The CharacterStrong Podcast CharacterStrong

Today our guest is Cory Notestine the Executive Director of People at CharacterStrong. We talk with Cory about how implementing MTSS can often feel like the wild west as schools within districts each do their own things, making it difficult to track and support MTSS implementation. He shares how some of the pain points in implementation come from us not truly understanding the systems that we work in, how they operate, and who the decision makers are. Cory talks about how districts are often overflowing with implementation efforts, and when we start to zero in on just few of them with support, educators are more able to start implementing them well.
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Today our guest is CharacterStong co-founder Houston Kraft!
We talk with Houston about gratitude and how gratitude is one of the most low burden, hi impact things that we can do for our mental well being. He shares that we can start to practice gratitude by acknowledging and being aware of the good things in our lives, figuring out where they have come from, and then having this lead us to appreciation. Houston also unpacks the idea of beginning to train ourselves to look for the good things that are around us each and every day.
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Today our guest is Dr. Clay Cook the Chief Development Officer at CharacterStrong
We talk to Clay about The importance of having Shared Clarity and Commitment when it comes to implementing MTSS. He breaks down the connection between clarity and adult readiness, highlighting their pivotal roles as prerequisites for successful MTSS implementation Clay also reminds us that clarity proceeds commitment, and shares that 80% of implementation efforts fall because we don’t have adult readiness.
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Check out our upcoming MTSS Certification Training Sign up for the FREE 2024 Not your Typical MTSS Summit Visit the CharacterStrong Website

Today our guest is Dr. Beth Ruff, School Counselor at Powder Springs Elementary School
We talk to Dr. Ruff about Arts Integration in school counseling and how at Powder Springs they integrate art into all of the elementary classes. She shares how art integrates so well with the school counseling standards and framework, and gives examples of how they have used art to help students talk about topics such as grief and loss. Additionally, Dr. Ruff highlights the proactive use of art and music to address mental health issues and how this approach has effectively engaged students in a meaningful way.
 
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Today our guest is Dr. Alisha Hill the Director of School Support at CharacterStrong
We talk with Dr. Hill about strategies to establish readiness for initial implementation across districts. She discusses how in her district they focused on building readiness in three key areas: motivation, capacity, and support structures. Dr. Hill emphasizes the significance of having a district-level team, ensuring support for adults involved in the process, and fostering a shared vision throughout the district. She also highlights the importance of aligning with other initiatives and utilizing low-burden, high-impact resources and tools for professional learning, and the positive impact this can have.
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Today our guest is Melissa Rosario, Elementary Specialist at CharacterStrong.
We talk to Melissa about ways that we can provide continuous, ongoing, and effective support for new teachers. Melissa highlights the concerning statistics regarding new teachers and the decline of teachers in schools today. She explains the 5 phases of first-year teachers and how we can use them to design support programs. Melissa suggests several intentional ways to support new teachers, including creating programs and partnerships, giving them a head start on the year, welcoming them into the school, and providing guidance as they set up their first classroom. Additionally, Melissa emphasizes the positive impact of mentorship from a veteran teacher can have during the first year of teaching.
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Visit the CharacterStrong Website