Single Session Workshops

same perfume as your grandmother or walked past an open window that billowed out clouds of the dish your father used to make. In a world where sight and sound take priority, we often forget how the power of smell gives meaning to our world. A finely tuned chemical detector, the nose can identify odor molecules at surprisingly low concentrations while also discerning slight differences between complex molecular mixtures. Join us in this workshop as we explore the molecular physiology and neuroscience of smell. We will discuss what our sense of smell means for our well-being, how olfactory dysfunction can impact our health in mysterious ways, and how the olfactory system serves as a research model to help us study all sorts of biological questions. This course is best suited for middle and high school biology and chemistry teachers, but all noses are welcome!

Beka Stecky is a Ph.D. candidate and National Science Foundation fellow at Columbia University’s Zuckerman Institute. She currently studies how the brain adapts to traumatic experiences. Before starting her doctoral work at Columbia, Beka earned her B.S. in Anthropology at Appalachian State University. Thereafter, she received her molecular biology training at the University of North Carolina at Asheville. When she’s not doing science, you can find her biking, doing acrobatics, cooking, and spending time with friends.

Teacher Leadership for Impactful School Change II

Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Sharon Collins and Ben Morgenroth

TUESDAY, MAR 7

ONLINE

 INQUIRY, PRACTICE, AND LEADERSHIP

How can we influence urban education beyond the walls of our classrooms? As NYC grapples with complex educational issues, teacher voice and expertise should be a required part of educational policy conversations and decisions. In this workshop, we will explore how to transfer our classroom leadership skills to our school communities and beyond. By reading selections from Teacher Leaders: Transforming Schools from the Inside, from Bank Street College of Education, we will learn how teachers are changing education for their students. We will apply a Success Analysis Protocol to analyze and better understand the determining factors that lead to effective teacher advocacy and activism. Lastly, we will be resources for each other in expanding our leadership and planning targeted ways to amplify our voices, integral in contributing to wider educational decisions. Join us as we move from discussion to execution. This workshop is a sequel to the fall 2022 Teacher Leadership for Impactful School Change workshop, but it is open to any teacher interested in developing their leadership skills.

Sharon Collins is an MƒA Master Teacher and mathematics teacher at New Heights Academy Charter School in Manhattan.

Ben Morgenroth is an MƒA Master Teacher and mathematics teacher at Brooklyn Technical High School in Brooklyn.

Trauma

Informed Practices

and Adult

WEDNESDAY, MAR 1 ONLINE

INQUIRY, PRACTICE, AND LEADERSHIP

Wellness

p Facilitators: Natalie Ginsburg and Jillian Morgan

As educators, we care for students and their varied needs. But our ability to care for others is affected by how well we care for ourselves. Collective trauma, which manifests and is experienced differently by all, requires us to have the skills and language to both understand and respond to different needs. Through connection and reflection, we will examine how our own trauma shapes both how we respond to or think about students and families, and how we view fellow teachers and school leaders. All teachers will leave with a more developed practice regarding nonviolent communication, self-care, and continued reflection and applications to practice.

Natalie Ginsburg is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker at Community Roots Charter School in Brooklyn, New York, a Roots ConnectED learning site. In her role as a Social Worker, Natalie provides individual and small group counseling to students, supervises social work master’s degree students, facilitates family workshops, and collaborates closely with teachers and families. She is a member of the Anti-Bias Education Collective (ABC), a staff leadership initiative focused on implementing anti-bias curriculum and staff professional development. Additionally, Natalie has served as a Teaching Associate for research and practice courses at Columbia University’s School of Social Work.

Jillian Morgan is a licensed clinical social worker working as the Director of Community and Wellness at Mediabrands, a global company spanning 13,000 employees. In this role, she works closely with DEI teams and employees to enhance psychological safety, well-being, and a sense of belonging for staff. She also works as a private therapist. Through her role at Roots ConnectED, she hopes to support school leaders, teachers, and educational professionals in creating brave spaces and communities that center equity and justice.