395 episodes

The CharacterStrong Podcast: Weekly conversations for anyone in education.

CharacterStrong is an organization that provides curricula and trainings for schools internationally. Our trainings help educators infuse character and social-emotional learning into the daily fabric of any classroom or campus. Our curricula focus on character development in order to help students cultivate social-emotional skills, their emotional intelligence, and help them develop a stronger identity and purpose in school and in the world.

For more information visit our website: characterstrong.com

The CharacterStrong Podcast CharacterStrong

    • Education
    • 4.9 • 413 Ratings

The CharacterStrong Podcast: Weekly conversations for anyone in education.

CharacterStrong is an organization that provides curricula and trainings for schools internationally. Our trainings help educators infuse character and social-emotional learning into the daily fabric of any classroom or campus. Our curricula focus on character development in order to help students cultivate social-emotional skills, their emotional intelligence, and help them develop a stronger identity and purpose in school and in the world.

For more information visit our website: characterstrong.com

    How To Center Joy & Happiness In The Experiences Of Students - Orlando Dobbin, Jr.

    How To Center Joy & Happiness In The Experiences Of Students - Orlando Dobbin, Jr.

    Today our guest is Orlando Dobbin, School Counselor at Aversboro Elementary School. We talk to Orlando about how to center joy and happiness in the experiences of students. He shares about how he works to build his programs around the students and allows them to help shape the spaces to allow students to grow, rest and play.
    Learn More About CharacterStrong: 
    Access FREE Curriculum Samples Attend our next live product preview Visit the CharacterStrong Website  
    Orlando Dobbin, Jr. is a passionate educator with six years of experience dedicated to creating nurturing learning environments that empower youth to become their best selves. Currently in his role as a school counselor he focuses on enhancing both students and adults’ social and emotional growth through a strengths based lens. Beyond his school roles, Orlando has contributed to the broader educational landscape as a North Carolina School Counselor Delegate, North Carolina School Counselor Association Emerging Leader, and as a leader of the American School Counselor Association Rural School Counselor Affinity Group. He holds a Master’s in Professional School Counseling and a Bachelor’s in Middle Grades Education. In his free time, Orlando loves to be outdoors, participate in local storytelling events, and travel.

    • 14 min
    SEL Day 2024 - Adult SEL: An Outside-In and an Inside-Out Approach

    SEL Day 2024 - Adult SEL: An Outside-In and an Inside-Out Approach

    As we celebrate #SELday 2024 we wanted to share an episode from Season 2 the Adult SEL Podcast where Dr. Clayton Cook lays out the Outside-In and an Inside-Out approach when it comes to adult social & emotional learning. He highlights the importance of leaders cultivating healthy work environments while also supporting all staff in order to help promote well-being, resilience, and engagement in their work. Dr. Cook also shares ways that systems often miss the mark when it comes to Adult SEL.

    Learn More About CharacterStrong: 
    Download SEL Day Resources HERE Listen to Season 2 of the Adult SEL Podcast Visit the CharacterStrong Website Access FREE Curriculum Samples Attend our next live product preview  

    • 5 min
    Identifying & Intentionally Supporting Students Who Are Often Unseen - Kelly Mountjoy

    Identifying & Intentionally Supporting Students Who Are Often Unseen - Kelly Mountjoy

    Today our guest is Kelly Mountjoy, Professional School Counselor at Parkhill Junior High in Richardson ISD in TX. And Kelly is also the 2023 Lone Star School Counselor of the Year. We talk to Kelly about a collaborative system they have implemented to identify and support underrepresented student populations to take advanced level classes. Kelly explains the heart behind the program, some of the roadblocks that students were experiencing, and how they help to support students to overcome these roadblocks. She shares how this has impacted student confidence, and the culture across the district. Kelly also talks about how the program has increased advance class sign ups overall and advanced science class participation by 1800%.
    Learn More About CharacterStrong: 
    Visit the CharacterStrong Website Access FREE Curriculum Samples Attend our next live product preview
    Kelly Mountjoy is a school counselor at Parkhill Junior High in Richardson ISD. She has 20 years of experience in education, 10 of which have been spent as a school counselor. Inspired by her high school math teacher, Kelly attended Texas A&M University where she received her degree in Interdisciplinary Studies and a minor in Mathematics. Kelly began her teaching career at Parkhill Junior High as a mathematics teacher/coach and then taught mathematics at Berkner High School where she was also a softball coach and Bell Guard sponsor. In 2011, Kelly was awarded the Innovations in STEM Teaching Award from Texas Instruments Foundation. 

    Passionate about helping students academically, socially and emotionally, Kelly attended Lamar University and received her master’s degree in School Counseling. Kelly returned to Parkhill Junior High where she has been a school counselor to 7th and 8th grade students for the past 10 years. She was named the Secondary School Counselor of the Year for Richardson ISD in 2022 and Texas School Counselor of the Year in 2023.

    Kelly attended Kindergarten through high school in Richardson ISD schools. She has been married to her husband, Bart, for 11 years and they have four children together, Sloane (7), Reese (5), Bear (3), and Sawyer (1).

    • 18 min
    Leading With Empathy - Greg Moffitt

    Leading With Empathy - Greg Moffitt

    Today our guest is Greg Moffitt, the Director of Principal Development for the District of Columbia Public Schools. We talk to Greg about leading with empathy and how empathy connects to the greater work of education. He talks about why empathy matters, and how we need to be curious about people, who they are, and the place that they are coming from. Greg shares that empathy is a skill that can be practiced and developed daily, and that we need to build on this skill before problems arise. He also shares that as leaders it’s hard to truly support people or hold them accountable without empathy.
    Learn More About CharacterStrong: 
    Visit the CharacterStrong Website Access FREE Curriculum Samples Attend our next live product preview  
    Greg Moffitt is a dad, husband, school leader, and all-around education geek. A former school principal, assistant principal, student activities director, classroom teacher, and educational aide, Greg believes that schools can help change the world and make it a better place. Greg is currently the Director of Principal Development for the District of Columbia Public Schools where he works with school leaders to foster equity-centered leadership and practices. A graduate of Brown University with degrees in Education, History and Policy and a Master of Arts in Teaching, Greg lives in Washington, D.C. with his wife, their teenage daughter, and the family dog. When not outside exploring National Parks, Greg enjoys good food and movie marathons.

    • 21 min
    What Is Needed For A Full Tier 3 Solution? - Dr. Clay Cook

    What Is Needed For A Full Tier 3 Solution? - Dr. Clay Cook

    Today we talk with CharacterStrong's Chief Development Officer Dr. Clay Cook about what’s needed for a full Tier 3 Solution. He lays out 4 critical parts when it comes to tier 3: a process, personalized interventions, good data tools, and professional development. Dr. Cook explains that Tier 3 isn’t just interventions but it’s a system of personalized, data-driven supports that are activated based on the student needs. He also emphasizes the need for strong, effective, professional development that support our teams and help them become confident as they work to provide Tier 3 supports.
    Learn More:
    Register for our next Tier 3 Product Preview Get the latest updates about CharacterStrong's Tier 3 Solution Register for our FREE Webinar: Why Schools Struggle with Tier 3 Supports

    • 17 min
    NSCW 2024: Get Others’ KNOWS In Your Business - Jason Thompson

    NSCW 2024: Get Others’ KNOWS In Your Business - Jason Thompson

    Today our guest is Jason Thompson, a school counselor and school counseling coordinator. He also serves as an adjunct professor for several local universities and won the “Adjunct of the Year” award in 2019. We talk with Jason about how schools can collaborate with their communities to better serve students while also recognizing the work school counselors do as they connect students and families to different community resources. He also shares specific ways his school has utilized data and intentionally built in community circle time to support the whole child and check in with students.
    Learn More:
    Join us for a live preview of the new CharacterStrong Tier 3 Solution Get FREE School Counseling Week Resources Visit the CharacterStrong Website

    • 16 min

Customer Reviews

4.9 out of 5
413 Ratings

413 Ratings

Christmas Fun 2 ,

incredible content

focused - practical and so relevant for all desiring to positively impact students !

JoelleLD ,

Great resource!

Thank you for bringing both research based and practical information to us to support us and our students!

Steph J @SW ,

May 7th 2021 episode

So thankful for the work that is being done at Character Strong. I listen to each episode on my way to work in the mornings, and the episode today is just so relevant for our school. We are absolutely trying to prepare students for jobs that have yet to be created. Thank you for providing such useful content!

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