Social Emotional Learning and Sexual Health Specialist
I am an educator with over twenty years of experience in K-12 classrooms, both as a class teacher and as a specialist in the United States and Australia.
For the past ten years, I have been a presenter, lecturer, consultant, and facilitator in Sex Education and Social Emotional Learning.
ABOUT MY WORK
At the heart of my work is recognizing that safe, curious, warm, and engaged connections between human beings are a fundamental need. We need to be seen in all our possibilities and potential with interest and care. And we need to do that for each other.
We need to grow and allow each other to grow. We are all a work in progress. How do we support each other’s growth and development? How do we bring out the best in each other?
My work has been formed over years of sitting with adolescents in circles. I have the almost unimaginable privilege of witnessing the softening authenticity and shining faces of teenagers sitting in circles, connecting and talking about what is on their minds, how they are making their way through their days, and how they are growing and changing. Sometimes, it is ordinary, and sometimes, it is profound, and I leave our circle time filled with hope, deep respect, and gratitude. My work has changed me.
I am a white New Zealand/Australian of British descent raised in a culture permeated by the “stiff upper lip” British mentality. My adult years have been an unlearning and a learning. My self-contained self-protection has slowly cracked open as I have learned to notice and find language for my inner world, most notably my feelings. Emotional literacy is now something I teach, and my struggle and growth in this area have given me insights and empathy.
Self-understanding and the potential for meaningful connections and healthy relationships are really what I mean when I say Social Emotional Learning. How are we learning to know ourselves, and how are we turning toward each other with interest, warmth, and care?
This is my work. And I would like to tell you what an honor it is to sit with young people. I have been working with teens since 1997. Young people today are different. They can be sensitive to the point of often being overwhelmed. Many struggle with anxiety and depression. They care. They really care. They can talk about how they feel and what they see. They are getting good at saying what they won’t stand for. They are inclusive in ways I am trying to catch up. They show up and are there for each other when given the opportunity. They want to connect. They long to connect. They make my eyes well, and my heart sing. I love them.