Are you feeling a bit melancholy about the new school year approaching? Then listen to this episode to consider how you can plan to best support yourself, as well as your students, this upcoming year. Guest Meghan Vlad shares some of her recommendations, which include planning simple, joyful acts for a day off, finding ways to focus (e.g., listening to audiobooks), planning purposefully, setting boundaries, and taking your lunch. Also, consider taking opportunities that occur during the school year, like attending state or national conferences or checking out reliable online resources.

Remember you can watch this episode on the School Health Educators YouTube channel here.

If you want to learn about more ideas, contact Meghan Vlad at: [email protected]

To contact Lori Reichel, the host of the School Health Educators Podcast, email her at [email protected] or visit her websites at www.schoolhealtheducators.org and www.lorireichel.com.

In this mini-episode, Lori, the host of the School Health Educators’ podcast, challenges you to answer the question, “Are you truly days off?” She then reminds you to consider slowing down, including checking out the Calm app (or Calm.com website) for tools to slow down.

To contact Lori, email her at [email protected] or check out her websites at: www.schoolhealtheducators.org and www.lorireichel.com.

Remember you can watch this episode on the School Health Educators YouTube Channel.

Want some inspiration for planning your future teaching? Listen to this mini-episode which provides a quick overview of the past four episodes of the School Health Educators’ podcast. Episodes focused on the “habits of mind,” using analogies in health lessons, ideas and reminders about teaching puberty/growing up topics, as well as the reminder of how we what we teach supports our own wellness.

To contact Lori, email her at [email protected] or check out her websites at: www.schoolhealtheducators.org and www.lorireichel.com.

Remember you can watch this episode on the School Health Educators YouTube Channel.

In this episode of the School Health Educators podcast, nationally recognized health educator Scott Todnem joins us to share how he uses clever analogies and engaging activities to help students stay focused—no matter the unit being taught. Scott offers a variety of creative examples, demonstrating his passion for encouraging students to be mindful about what they’re learning.

To learn more about Scott Todnem or to connect with him, visit his website, Life Is the Future. There you’ll find information about his books and the classroom podcast he produces alongside his students.

Remember, you can watch this episode on the School Health Educators YouTube Channel.

To contact Lori Reichel, the host of the School Health Educators Podcast, email her at [email protected] or visit her websites at www.schoolhealtheducators.org and www.lorireichel.com.

Being an effective health educator includes modeling what we teach. This episode invites the wonderful Kathleen Vogt, a 20-year 8th grade health teacher, to share how teaching our subject area supports her own wellness habits. From practicing self-management skills of sleep and technology habits, to being aware of influences, Kathleen notes how she has become healthier. And, upon sharing our own habits in the classroom setting, we support our students’ habits!

Kathleen Vogt is a Health Educator at Union Vale Middle School in the Arlington Central School District located in the Hudson Valley of New York. She is the current Chair of the SHAPE America Health Education Council and co-writer of the Inclusive Practices in Health Education Guidance Document. She has taught 8th grade health education for the last 20 years and is a dedicated member of NYSAHPERD. You can connect with Kathleen on Twitter at MrsV_UVMS or through email at [email protected]. She is also a member of the Health and Physical Education Collective.

Remember, you can watch this episode on the School Health Educators YouTube Channel.

To contact Lori Reichel, the host of the School Health Educators Podcast, email her at [email protected] or visit her websites at www.schoolhealtheducators.org and www.lorireichel.com.

Contrary to some people’s thoughts, there are school health educators who teach full-time at the elementary school level. In this episode, Janice Mix shares her experiences teaching at this level, including teaching Habits of Mind. Listen in to hear how Janice explains the strong ability of young students to learn and implement what she teaches into their everyday lives.

Janice Mix is a passionate health teacher at FRES, where she teaches all 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students. In the classroom, Janice focuses on helping students build emotional regulation skills, healthy habits, and a lifelong interest in their well-being. Her lessons are grounded in play-based learning and the Habits of Mind, encouraging students to think deeply, manage impulsivity, and care for themselves and others. Janice was honored as the Central Western Zone Teacher of the Year for her innovative and compassionate approach to health education. Also, since 2014, she has also owned and operated Janice Mix Photography, specializing in senior portraits.

Remember, you can watch this episode on the School Health Educators YouTube Channel.

To contact Lori Reichel, the host of the School Health Educators Podcast, email her at [email protected] or visit her websites at www.schoolhealtheducators.org and www.lorireichel.com.

It’s springtime, which means teaching upper-elementary/younger-middle school students about puberty and other growing-up changes. To help you out, this episode provides simple tips and advice from Megan Adams, a high school Health and Physical Education teacher with 10 years of experience in Central NY. She is also the creator of the HealthTeacherHodgePodge social media account and a Girls’ Varsity Basketball Coach who is dedicated to supporting students both in the classroom and on the court.

Connect with Megan through her social media accounts: HealthTeacherHodgePodge

Remember, you can watch this episode on the School Health Educators YouTube Channel.

To contact Lori, email her at [email protected] or check out her websites at: www.schoolhealtheducators.org and www.lorireichel.com.

Some tools to help with teaching about puberty/growing up:

Lori, the host of the School Health Educators Podcast, shares three activities that focus on helping students manage the challenges of growing up. The activities include the Puberty Grab Bag, “Dr. I.B. Healthy” Letters, and the Puberty Chit Chat Cards. All have been student-tested and approved!

Click here to obtain the PDF for creating a set of the Puberty Chit Chat Cards. You can also use the TALK Puberty app on iOS products.

Click here to check out the Tools for Teaching Human Sexuality book.

Click here to review the book titled Common Questions Children Ask About Puberty.

To contact Lori, email her at [email protected] or check out her websites at: www.schoolhealtheducators.org and www.lorireichel.com.

Remember, you can watch this episode on the School Health Educators YouTube Channel.

Did you know that 1 in 26 people will be diagnosed with a form of epilepsy and that 1 in 10 will experience a seizure at some point in their life? Listen in to this episode to learn about what we, as health educators can teach about epilepsy, including demonstrating compassion and knowing basic first aid skills. Michael Radell, this episode’s guest, is the Education Coordinator and Camp Director for Empowering People’s Independence (in Upstate NY) and hopes to help us best support all students. Resources shared by Mike include the Epilepsy Alliance America, Seizure Action Plan Coalition, Empowering People’s Independence.

Remember you can watch this episode on the School Health Educators’ YouTube Channel.

To contact Michael Radell, you can email him at [email protected] or call him at 585-442-4430 (extension x2741). Also, consider checking out Empowering People’s Independence website at https://www.epiny.org/ or the other resources shared in today’s episode.

To contact Lori Reichel, creator of the School Health Educators Podcast, email her at [email protected] or check out her websites at: www.schoolhealtheducators.org and www.lorireichel.com.

School Health Educators are social and emotional learning experts. In this episode, Lori reminds us of this fact as well as introduces her new resource titled Tactile Tools for Social Emotional Learning: Activities to Help Children Self-Regulate with SEL. This book contains over 50 student-tested activities supporting self-regulation skills. Listen in to hear about some of these activities and how students can create their own “SEL Toolbox.”

To purchase this new resource, go to Amazon.com or Routledge (Taylor & Francis Group) Publishing.

Remember you can watch this episode on the School Health Educators YouTube Channel.

To contact Lori Reichel, creator of the School Health Educators Podcast, email her at [email protected] or check out her websites at: www.schoolhealtheducators.org and www.lorireichel.com.