
“How to Motivate the Unmotivated Student”
tools for school counselors, psychologists and social workers
How do we engage students that are unmotivated?
Stress, anxiety, depression, and other emotional trauma can have a big impact on students ability to learn and focus in school in a normal year. Now add to that the challenges of this pandemic, the socioeconomic stress at home, and the political and social tension felt everywhere and we are entering uncharted territory! The need for practical tools to connect with and engage students has never been higher!
The Importance of Relationships
There is a rising concern amongst educators that the COVID-19 pandemic is creating difficulty in forming the relationship they need to connect with, motivate, and teach their students. In this webinar, we will discuss ideas from education leaders on how to adapt to individual student needs and provide practical interventions that can inspire and motivate them in a time that is unprecedented in our history. Our panel will demonstrate tools, share insights and strategies for school counselors, psychologists, and social workers on how to motivate students to be passionate and engaged in their education.
Creating buy-in for Social Emotional Learning (SEL)
The national discussion about the need for a practical and effective curriculum focused on SEL and trauma-informed care has never been higher. In this webinar, we will discuss how school mental health teams can begin addressing these issues with the highest need students and then how they can help expand this approach to support all students, teachers, and staff. Hear from our panel as they discuss how to promote SEL and creating buy-in with administrators teachers and staff. |
Panelists:

Cory Anderson
Cory has spent nearly two decades as an educator, beginning as a teacher and then as an administrator. He has been an assistant principal at a middle school and has served as a principal of two different elementary schools. Cory pioneered and started one of two public STEM programs in the state of Utah and helped consult with the state office of education on creating STEM standards for schools that would eventually be adopted by the STEM action center.
Also during his tenure as an elementary school as principal, Cory oversaw behavioral units and lead his school in implementing social and emotional programs and STEM activities.
In 2019, Cory joined the WhyTry team as a trainer and director of curriculum development, after using its social and emotional tools for close to ten years in his administrative duties.

Bruce Bushnell
Bruce Bushnell has centered his career around promoting youth success. He is an award winning school counselor. Bruce was named the counselor of the year for the state of Utah and was also honored at the White House, receiving national recognition for his counseling interventions. Bruce has been a member of the Executive High School Relations Board, senior vice president of the Alpine Counseling Association, and vice president of the Utah Counselor Association.
Bruce now helps youth succeed by presenting passionate WhyTry keynotes and trainings across the country. As an advocate of the program from its earliest days, Bruce has also been a key contributor in developing many of the WhyTry learning activities, which are proven to help youth develop the social and emotional skills necessary to reach their goals.

Jason Johnson
Jason is a licensed school psychologist and has published research on resilience and student performance. Jason is a passionate advocate for disadvantaged students and currently consults and trains educators across the nation as the director of training and research for the WhyTry organization.
Jason is a thought leader on resilience education and has spoken at hundreds of conferences around the country. He has led successful implementations of all WhyTry programs and has pioneered trainings for clients in healthcare, corporate, and the US Military.
Want to Learn More?
Our online social and emotional learning curriculum can be taught in virtual classrooms. Help your students develop resilience in this time of crisis and isolation.