There is a quote from Jane Goodall that says: "You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make." At the beginning of May, I was invited to speak to… Continue reading Guest Post: The Power of A School Wide Experience
Category: Education
Believe In
Author: Karen Copeland [with much inspiration and guidance from BC Educator, Tracy Cramer] Buy In. I can't even begin to count how many times I have heard these two words over the years -- in many different circles. It seems to be the 'go to' phrase that is used when a new (or re-designed) idea is being… Continue reading Believe In
Re-Thinking the Iceberg
Author: Karen Copeland Most of us are familiar with icebergs, and that you really only see a small piece of an iceberg above the surface; there is so much more underneath. In the human services realm, the iceberg has become a metaphor for exploring deeper below the surface instead of relying solely on what we… Continue reading Re-Thinking the Iceberg
Guest Post: One Youth’s Thoughts on Acceptance and Inclusion
I am proud to share this post, which has been written my daughter. It is comprised of a series of paragraphs she wrote for her English class. She is a teenager and presents her perspectives on how we sometimes view kids who behave unexpectedly, as well as how we "do" inclusion. I believe her voice is… Continue reading Guest Post: One Youth’s Thoughts on Acceptance and Inclusion
Let’s Be Blunt: The Illusion of Inclusion
Author: Karen Copeland This is a post I have been wanting to write for a long time now. Most of you will not be surprised this post is about the challenges families face with their children who have special needs being included in the public education system. How we are simply dropping our kids into regular classrooms… Continue reading Let’s Be Blunt: The Illusion of Inclusion
#StartwithStrengths
Author: Karen Copeland Last night it finally happened! I have been collaborating with Chris Wejr for months to prepare a presentation called Start with Strengths: Change the Lens, Change the Story. We were building on the previous presentations Chris has created on this important topic. For this session, we wanted to include the parent voice… Continue reading #StartwithStrengths
Do You Know Her?
Author: Karen Copeland She sits quietly in your classroom. Completes her work. Not always on time, but mostly. She might be hesitant to raise her hand to answer a question. She likes school, but doesn't love school and would rather learn about things that matter to her. She might not be the one to readily… Continue reading Do You Know Her?
The Power of #EdCamp35
Author: Karen Copeland Ahhhh #EdCamp35 2015. This amazing day of learning, connecting, sharing and laughing. Meeting new friends and re-connecting with people I met at last year's unconference. The feeling really is indescribable. I originally was not going to be able to attend this day because of another commitment, but when my plans changed, I… Continue reading The Power of #EdCamp35
Shifting from Awareness to Acceptance
Author: Karen Copeland I've been thinking a lot about awareness lately, and reflecting on how our family has moved from a place of awareness to a place of acceptance. I thought about those times when people were "aware" of the challenges we were experiencing but this did not necessarily translate into "acceptance". In one of… Continue reading Shifting from Awareness to Acceptance
Why Should Parents Attend #EdCamp?
I wrote this post last year after attending #EdCamp35, hosted by the Langley School District. Shawn Davids graciously posted it on his blog, Leadership with Purpose (because I didn't have one then). Now that registration has opened for the 2016 #EdCamp35, I am re-posting the article here in the hopes that I can encourage more… Continue reading Why Should Parents Attend #EdCamp?
Champions for Community Mental Wellness 