Conscious Discipline Events (https://consciousdiscipline.com/professional-development/events/)

• Five Steps to Self-Regulation Icons (https://consciousdiscipline.com/resources/five-steps-to-self-regulation-icons/)

• Tabatha Rosproy 2021 Keynote at Elevate SEL (https://consciousdiscipline.com/resources/elevate-keynote-be-the-teacher-we-all-want-to-be/)

Product Mentions

• Baby Doll Circle Time Value Pack (https://consciousdiscipline.com/product/baby-doll-circle-time-value-pack/)

• I Love You Rituals Value Pack (https://consciousdiscipline.com/product/i-love-you-rituals-digital-value-pack/)

• Feeling Buddies Self-Regulation Deluxe Toolkit (https://consciousdiscipline.com/product/classroom-edition-feeling-buddies-self-regulation-deluxe-toolkit-english-only-digital/)

• Conscious Discipline Book (https://consciousdiscipline.com/product/the-new-conscious-discipline-book-expanded-updated/)

Show Outline

• :00 Introduction

• 1:13 Introduction of guest Tabatha Rosproy

• 3:50 Preschool inside a nursing home and intergenerational connections

• 7:36 Helping children manage loss

• 18:33 Importance of play for all ages

• 27:26 Educational practices Tabatha advocates for

• 30:01 Building connections with families

• 34:08 Being curious instead of judgmental

• 39:22 Recap and discussion

• 43:26 Question from a listener

• 48:15 What’s new with Conscious Discipline?

• 49:53 Wish Wells

THANK YOU FOR LISTENING

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