Workshops

Inspiring New Perspectives offers empowering workshops, keynote presentations, and professional development experiences to help school leaders and educators create positive change in their professional skills and practices.

Susan weaves inspirational, and motivational techniques and strategies with current research and early childhood quality standards to bridge the gap between our understanding of the impact of the early childhood years and what we can do to support the holistic development of children, teachers, and families.

The stress and uncertainties of the past two years have widely impacted educators, children, and parents. Now more than ever, a nurturing, secure, positive learning environment is crucial. How? A fresh outlook and a shared vision.

But first. Small steps. Little actions can inspire real change, particularly in engagement and energy levels. This workshop draws from current research and actionable strategies to reconnect you with the positive energy to inspire change.

Creating professional learning experiences that truly engage and inspire adult learners can be challenging. You will need a clear plan to keep staff motivated and invested in their ongoing professional growth. Discover innovative and concrete strategies for designing and delivering impactful professional development.

In this workshop, you will gain new ideas for establishing learning communities where adults are empowered with the mindset, focus, and motivation to achieve their professional goals. You will also learn about a wide range of resources to help you expand your repertoire of activities and practices to create or support a diverse community of adult learners.

Positive thinking leads to positive outcomes! Positive strengths-based energy is essential for creating vibrant learning communities where children, families, and educators can thrive. This workshop is designed to support early childhood educators as they move through the stress and uncertainty of the last two years.

This course will provide an understanding of the current positive psychology research to inspire participants. We will explore how the ten forms of positivity can re-energize your work. The vital importance of modeling positivity in daily actions will be stressed.

Our precious resource, time, can be challenging to manage, especially given the numerous early childhood education priorities.

It’s time to move forward with clarity and focus. Unlock new possibilities with refined strategies and well-researched tools. Incorporate new habits, rituals, and daily practices to enhance your well-being and reignite your passion for teaching and early childhood programs.

This presentation will help you rethink your time management by becoming intentional with the help of a vision-focused action plan.

We all want to bring light to the world, particularly to the children we educate.

How can you infuse positive energy into all aspects of your work? How do you truly embrace the current challenges in the early childhood education field — and the wider world — while igniting your passion for what you do? How can you positively impact others on the field itself?

In this workshop, we will answer these questions and more. Using reflective, interactive, engaging learning experiences, Susan will provide direction, inspiration, and assistance to help you bring intentionality and engagement to your work.

Explore the powerful impact that seeing the best in every child can have! Susan will show you how to use Appreciative Inquiry principles to illuminate the strengths, talents, magic, and wonder in each child.

When children are seen for their strengths, they become more resilient and confident. You will find new ways to acknowledge and validate each child’s unique gifts to create a positive learning environment where children can thrive.

When professional growth grinds to a halt, the result is stagnation. Frustration builds, turnover rises, staff meetings are tense and unproductive, and negativity can find a foothold in your school’s culture.

But by inspiring and motivating teachers to engage in professional growth, you can create an environment where students and teachers can flourish. Here, we will focus on strategies from Susan’s book Inspiring Professional Growth designed to teach how to:

Establish a growth culture intentionally and deliberately
Use strength-based strategies to support ongoing professional growth
Build collaboration across teams and individuals
Create and set goals that foster accountability and lead to sustainable change

This workshop is filled with helpful insights and easy-to-use tips to empower you with the knowledge and skills necessary to inspire real, positive change and develop programs that support success for teachers and children.

A growth culture is vital to keeping teachers engaged and positive while creating a thriving environment for children. This workshop outlines the key strategies early childhood education leaders require to create a culture that prioritizes continuous growth and development for teachers.

Here, we focus on answering fundamental questions today’s leaders face, including:

How do I motivate and inspire teachers to grow and develop?
How can I develop a leadership style that encourages educators to remain current regarding knowledge and best practices?
How can I infuse positive energy into my professional development work?
What tools and strategies can I use to help develop the capabilities of early childhood educators within my organization?

To answer these and other questions, we will take a deep dive into how a Deliberately Developmental Organization (DDO) supports each individual’s unique desire to reach their full potential. Susan will also help you develop the skills and master the tools and strategies required to support teachers as they focus on professional accountability and positivity in their work with children.

Note: This workshop is also available as a multi-session leadership series based on Susan’s book Inspiring Professional Growth.

Without the right communication skills, it is challenging for leaders to inspire and motivate educators.

In this insightful workshop, you will learn to engage educators in impactful dialogues and foster sustainable improvements in program quality. You will also develop crucial skills for effective communication aligned with both individual and program goals to encourage growth.

Some of the key communication strategies and techniques covered include:

Appreciative Inquiry (AI) as a model to support collaboration
Reflective practices that add depth to professional conversations
Observation protocols
Adult development theory as it relates to providing constructive feedback
Powerful questions as the foundation for meaningful dialogues

Ultimately, this workshop supports leaders in gaining a new perspective on their communication and leadership practices.

Note: This workshop is available as a multi-session leadership series.

Children thrive in environments where the adults model positive relationships and create communities based on trust and respect.

We will explore strategies for eliminating gossip and enhancing your professional communication skills with coworkers, parents, and administrators. Susan will also expand your knowledge of the Appreciative Inquiry strategies and positive psychology.

Susan will help you explore strengths-based communication strategies through small-group exercises, using the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct as a guide. You will leave with a clear path to creating resilient relationships and a positive, supportive, respectful environment for children and adults.

Are you running low on energy? This interactive workshop will help you reconnect with your motivation, rebuild confidence, and rediscover your purpose.

You will be inspired by live presentations and guided through various reflective exercises to help you create a comprehensive blueprint that will motivate you to bring your very best to your professional work. Your leadership blueprint will include:

A clear and compelling vision statement meant to guide and inspire you to achieve your professional aspirations
An effective time management action plan based on new strategies that ensure focus and intentionality in your daily work
A year-long professional learning plan to keep you committed to your professional growth

This workshop draws from the research in Susan’s books, Inspiring Early Childhood Leadership and Inspiring Professional Growth, and other current resources.

Note: This workshop is also available as a multi-session series and for a leadership retreat.

All presentations include a reflection guide and a well-researched resource list, with books, articles, videos, and podcasts to help participants facilitate their ongoing learning.

Workshops

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