VermontBiz Nearly 40 educators from northwestern Vermont returned to the classroom for two days last week, so that they can start the 2023-2024 school year with HOPE (Hold On, Possibilities Exist).
On July 24 and July 25, Sweethearts & Heroes conducted a North Country Circle Training at KW Vermont in Burlington. Sweethearts & Heroes is a student empowerment and empathy activation team that aims to prevent bullying and suicide with a focus on the basic components of social-emotional learning (SEL).
Sweethearts & Heroes worked with thousands of students and hundreds of educators in Vermont during the 2022-2023 school year.
Sweethearts & Heroes offers a profound, engaging signature presentation that calls for HOPE, Empathy and Action; Circle, which is built on the ancient ritual of communicating in a circle to build empathy; and BRAVES Buddies, which trains older students in bully drills that they, in turn, teach to students in lower grades.
The two-day workshops at KW Vermont primed educators on the “Magic of Circles” and other strategies that can build empathy and compassion in their classrooms. Discussions and activities also centered on Sweethearts & Heroes’ first novel, 13 Pillows For Affective Teachers, which covers the themes of HOPE, Empathy and Action in the Sweethearts & Heroes curriculum.
Sweethearts & Heroes teammates Tom Murphy (Director, of St. Albans, Vt.), Heather Gottlob (Affective Educator) and Pat Fish (Circle/BRAVES Leader) led the seminars at KW Vermont; owner Adam Hergenrother generously granted the space. The North Country Chevy Dealers sponsored the trainings.
“The timing was perfect for these seminars in Vermont,” Murphy said. “Never before have we witnessed such tremendous need for support with social-emotional wellness in our schools and communities. Participants left these trainings with a comprehensive understanding and ability to use the power of human connection, acceptance, and behavior modeling to create cultures of empathy, compassion and leadership.”
“What a great two days!” said Nancy Joost Matas, a First Grade Teacher at Georgia Elementary and Middle School. “I’m excited to do the work with the kids!”
Sheldon School Principal Teri Sue Hitchcock said, “This was an awesome training! I feel energized to do this work, and my staff who attended are really excited and hopeful to do this with our community.”
On July 19 and 20, more than 30 educators from the North Country of New York attended a Sweethearts & Heroes Circle training at Champlain Valley Educational Services (CVES) in Plattsburgh, N.Y. CVES was a partner in the event, and The Foundation of Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital (CVPH) provided funding for scholarships and grants that allowed educators to attend for free.
Participation in those workshops counted toward continuing teacher and leader education (CTLE) credits for educators in New York.
For more than 16 years, Sweethearts & Heroes has presented what Murphy calls “‘the ‘stop, drop and roll’ of bullying” to nearly 2.5 million students in school districts from New England to Hawaii and north to Canada. Murphy, Yarosh and Fish also tailor their presentations and workshops for businesses, non-profits and civic groups. Murphy said, “We go where we’re needed. That’s what heroes do.”
13 Pillows For Affective Teachers is based on real students and teachers that Sweethearts & Heroes has encountered. Murphy cowrote the book with Brian McKeon, of New York. 13 Pillows is available on Amazon. Digital or printed copies are available upon request. The audiobook is on Audible. (On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/13Pillows)
For more information on Sweethearts & Heroes, visit: sweetheartsandheroes.com
Or watch these short, impactful trailers:
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sweetheartsandheroes/
On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChmbRNNgpGWkMRIUxSS-bGg
