Educator professional development that leaves teachers smiling.
Professional Development for Schools and Educators
I offer a variety of workshop and professional development for schools, parenting groups, and childcare centers in San Francisco to help the teachers and parents bond and learn social-emotional and communication skills to learn how to best interact with children of different abilities.
Some workshop favorites include “Hands-On Humor & Social-Emotional Learning” and “Improv for Governance” from the National Association of Independent Schools Annual Conference, and “Design Thinking: Ideation for Womxn Leaders” at the Leadership + Design Wonder Women Conference.
Professional development for schools is offered both virtually and in person in the San Francisco Bay Area. Interested in bringing a workshop to your school or group? Contact me to book it!
Plays Well With Others
Social-emotional skills are some of the most crucial things to practice in school, but so much social-emotional skill training is serious! It’s time to have some lighthearted (but still educational) fun. In this workshop for educators and parents, learn how to infuse games and role-play into your social-emotional skill lessons, helping kids practice and receive feedback on important communications skills in a non-judgmental, fun way!
Recess for Teachers
Half team bonding and half easy-to-integrate games for the classroom, Recess for Teachers is the most fun kind of professional development for schools and educators you can find! Using principles of improvisation with ample time to debrief, this workshop will help your faculty bond and feel closer, work together in a more lighthearted and cohesive way, and tap into the inner creativity that all teachers (and administrators!) possess.
Boards Without Boredom
As seen in the National Association of Independent School’s “Promote Great Governance” resource guide! School boards gather infrequently, yet have intense, emotion- and data-driven conversations and the need to work together efficiently and with empathy. My workshops target the skills necessary for boards to connect quickly, ideate freely, and tap into the vulnerability. Watch an interview about how Boards Without Boredom can help your trustees!
“From the beginning, it was clear that Melissa, our instructor, had spent a significant amount of time researching our school and planning activities/games that would meet our unique needs: games that helped improve communication (verbal/nonverbal), teamwork, trust, etc. The games were so much fun, and they were all played in a safe, encouraging environment. Each time we completed a game, we would stand in a circle and debrief how it felt, what we observed, and how that activity could apply to our work.
At no time was anyone up "performing" in front of others or feeling pressured to make the group laugh. Rather, we were all up on stage together, collaborating, encouraging, and laughing.” -Joseph W., Aurum Preparatory Academy