Resilience and Equity Online Summit

Resilience and Equity

This discuission covers best practices for educators, administrators, and mental health care workers. Learn to build personal resilience, develop resilience in the people you serve, and create equity in education during this time of crisis. The discussion offers the following six steps:

  1. We all need human connection
  2. We need daily exercise and healthy food
  3. Learn something in an area that really interests you
  4. Do something fun
  5. Expose yourself too something inspiring for your heart and soul
  6. Acknowledge that change is apart of life

Panelists

Miranda Beard

Miranda Beard

Miranda is the former president of the National Schools Boards Association (NSBA) based in the Washington, DC area. In her role as president and NSBA director, she traveled the U.S. as a leading voice and advocate for equity and excellence in education for more than 50 million children in our nation’s schools. She represented 90 thousand school board members on a national education tour to Central and Western Europe.  Miranda is the past president of the Laurel School District Board of Trustees and past president of the Mississippi School Boards Association. She has more than 20 years of leadership experience on the local, state and national levels. Miranda is a graduate of the University of Mississippi at Oxford, Mississippi with a degree in broadcast journalism with an emphasis in public relations.  She worked in various roles as a newscaster, producer, and assistant news content director at a Hattiesburg, Mississippi television station. Former Governor Kirk Fordice appointed Miranda as a commissioner to the Mississippi Employment Security Commission, a position she held for eight years.  She is a former member of the Board of Directors for the Greater Mississippi Girl Scouts and past president of the Mississippi Associated Press Broadcasters Association. 

Christian Moore

Christian Moore

Christian is the founder of the WhyTry Organization that provides curriculum, tools, and training for schools and educators across the US and internationally, focused on helping students build social and emotional resilience. Christian is also a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW), an internationally renowned speaker, and a passionate advocate for youth. He is the author of the best-selling book “The Resilience Breakthrough: 27 Tools for Turning Adversity into Action,” a guide for accessing resilience in a world of increasing instability and narrowing opportunity.

Webinar Transcript:

WhyTry Webinar: All right. Um, hey. Welcome. Welcome, everybody. We are thrilled for everyone that’s been able to join us. My name is Jason Johnson, I represent the wide try organization. And I’m going to be moderating this kind of online summit that we’ve got going. Today we’re thrilled to have to thought leaders with us today. MIRANDA Beared and Christian Moore.

Miranda Beard: Hello everyone, today. Thank you so much for joining us this afternoon.

Christian Moore: It’s great to be with everybody. Thanks for tuning in.

WhyTry Webinar: My name is Jason Johnson, I represent the white try organization. I’m going to formally introduce them and then I’m going to politely step out of the picture and let Miranda and Christian, they’ve both got some incredible experience and wonderful ideas and perspective on some pretty important and difficult topics right now. I’ll start with Miranda. She is a motivational speaker and a leading advocate on equity cultural proficiency and leadership training for school boards, administrators and teachers to help close the achievement gaps and create first-rate learning environments for students. As the 2016-17 President of the National School Boards Association in Washington, DC. She traveled extensively across the United States parts of Central and Western Europe and the Dominican Republic to promote equity and excellence and education for all children. She served nearly 20 years as a trustee and president of laurel Mississippi school district and 30 years as a professional journalist. We are thrilled to have her with us today. So welcome, Miranda


Miranda Beard: Thank you so much, Jason. The honor is really mine. I’m excited about being here with Christian and you know we have a lot to say. But who only have a limited amount of time to do it.

WhyTry Webinar: We do, we do. Well, that’s a perfect transition. Let me introduce Christian, a renowned author, speaker and licensed clinical social worker. He spent most of his childhood years on the streets near Washington, DC. Due to some learning disabilities, counselors said college wasn’t going to be an option. However, Christian became a well-respected recipient of a master’s degree and a social worker in education, youth corrections, and a homeless program. Christian saw the need for a new approach and created the WhyTry program and he now speaks at over 100 conferences a year and consults with thousands of school districts on lowering dropout rates, improving school climate, preventing bullying, and closing the achievement gap by teaching social and emotional education. So we are thrilled to have two luminaries here to discuss some important topics. 

Miranda Beard: Absolutely. You know, I have a smile on my face and Christian. I know you have one too, but yet my heart. It’s heavy. Because we’re facing issues across this great nation of ours that we’ve never had to face before because of the coronavirus and I want to, first of all, thank all the individuals that are online with us today. All the things that they’re doing unselfishly to help and assist children and others across this country. You know, we’re working together on this to try to get through this process. And I know for sure. As we talk about equity. It was we talked about resilience. This has escalated to another level that we have not had to deal with and have not had to face before

Christian Moore: No, absolutely. I’ve had an emotional morning it’s been kind of a roller coaster good at times felt down. I was talking to a friend of mine a grown man who is one of the toughest strongest people I know, highly resilient and he was sharing with me this morning, he goes Christian after I woke up. I was literally in tears for about 30 seconds crying. That helped me really understand the emotional journey, people are on right now is really, really intense and you know we’re literally going to go through the stages of grief will maybe talk about this a little bit later, but um if you’re feeling some intense emotions. That’s as normal as breathing, and I think we have to really acknowledge that for adults and for children.

Miranda Beard: In our schools were not prepared for all of this. You know the distance learning social distancing and all of that. Not, not for the long term because right now, as you know, Christian, we have no idea how long, we’re going to be in this position that we’re in. So schools and districts and counselors and those that work with children. They’re scrambling trying to figure out what they need to do because we’ve never been in this position before you know when you know that 20 million families across America don’t have digital access to the Internet and all of that. How do you handle that? When you say distance learning and everything is going online. Every child is not online. In fact, I was looking at some statistics from the Federal Communications Commission. That said that one in five children kindergarten through high school. They don’t have internet access. So, what, what do you do, how do you make sure those children are taken care of.

Christian Moore: Yeah, I mean, that’s a huge, huge crisis right now that the number of kids that don’t have access to technology is changing, we, we, as a country, really, really have to focus on that to improve that hope over the next year. That’s a higher priority than we make that investment into the technology. But what’s also really standing out to me right now and this has been really humbling for me, even though you know as an education consultant, I go to thousands of schools and consult around social-emotional education and academics, but I’m just starting to understand, you know, at what role education played in a child’s life outside of academics or even technology and stuff. Just the social, emotional, personal connection, providing you know food and recreation. And connection, especially for really vulnerable populations. And by the way, I wanted to say to begin at you get a chance, it’s an honor Miranda to be here with you today talking about vulnerable populations and equity issues because this is a huge, huge issue. And again, we know the purpose of public education courses academics and making sure they have access to great academics, is technology but I want to point out right now I see a crisis for so many children that don’t have, you know, it’s, it’s the Maslow’s need Maslow’s hierarchy of needs those needs aren’t being met and I’m proud of what teachers and educators have done to step up and those other areas. I’m hoping we as a society see that it’s more than just academics and technology. And don’t get me wrong, I want to get that technology. I want to have great academics, but human beings are first humans their first social creatures, they need their basic needs met. This morning I was reading a couple of examples of what a couple of schools are doing school systems are doing, you know, it’s amazing what teachers or administrators are doing to transform education. I do a lot of work in over the years and coordinate Georgia want to have a shout out to my friends there and when at Georgia by just learned this morning that when that Georgia public schools, one of the largest school systems in this country is literally feeding 90,000 children a day 90,000 and those teachers are my heroes. Schools are really striving to impact the physical and emotional if the physical and the emotional of children is taking care of them we can focus on the academics. Technology. All those things are important but I don’t want to overlook those small things. Small things are really the biggest thing. So, guys, I know my own kids are grumpy if their basic needs aren’t being met. I just learned that New York City has 93 new regional enrichment centers located throughout the city 93 centers where they’re giving free childcare. I was thinking, man, where are all the workers. You were just talking about Miranda the frontline workers that are on the front lines advocating and helping people in hospitals. Everyone from the grocery clerks all those people doing that front line work. It was in New York, a daycare to take care of food and their basic needs. Those are my heroes as well you know there’s over 114,000 homeless children in New York alone. And I know that that’s something you’re passionate about trying to help them. But those grab and go centers across this country to feed these kids is so important. I hope it comes out of this as we realize, man. We really do need to take care of the basic needs of children and once those needs are taken care of. Then let’s kick up academics and get this technology going. But what are your feelings on what I’m saying there?

Miranda Beard: Absolutely. And I’ve heard of instances Christian where school buses are using the routes that they normally take to make sure children that live in housing projects in areas like that who cannot get to those centers to pick up food. They’re using buses to get the food to those areas. So people are thinking outside the box to be creative and coming up with ways to deliver packets to children so that they can continue their learning as well as delivering food at the same time so it’s causing us to be creative, using the resources that we have because you know and I know equity is not by luck or chance it’s on purpose. So we have more and more things on purpose. To make sure our children are taken care of in the way that they need to be taken care of. And as you were talking about children that are homeless. There are children living in cars with their parents. Some are in shelters in fact across the country. There are about one and a half million children that are in that kind of situation. Some of them don’t come to school. You know, high absenteeism, because they don’t have the shoes to wear to get there, or they don’t have clothes the proper clothes to wear to get there. So some districts are creating clothes closets. They’re getting donations from the community to create these closets. To make sure these children are taken care of and to make sure they have the proper clothing or the proper shoes to come to school and stay in school. So we want them in school. We want them to stay in school.

Christian Moore: Absolutely. The pain. You know, the one thing that physical challenges. These kids are dealing with the physical environment me these kids in is very, very difficult, but that emotional is going to be just as intense of the morning I’m I look at all the resources that I’m able to have and just yesterday, you know, my two children, the challenges they were having emotionally.
It just hit me really really hard, the emotional toll on children is going to be so so intense, one thing I told my own kids yesterday is it’s okay to express your emotions. I know it’s one of them who wanted to express this emotion is the other one didn’t. And I just really wanted to emphasize to that man that at this time to say I’m, I’m afraid, or I’m scared or I’m lonely. It’s nothing wrong with them. Expressing those emotions, there’s more time. There’s no time more important than that than right now, what’s he going back to these vulnerable populations that I wanted to emphasize something that I’m seeing pretty effectively, especially with kids with learning disabilities, behavior disorder, kids. I know I’ve talked to lots of special education teachers and they’re like Christian man was just so worried about these kids we know that are dealing with very difficult home lives that have pretty intense behavioral issues and stuff and. And one of the things I’m hearing special ed teachers doing it’s been pretty effective. It’s one plant that seed with everybody out there is they’re reaching out to the parents and they’re caught in the parents and they’re saying, hey, because remember these teachers know these kids like the back of their hand they’re just calling and giving tremendous support to the parents and saying, look, I know your child’s having a difficult time here. Here are some strategies you can use at home. I want to be here for you. I want to support you. And I’m hearing great things. The parents are really liking that feedback and it’s lowering the isolation and maybe even some of the distance between the school and the parents, especially those kids are really tough situations. And I just want to plant that seed is just communicating with those parents and given those parents support right now we’re seeing a good response from that.

Miranda Beard: You know, as I traveled across the country Christian talking about equity issues. This is the time, even when we have to use digital as a way to communicate to start planning strategically how to DEAL WITH EQUITY concerns looking at everything through the equity lens to know what we need to do to help all kinds of children. And I’m not talking about children of one race. We’re talking about all the children. There are needs for all children. Regardless of what back background they’ve come from what race. They are that that is not the primary focus, although we do know that the children of color. Are the ones that in many cases have suffered the most because of equity issues or poverty and those kinds of things. But we have to look at children with special needs who are handicapped children. Children with mental issues, not just the from the race perspective when we say all children can learn we have to make sure we look at our resources as leaders to make sure those resources are put in the right place and us to meet the needs of every time. That’s what equity really is all about. I can’t give everybody a size 11 shoe and expect that shoe to fit. I’ve got to use the resources that I have sitting down at the table with other leaders, those that can make a difference whether it be a pain. Parents sitting at the table students sitting at the table. Administrator sitting at the table counselors sitting at the table mental health dividers sitting at the table. All these people coming together to collaborate to see what we can do futuristic Lee to make sure strategically that we are equitably providing for all the children that need the services that are provided through education. Yeah.

Christian Moore: Right, I love you say about you can’t give everybody a size 11 shoe. We should be giving everybody shoelaces. Then you can pull in any issue. They can be put on your feet. We got to make sure everybody has access to the laces to pull themselves up with those resources. It’s interesting the last 20 years I’ve had the opportunity to visit thousands of schools across this country and the equity issues that I’ve seen. I wish I had all the money in the world. I could do a documentary and just show. I don’t think people in America, sometimes understand the different environments we put children and across this country. You know, I’ve visited thousands of schools and some schools are beautiful. I’ve been in schools that literally, have no textbooks. Do not drink out of this water, it is dangerous. Man, I wish everybody was aware of these equity issues across this country. We want to take a crisis and use it as a reason to improve things and it will take time, but I just think that that awareness of the gaps across this country that certain students have access to and don’t have access to. All of us feel vulnerable. If anybody’s feeling of vulnerability right now, which I know we all are 99% of us are feeling this vulnerability, but I’m trying to use that to remind myself, you know, with some of my privilege and different things, the vulnerability. I need to have that empathy and more macro scale for the youth and families across this country that deal with it every single day that level of vulnerability and I’m trying to, you know, use those skills. I have and say, how can I improve how can I speak out more. How can I advocate more? I know educators are doing that. I know people across this country have devoted your life to doing that as well. It’s an honor to be speaking with you right now. Feeling vulnerable. If you’re filling in for a couple of days or a couple of weeks. I mean, there are people who are dealing with that 24/7 for years and years and I know that something you’re passionate about.

Miranda Beard: I am, indeed. And some people are wanting to know some best practices right now as we go through this situation. Going forward, I have a question that’s in the back of my mind, and in my heart right now as we do come back together and bring our children back to our schools. How are we going to handle going forward with what they may not have gotten as a result of the digital gap or digital divide? How are we going to deal with this? So if we can come back together and say during the summer. One of the things education leaders can do some of them have provided summer programs where children were falling behind, or at risk. They were able to come to summer school to get caught up, we may have to look at expanding summer school for some of these children. And providing more counselors at that time and more teachers coming to the forefront at that time to help these children get caught up so that they can move on to the next grade level without falling further behind. Because it’s one thing to move them to the next level. But if they’re not prepared for the next level, then it puts them more at risk of failing and dropping out of school.

Christian Moore: Absolutely. One thing I’m seeing in my hometown. Right, right, not too far from I grew up in Baltimore. I was excited to see last night that the private sector is stepping up a little bit. We’re going to need more and more private sector to step up, like for example in Baltimore, the local Cable there is Comcast. They are giving two months free of Wi-Fi and some other companies are looking at donating iPads and technology. We all know education is changing either way. Out the back end of this education is going to be quite a bit different. And I think online and homeschooling is going to continue to be something pretty large we’re seeing, you know, some kids are doing good under this some kids are really struggling. But what I’m saying is it’s changed because that change is in play. I think the private sector is going to really need to step up. We’re going to need help from them to work through this digital divide. And, I was glad to see some articles and some stories this morning in my hometown, where the private sector is trying to step up and provide these resources, you know, we’re in a country that can crank out tanks during the war, and I understand it’s very important to protect our country and they cost a lot of money to do that. But at the same time children are the greatest asset we have, you know, we go to war to protect these children. We got to invest in these children. For the amount of money we spend on a jet we could make sure every child in a state or in a community has access to technology. We’ve got to be able to invest in the most valuable asset we have, our children. 

Miranda Beard: You know, we need business leaders, we need politicians we need everybody coming together right now at this critical time and critical moment. Take those resources to another level because I know the struggle that some school districts are facing. The more affluent districts, they can provide more for their students. Those impoverished districts, they cannot do that. So how is that one district can provide for their children? And then another part segment of the district cannot provide. And that’s why we have to look at things through the equity lens when school board leaders and superintendents sit at the table and start looking at their budgets. How are you dividing those resources and putting resources in the areas where they’re needed to move the most. You got to sit down and talk about it. And some are saying, well, I can’t take federal dollars and do this or do that well, create a foundation. I know, school districts across the country that have created foundations that businesses can give into private people within the private sector can give into those funds are not necessarily discretionary funds unless those people say, I want to specifically give this money for computers. I want to specifically give it for this or that. You could put that money in the foundation and then the leaders can decide how they could use that money to provide resources in areas where they’re needed them the most, a foundation has gone a long way to help many, many children across this country for those school leaders have that have put one together and give him the community and opportunity to give into it.

Christian Moore: Oh, absolutely. I do a lot of work in Indiana. It’s been amazing to see what the private sector and foundations have done in Indiana, to help like Eli Lilly foundation. Different foundations and private organizations have really stepped up to invest in education. I think at the state level, we got to say, okay, we’re going to increase that 30%-40% to kind of level that playing field for those really vulnerable populations and I hope that’s one of the things that that shakes out of this. Right now we’re all kind of going down the same river which I think is going to create some more empathy. But the reality is we’re all still in different boats with different resources going down the same river, but since we’re all in the same river, you know, we got to be looking to our right and left and making sure that everybody’s going down that river. Nobody boat is sinking in this is a very difficult situation. You had just mentioned, you know, some of the best practice stuff. Some of the direct practice skills that these kids need to thrive and what I like to do is to share a couple of those skills and some of those things that children need to really thrive right now because I was looking at some of these things. 

Miranda Beard: Oh, go ahead and I’m sure I can jump in somewhere, as you talk about this aspect of it because I know mental health is a big issue for people that are in the social work industry mental health care, all of that, you know, in fact, Kristen. My heart became very heavy when I heard of two sisters who were contemplating suicide because their parents had lost their jobs right now were laid off don’t know when they will go back to work. So they have no income. These children are wondering how they are going to eat as well as how they’re going to learn because they are in a situation where they are a working-class poor family and these children are wondering, they’re so afraid they’re so fearful and so scared. They just don’t know what to do. And my heart dropped when I heard that story about the two sisters in this family who were saying, what do we have to live for why even try. I want to just give up. But I’m saying, don’t give up leaders out there. Don’t let them give up. We can’t give up. I know we all have concerns and we’re concerned about our own families and own safety. But once we have our family safe. Once we have done everything we know to do for ourselves, then it’s time to reach out to others, no ifs, ands, or buts about it.

Christian Moore: Yeah, I’m, talking to several school administrators and teachers the last 24 hours of sharing the same thing with me Miranda. They have kids in their districts, whose parents are in very difficult situations and crisis and the kids are feeling no hope they’re feeling very depressed very frustrated and many kids are really struggling and the deepest emotional places and so when I was talking to the superintendent yesterday. I said you know when kids are in that level of crisis. Sometimes we have to break the day down into smaller increments. It’s like a person who’s running a marathon. Sometimes they have to just make it to that next block and then they make it to the next block and to the next block you know when they’re running this marathon emotionally. They’re, they’re completely overwhelmed. For a child is feeling that you know, why try. Why should I put effort into life, a child? It feels like I’m giving up and I know for me I mean my 50th year and it’s interesting. My, my, almost my entire day today is planned out and when my day was planned out my anxiety went way down. Well, my day wasn’t planned out my anxieties, way, way higher and when I have a game plan it just calms my soul that calms me down. But one of the first things that again. I know I’ve already mentioned this, but it’s so important is it’s um if I was talking to those two girls that you just mentioned. I would let them know it’s okay to feel that anxiety that tremendous fear that that’s normal right now. And there’s nothing wrong with them feeling those emotions. I want them to express those emotions, you know, whether it’s through artwork drawing and creating a collage. And I want them to express them. Just getting feelings out whether they’re positive or negative is so, so important. 

So these are my goals to do these six things sometimes throughout the day. If you can hit the six things you’re probably going to be able to keep pushing through you’re going to keep being able to hang in there. And the first thing again is that connection. We are social creatures, whether we’re on zoom or even across the fence or 30 feet apart from the deck in the backyard or whatever. Even if we have to yell to communicate with each other. I love those visuals out of Italy, where they’re singing out of the windows.

Miranda Beard: Yeah, I know, parents and guardians of children want to stay informed, but sometimes we’ve got to get away from all the news that surrounding this coronavirus when children see fear in their parents that fear will trickle down to them because this is an image of fear. Fear has gripped the world. And so sometimes we got to get away from it for a minute to to be creative and coming up with other ways to get away from all of this just for a minute. Just walking together outside with your kids.

Number three is to learn something in an area that interests you. And this is really just tapping into a passion purpose or interest. One of the biggest things that make us feel happy, that brings us fulfillment is to feel productive. You know, we have that we’re born with a desire to be productive. In my book, we call it production therapy. Just do something that interests you. Build something beautiful. Create something. Anything from working with your hands to reading a book. What are your feelings about what do you have any hobbies going on right now? What are you doing to stay productive?

Miranda Beard: Well, I’ve been working on a children’s book, working on some presentations and just helping wherever I can reaching out to other people in the community, making sure they’re okay. Not just thinking about my own personal needs. But thinking about the needs of other people, whether it’s picking up the phone and calling a neighbor. Because I am my neighbor’s keeper. We’ve heard that saying before, we are our brother’s keeper. And so I’m trying to reach out more and more to other people, making sure children are okay. Giving advice, wherever I can and support whenever I can. Although I may have to do it at a distance. But if I can drop something off and not make contact. But, you know, I’m doing whatever I can do to help in my community and outside the Community, making sure people are okay.

Christian Moore: The minute we do that service, that’s very healing. 

Miranda Beard: I know what it’s like to have working parents but guess what they work just to keep a roof over my head and they could not give me some of the additional things that I need it. I almost fell through the cracks because of those needs and I felt less valuable. I felt like I had no self esteem and no self-motivation and when children feel that way they feel like they have no self-worth. At times I felt suicidal that I wanted to give up on life because I felt like I had no value in life, what am I here for children I asking those kinds of questions. Why was I born? Why am I here? Every child has something significant that they’re supposed to do in life, but they need us to pull that significance or potential out of them so that they can feel what they are really born and destined to do. They’re like a mustard seed on the inside, there’s a potential in the mustard seed to grow a tree 20 feet tall. In children, there’s potential there to do something significant somebody has a cure for cancer. Yeah. Somebody’s supposed to be a great principle administrator lawyer doctor, but it’s in them. But sometimes they’re not getting everything they need equitably to pull what’s in them out. So we’ve got to be creative and finding those things using the resources that we have and and and finding out how we can reach children that otherwise would fall through the cracks.

Christian Moore: Yeah. The amazing thing about just having this technology we’re using right now, you can go online and look up any subject matter that you have an interest in. In the last couple of days, I’ve been looking at things around post-traumatic growth. Online, I can read studies from Harvard, Yale, it is just amazing. Kids in isolated areas like in small communities and Africa will get access to technology and they’ll figure out how to do something. The world is changing through this huge information opportunity we have right now.

Going back to what you’re talking about… I wish we had more time to go ahead and tell your story…

Miranda Beard: Didn’t want to at all…

Christian Moore: Yeah, maybe share a little bit about that…

Miranda Beard: The voice I was born with, I didn’t like it. People would bully me to make fun of it they would laugh at my voice. They would tease me about it. And so I would just turn inward, and the hurt feelings and darkness got so bad that I could actually I felt like, at times, I can take a knife and cut through it… That’s the darkness that I felt because I felt like I had no worth or value, not knowing that the voice that I was born with, would one day be known, even on a national level. I had no clue about that, and I almost gave up and quit, but they were educators leaders those counselors, all those individuals that exist right now that are helping children right now. They were the ones to help pull that potential out of me and say, Miranda, you have worth you have value you are here to do something important and significant. That’s why during this crisis situation that we’re in right now, it will bring out the worst in some people, and it will bring out the best and others. And I just want to believe that the best will come out of most people. When leaders come back together, collaborate with headstart programs to reach out to children as part of your equity solutions and equity plans because I have traveled to cities and states where early childhood education is a must. If you want to reach children and poverty children that are at risk of failing to reach them earlier on so that they can be better prepared before they enter your school districts. The earlier you the better they will perform in your districts, because for some children. They may be in poverty, but they have the ability to learn. It’s just that they lack exposure to certain things that are more fluent family may be able to give their children tutoring and taking them to different places. We can tell them about places that are free, that they can take their children to expose them to different things. And some people want to say some children are lazy, but you don’t know what those children are going through. What they’re dealing with caused them not to be able to sleep at night. So then when they come to school they’re sleeping in the classroom and they’re being accused of being lazy.

Christian Moore: I was told that my whole life. I was lazy and had an attitude problem.

Miranda Beard: That’s right, but nobody bothered to try to find out why you were doing and behaving the way you were.

Christian Moore: Your voice needs to get out to way more people you are someone that can really help this country. You’re the real deal. 

On to the fourth thing, we want to do something that’s fun. I mean, right now I’m applying this principle to me talking to you right now is extremely fun as fulfilling this is going to be the highlight of my day. No. No doubt about it. Maybe learning how to cook or again, zooming with friends, you know, binge-watching something on TV. Um, I think there’s some crazy show out there about a lion. Watch all the Rocky movies. The fifth step is to expose yourself to something inspiring for your heart and soul. That could be something you watch on YouTube or Instagram. A book, a movie a podcast. Almost every day I’ll spend some time putting on an inspirational podcast and walking around. I have to spend time renewing myself by listening to something motivational. We got to get tapped into the things that really help our heart like you know Meditation, Prayer mindfulness all those type of things. 

Number six is acknowledging that change as a part of life. The only thing we can count on in this world is change. And the ability to see change is an opportunity to change me, you know, when one door closes another door opens that type of mentality. In the present change happens and we have to look for opportunities. A professor of Psychology at the University of North Carolina, a few years ago came up with something called post-traumatic growth, the ability to, out of very difficult adversity, use that adversity to create growth in our lives. And this isn’t something that happens at the moment. To create growth out of adversity sometimes takes months, years, we have to be patient with ourselves. Resilience takes place in striving. It’s not a destination. So I think that’s really important for people to think about right now. So anyway, those are the six things 

Miranda Beard: Thinking about you Christian and your story. It just moved me to tears because I know so many children have found themselves in similar situations, and your story is one that the nation needs to hear. And that’s why people are calling on you from all over the country to share your story and how you are able to build an organization, WhyTry to help assist families and teachers and administrators all across the country. So I hope people will go to the website. Get the best practices share some of their best practices right now. Go to the website and and see what why try is all about. And how they can use it as an equity piece as far as their strategic planning process and I want them to continue to plan, even though they’re sitting at home right now. They can consider sitting down continuing to collaborate with one another digitally writing down ideas and when they come back together to face some of these issues that will come out of this crisis as we try to deal with educating children. It will pass, but what are we going to do now to get ready for the future because some things if we don’t deal with them now we’re going to deal with them on the back end for sure.

Christian Moore: Absolutely, absolutely. And please check out our resilience guide at resilienceguide.org 

Miranda Beard: And and hang in there, everybody and don’t give up. You know, fear can paralyze us sometimes, but we can’t give in to the spirit of fear permanently. Just know this will pass, we will not stay in crisis mode forever. It’s just that we don’t know when. But while we’re using technology and other things to stay together, you use it to strategically begin planning for our future. The future of our families, the future of children around us, our neighbor, a future for everybody. And we’re going to get through this. But we’re going to do it together. And that’s what it’s all about working together to get past crisis situations. I’ve done it before. And we will do it again, as a country, and as a nation. To be able to help others get through this process as well. All right. Thank you. Thank you both so much. This was awesome. I think everybody’s giving you a virtual round of applause. So thank you, everybody. 

WhyTry Webinar: Thank you so much.

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