It was a joy to be with more than 160 people at Army and Navy Academy, in Carlsbad, California, for our Summer Training Institute.  A heartfelt thanks to everyone at the Academy for their organizational prowess, including Ethan Segovia, Amy Coe, General Art Barthell, and so many more.  Huge thanks also to our staff, speakers, and trainers for sharing so much brain-based research, practical strategies, and deeply inspirational energy.  Conference coordinator, Eva Dwight, said about the conference:  “This is one of the most dynamic weekends I’ve ever been involved in.   The learning and the passion for kids was palpable throughout.”

Dr. Michael Gurian and Dr. Glynetta Deshon Fletcher gave powerful keynotes on protecting the emotional lives of boys and girls, trauma-focused teaching and counseling, and working with children of color.  Participants saw brain scans of male and female brains learning and growing in some ways similarly and in some ways quite differently.  Participants agreed:  accounting for the differences, especially in education, parenting, and counseling, is key to helping our nation’s children.

“I came away from this summer training with dozens of strategies I can use immediately in my classroom!”  — Alison

“This training was a real training–I learned a lot and got to put things into practice in the workshops.  Great training!”  — Joseph

Workshop Topics included:

The Human Brain: Setting the Stage, with Eva Dwight and Michael Gurian

Lunch Discussion and Action Planning Regarding the Boy Crisis, Saving Our Sons, and Suicide/Violence Prevention, led by Michael Gurian

The Power of Diversity:  Teaching and Mentoring Latino Boys and Girls, with Hicxell Wester

Why Did You Do That?  I…Uh…Don’t Know! with Joseph Moody

The Pressured Child:  Helping Children Navigate and Heal Their Worry and Anxiety, with Abigail Wald

Raising and Educating Boys in the #MeToo World, with Tim Wright

Lunch Discussion and Action Planning Regarding Helping Girls, The Minds of Girls, Handling Girl Drama, and Girls and STEM, led by Michael Gurian

The Digital Child:  Helping Them Take the Best and Leave the Rest, with Abigail Wald

Using Brain Science to Improve Classroom Management, with Eva Dwight

Soothing the Stress Response in Girls and Handling Girl Drama, with Eva Dwight

The Power of Single Sex Classrooms and Environments, with Amy Coe

Our Summer Institute for next year is already in the planning stages, and our Winter Institute will be in Atlanta, GA on January 24-26, 2020, at The Lovett School, a Gurian Institute Model School.  Stay tuned to our www.gurianinstitute.com website for more information.  We hope you will save the Date!

Thanks again to everyone who came to the conference and, thus, made it possible!

The Gurian Institute Team