Blog Archives
Empower Any Parent And Educator
All Kids Can Thrive is a holistic educational resource for the education of children with special needs. Why was this an important book for you to write?
I felt that it was important to write this book at this time because many parents and educators are struggling for answers and ways to cope through these very challenging times both personally and professionally. Everyone strives to make a difference and it can be frustrating when it seems that you can’t reach a child or simply do not know what to do to help empower a student or even your own child. That is why I’ve searched the world for programs, courses, and mentors to enable me to help others. The biggest yet most surprising discovery is that relationships and safety are two keys to motivating active learning.
‘All Kids Can Thrive’ is for all educators whether the students have special needs or not. Each child is unique and should be valued exactly as they are. ‘All Kids Can Thrive’ is a resource filled with many tips, tools and strategies to empower any parent and educator to be successful with implementation and use of problem-solving tools.
What is a common misconception you feel most people have about special needs classrooms?
One misconception is that children with special needs should be in their own segregated classroom. That is not inclusion! For true inclusion to exist, students should be part of mainstream classes with meaningful programming adjusted to their abilities and skill levels. Studies show there are many benefits for all with inclusion. Sadly, despite proof of its benefits, inclusion still has a long way to go with regards to educational settings.
People tend to forget that students with special needs have a right to belong and a right to be treated and honoured as valuable citizens of our communities. This should include the right to be included in regular classrooms with proper support and training for the educators.
What were some ideas that were important for you to explore in this book?
Throughout this book it was essential that I stressed the importance of treating the whole child-mind, body and spiritually. Each child has their own unique gifts, talents and strengths and it is important to assess and build upon those abilities. Honoring a child’s culture and heritage is important to develop a better understanding of thoughts, beliefs, and actions. When the whole child is considered, they can grow, develop, and reach their highest potential physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.
What do you hope is one thing readers take away from your book?
I would love for the reader to see how important they are for the success of the child and that the reader discovers that no matter what the problem is – there is always an answer. Relationships are an important key, and any child can thrive if they have at least one responsible, caring adult in their corner rooting for them that is willing to protect, value and love them. Love matters most!
Author Links: Website | Facebook | GoodReads | Twitter
Many teachers, educational assistants, counsellors, trauma coaches, and school administrators are searching for ways to empower students struggling with behaviour management problems, lack of self-awareness, and limited control of their emotions. Unsolved lagging skills may result in angry outbursts, frustration, and low self-esteem in students.
By applying the tools found in All Kids Can Thrive educators will be inspired and feel grateful knowing that you made a difference by enriching your students’ lives simply by allowing them to be themselves—and by being the best version of yourself.
Author Sheena Smith has been a special education assistant for over 20 years and has raised four children, including two children with special needs—one has Spina bifida and the other has Down syndrome. She knows the challenges children face daily both at home and within the educational system.
A strong advocate for meeting her children’s needs in the school environment and within the community, she has travelled and studied extensively seeking inclusive ways to help children with restricted physical mobility and intellectual disabilities to learn and thrive.
This book is the result. All Kids Can Thrive is filled with valuable information for anyone that works with children or has children with or without disabilities. Educators and parents will discover a wide variety of approaches, tools, and strategies to wholly empower each child to strive for balance within their own mind, body, and spirit.
Some of the takeaways for educators include:
The essential pieces of the puzzle for raising consciousness within your classroom, school, and community environment by teaching the whole child
How to prevent burnout and overwhelm despite current circumstances—turn chaos to calm!
How the body and brain (mind) are intricately linked on all levels physically and psychologically including emotions, decision-making processes, and wellness
Understand why daily, regular movement is not only essential but critically important
What the brain does under stress and how students can easily build new neural pathways
What potential exists through the science of neuroplasticity
How your intuition is one of your best assets when working with children
Evidence-based interventions that embrace the whole child to lower stress, build resilience, empower students to develop self-regulation skills
The basics of the Polyvagal theory and how understanding it can benefit your students
The secrets to building strong, positive relationships and connections
Proven methods to assist your students in becoming more “life ready” when they graduate
All Kids Can Thrive will help you understand your key role in the future of education not just as a teacher but as a coach to guide, motivate and inspire students to achieve their own level of greatness through their skills, natural gifts, and talents. It includes numerous resource links, websites, and freebies for you to pursue further learning.
Use the Look Inside feature to begin reading now and discover how All Kids Can Thrive with the right tools and …Love Matters Most!. Available in eBook and paperback.
ALL KIDS CAN THRIVE
Teaching is hard. There are no two ways about it. It is a demanding profession and is possibly the most underappreciated and simultaneously most important career out there. Somehow, day after day and year after year, teachers continue to make it work with limited resources. Were it not for teachers like Sheena Smith who dedicate their lives to making sure students not only learn but thrive, our educational system would be a travesty indeed.
All Kids Can Thrive: A Holistic Education Resource for a Successful and Conscious Classroom, by Sheena L. Smith, serves as both a fantastic resource for teachers and a pick-me-up for those of us who are at our wits’ end with the current onslaught of changes in education. It is easy to fall into a trap and believe that some children just aren’t able to meet their potential. Many factors mesh together to create a negative atmosphere, and it is one that is incredibly difficult to break through. Smith, however, manages to provide an upbeat handbook that focuses on the silver lining in a sometimes very dark cloud.
One of the most appealing aspects of Smith’s work is the fact that she includes an endless list of resources for every possible scenario. Whether she is addressing self-respect or explaining the benefits of mindfulness, she never fails to include authors who have impacted her own methods. She is a fountain of knowledge, and her book is one every teacher needs in his/her back pocket.
As an elementary teacher who has seen more than my share of heartbreaking situations over the last 25 years, I can say that Smith is dead on. Our children need to be met where they are–wherever that may be. I love the fact that Smith goes into great detail to teach readers about various coping skills and meditation. In addition, she stresses that attention should be paid to the different learning styles our children all exhibit. Recent teaching strategies seem to have left this by the wayside, and I am glad to see Smith, for one, realizes and touts their importance.
All Kids Can Thrive is all-inclusive, hits every major dilemma and scenario a teacher can encounter, and gives practical tips that just make sense. Every child can thrive–Smith knows it, and through her writing and expertise, she is going to make a difference in classrooms everywhere. This is a true must read for new teachers and veteran teachers alike.
Pages: 218 | ASIN: B093HLYF6H
LITERARY TITAN 