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The Blog


7 Simple Ways to Practice Gratitude in the Classroom
What if someone offered you a FREE 5 minute per day strategy that boasted the following benefits for you AND your students: Improved...
Dianne McKinley
Jan 25, 20236 min read


Employability Skills: Mindset
Employability skills are a set of skills outside of technical or academic competencies that are desired by potential employers and...
Dianne McKinley
Dec 9, 20228 min read


5 Brainy Books for Exploring School Discipline through a New Lens
Approaching school discipline through a preventative brain-aligned approach has been a goal of mine (and countless others) for years! In...
Dianne McKinley
Jul 11, 20225 min read


Encouraging Lifelong LearningEmployability Skills: Learning Strategies
Part One: Creating the Conditions, Effective Communication, and Aptitude Awareness Employability skills are a set of skills outside of...
Dianne McKinley
Feb 8, 20229 min read


Prioritizing Physical & Mental Health Despite Ongoing Stress
I was recently asked to come have a conversation with the staff at a non-profit agency about managing personal stress as they continue...
Dianne McKinley
Dec 16, 202111 min read


Simple Strategies for Big Worries Supporting Students with Anxiety
Last December I wrote about prioritizing our adult mental wellness during times of stress and uncertainty. I was hopeful at the time that...
Dianne McKinley
Dec 6, 20217 min read


Understanding and Addressing Stress in the Classroom
Stress is a part of life and it can even be helpful! We perform better under some level of stress, it can motivate us to reach our goals...
Dianne McKinley
Nov 8, 20217 min read


Building Empathy in the Classroom
We are living through an incredible time of physical and emotional disconnection. Despite technological advances created to keep us...
Dianne McKinley
Feb 12, 20217 min read


Value-Based Living, Working, and Leading - Swapping Resolutions for Reflection in the New Year
On December 31st, 2019, I was full of energy, excitement, and anticipation. We were heading into a new decade! I had multiple activities...
Dianne McKinley
Jan 15, 20218 min read


Collective Grief and the Educator
Name It to Tame It is one of my favorite strategies and recently, I have found myself naming and attempting to tame endlessly with little...
Dianne McKinley
Jun 5, 20208 min read


5 Brainy SEL Books for Your School
If you are an educator, then you will want to add these 5 brainy SEL books to your school’s book club list pronto! Read on to find out...
Dianne McKinley
Jun 5, 20205 min read


6 Tips for a Healing Re-Entry Plan for Schools
As we all deal with the new reality of everyday life, we are met with a new challenge. How do we get back to school? Although we do not...
Dianne McKinley
Jun 5, 202010 min read


5 Strategies to Support Mental Wellness During Times of Transition and Uncertainty
Good afternoon, friends. How is everyone doing? I’m sure most of us are responding to the global pandemic that has turned many of our...
Dianne McKinley
Jun 5, 20207 min read


10 Ways to Build Mental Health Systems and Supports
The integration of educational neuroscience, social-emotional learning (SEL) and partnerships with community mental health agencies has...
Dianne McKinley
Jun 5, 20207 min read


Supporting Educators’ Mental Health- How Education Has Changed Over the Years, Why Support is Needed, and How You Can Help
In this post, we will walk through how education has changed, why support is needed, and how both administrators and educators can help.
Dianne McKinley
Aug 8, 20197 min read


How to Best Identify and Support Students with Social-Emotional Needs
School faculty members know a range of techniques for helping to support the educational needs of their students, but what about the...
Dianne McKinley
Feb 19, 20193 min read


How to Promote a Healthy School Culture
Have you ever visited a school that had such a healthy, positive culture that you could sense it as soon as you walked through the front...
Dianne McKinley
Feb 5, 20192 min read


How to Create a Comfort Room in Schools
As adults, we have learned how to deal with emotions and feelings in a rational way. This is something that is learned. When it comes to...
Dianne McKinley
Aug 10, 20185 min read


How Depression and Anxiety Affect Students
There have been a number of studies over the past decade on the prevalence of depression and anxiety among students. It was found that...
Dianne McKinley
Jul 18, 20183 min read


How Teachers Can Unleash the Power of Positivity
We often hear the words, “just think positive”. But what does that mean and what is it meant to accomplish? Is positivity based just on...
Dianne McKinley
Jun 20, 20183 min read
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