Distraction, Disruption, Motivation & Grit Virtual Seminar
How Educators Can Use Brain Research & Current Best Practices to Promote Positive Relationships & Prevent Bullying, Cyberbullying & Relational Aggression.
Do You Know Students Who Have...
- Resistance or refusal to participate in normal school activities?
- Persistent moodiness
- Chosen social isolation?
- Sudden declines in school performance?
- Constant worries or anxieties?
- Extreme involvement with social media and/or digital games?
- Depression, sadness or irritability?
- Self-destructive behaviors
- Symptoms of substance abuse?
- Indifference to others’ feelings?
Seminar Overview
Why are some students so easily distracted? Why is it so hard to get certain kids motivated? What about their personal trauma history or Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) inhibits their academic success? Can resilience and drive be instilled?
Examine the biology of the pre-adolescent and adolescent brains in this virtual seminar – including neuroplasticity of the brain and the connection between brain development and learning – and leave with tools to keep students focused and motivated. Do a deep dive into the latest research on ACEs and the trauma-impacted learner to avoid marginalizing students. Understand that the teenage world is an ACE itself.
During this seminar, you’ll develop a path forward for building resilience in students while instilling the classroom/campus culture, systems and leadership necessary to provide a safety net for student success. Utilizing high-yield strategies to help bridge differences in the community, participants will be empowered to shift the status quo, to help students develop grit and to eradicate marginalization in our classrooms.
Learning Objectives:
- Gain a greater understanding of brain biology as it relates to learning, motivation and grit
- Examine the disruption of marginalization and whether “all” really means all
- Understand the impact of social media and social contagion on our communities
- Discover the three key components of a restorative response
- Explore how to build classroom and school-wide systems of support to generate positive social capital – creating bonds and bridging differences
- Develop the “Better Together” mindset
Earn Continuing Education Credit Hours
Upcoming Seminars
Click On the Event Below for Registration Information
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february
08feb9:30 am4:30 pmDistraction, Disruption, Motivation & Grit Virtual Seminar
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Time
(Monday) 9:30 am - 4:30 pm
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FAQ
– Classroom Teachers
– Principals
– Special Education Personnel
– School Counselors & Psychologists
– Other Administrators
– Social Workers (all levels)
– Law Enforcement/SRO
– Counselors & Therapists in Agencies & Private Practice
– Media Specialists
9:00 am ET/8:00 am CT Attendee Login
9:30 am ET/8:30 am CT Our Brains on Adolescence
- Neuroplasticity of the brain from birth through adolescence
- Brain development and learning
- Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
- The teenage world as an ACE itself
- Motivation and grit—the “it” factor
11:15 am ET/10:15 am CT Becoming Trauma-Informed and Resilience-Focused
- Trauma and our biology
- Who decides our truth?
- The key to resilience
- The disruption of marginalization
- Social media and social contagion
- Does “all” really mean all?
- The value gap
12:30 pm ET/11:30 am CT Lunch
1:30 pm ET/12:30 pm CT When All Means All
- The building blocks of multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS)
- Building the culture, systems, and leadership for success for all
- The value gap rides again
- Social capital as the “it” factor
- Generating high social capital in students and staff
3:15 pm ET/2:15 pm CT The Communion of Learning: Trauma-Informed, Resilience-Focused and Restorative Practices
- Our kids as part of our PLCs
- Love the kid, drive the rigor
- Learning = love
- Three key components of a restorative response
- Creating trauma-sensitive classrooms/schools
- The Better Together Mindset
4:30 pm ET/3:30 pm CT Question & Answer Session (Optional Attendance)
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If you cannot attend the event on the scheduled date, or if the event is postponed for any reason, you may send a substitute, transfer to a different event or request a Voucher for a future event. Substitutions should be made in writing (please email pd@accutrain.com) and are welcome until the day of the event. Vouchers are valid for up to three years for future AccuTrain events and may be transferred to a colleague.
Certificates of Completion for this seminar, which indicate 6 contact hours of Continuing Education, will be available at the end of the seminar upon completion of a course evaluation. In many cases, depending on your Profession and Jurisdiction, this Certificate of Completion is sufficient for tracking your Continuing Education and Professional Development efforts. We suggest that you contact your local Board or Governing Agency to see exactly what steps are necessary for approval in your particular discipline. Please note that Developmental Resources is also an approved Provider for the following National and Regional Accrediting Agencies.
Developmental Resources has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 5602. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified.
Seminar Information
Click On Each City for Event Time, Location & Registration Information
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8:00-8:30 | Registration |
8:30-10:00 | How Nature and Nurture Influence Girl Drama, Relational Aggression & Bullying
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10:00-10:15 | Break |
10:15-11:00 | The Impact of Social Networking & Technology on RA
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11:00-12:00 | Prevention Strategies for Schools
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12:00-1:00 | Lunch (On Your Own) |
1:00-2:30 | RA and Mental Health
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2:30-2:45 | Break |
2:45-3:45 | Individual & Group Strategies to Address RA
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3:45-4:15 | Networking Group Discussion (Optional Attendance) |
– Classroom Teachers
– Principals
– Special Education Personnel
– School Counselors & Psychologists
– Other Administrators
– Social Workers (all levels)
– Law Enforcement/SRO
– Counselors & Therapists in Agencies & Private Practice
– Media Specialists
|
Certificates of Completion for this seminar, which indicate 6 contact hours of Continuing Education, will be available at the end of the seminar upon completion of a course evaluation. In many cases, depending on your Profession and Jurisdiction, this Certificate of Completion is sufficient for tracking your Continuing Education and Professional Development efforts. We suggest that you contact your local Board or Governing Agency to see exactly what steps are necessary for approval in your particular discipline. Please note that Developmental Resources is also an approved Provider for the following National and Regional Accrediting Agencies.
Developmental Resources has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 5602. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified.
Seminar Presenter
Tracie Berry-McGhee, M.Ed., NCC, LPC

Tracie Berry-McGhee founded the SistaKeeper Empowerment Center in St. Louis 12 years ago with the mission of inspiring and developing the mind, body and spirit of young women. SistaKeeper has since spread to other locations within the United States and several other countries. Tracie also continues to serve the community via her private counseling practice, which specializes in women and teen girl issues. She is often called upon to speak on topics such as conflict resolution, delaying with low self-esteem and bullying. Tracie is the author of SistaKeeper Poetry for the Soul, I’m a Keeper and OWN your NOW.
Tom Maglisceau, Ph.D.

*In case of an emergency, another qualified presenter will substitute
Tom Maglisceau is the proud Superintendent of the Celina Independent School District in the Dallas Metroplex. He served previously as a teacher, coach, principal and assistant superintendent in the Highland Park, Dallas and Rockwall districts in Texas. He earned his doctorate in Public Policy and Public Affairs after completing his research on social capital as it relates to family structure and childhood outcomes. Dr. Maglisceau continues his research in the areas of neuroplasticity of the adolescent brain, adverse childhood experiences and adolescence in the age of abundance for presentations in schools and conferences throughout Texas and across the nation. In addition to his work in public education, he serves as a Key Implementer and national professional developer for AVID. Dr. Maglisceau co-founded Together Texas, an organization dedicated to championing the “Better Together Mindset” in schools and communities.
Questions? Let us know!
Special Accommodations
If you require special accommodations due to a disability, please fax or email our office at least two weeks prior to event. Also, please note your request on your registration form.
Girl Drama Resources
Mean Girls: 101 1/2 Creative Strategies and Actives for Working with Relational Aggression with CD
by Kaye Randall & Allyson Bowen
The strategies in this book are designed to increase awareness of Relational Aggression(RA), encourage empathy and tolerance, and improve self control and coping skills. It explores the underlying causes of RA, particularly in girls and provides professionals with 101 1/2 resources, insights, strategies and reproducible worksheets for working with girls who are Relationally Aggressive and those who have been victimized by this type of bullying.
Includes CD.
See My Pain
by Susan Bowman & Kaye Randall
This book provides a collection of strategies and activities to help children and adolescents who deliberately self-injure. A variety of hands-on creative arts approaches are featured that can be used in private practice and school settings. When working with youth who self-injure it is helpful to have a variety of creative approaches at your fingertips. The approaches and activities in this book can be used with individuals or with a small group. The activities help children/adolescents to express their feelings, understand why they self-injure, engage in a healing process, explore new methods of coping and prevention, and find new meaning and purpose in their lives. The book provides a description of self-injury in young people and its underlying causes. Then, an overview of therapeutic approaches is presented along with suggestions for the professional counselor/social worker/psychologist, teachers and parents. Sample assessment questions and activities are included.
Mind Designs: Encouraging Self-Disclosure through Coloring Therapy with CD
by Angela Troppa
This book and CD will provide you with a unique, powerful tool that will help facilitate deeper personal conversations with young people. The reproducible worksheets have been field-tested with children and adolescents who are experiencing trauma and/or young people with mild to severe social/emotional/behavioral challenges.
Princess Priscilla and the Bully-Bee Day
by Steph Jensen
WINNER OF THE MOM’S CHOICE AWARD!
Princess Priscilla is having a rotten day. No bee will listen to what she has to say and no bee will play what she wants to play. In her sour mood, Priscilla finds herself acting rude. She hurts her friends with words that sting and learns they think she is being a bully-bee.
After being confronted by her friends, Priscilla feels upset and is determined to be a better princess bee. She listens to her mom, the Queen, and learns to tame her inner bully-bee. Priscilla starts by using words that are kind and sweet like honey. She learns to control her mood by not acting rude and her friendlier attitude helps her mend hurt feelings and keep friends.
Princess Priscilla and the Great Beezilla
by Steph Jensen
There is a new bee in the hive, but is she a bee or is she a bug? Her name is Iris and she is really a beetle who wants to “bee” friends with Priscilla and her Honey Bunch so she disguises herself as a bee. Some of the bees refuse to play with her because of how strange and funny she looks. When Princess Priscilla meets Iris, she invites her to play and does not judge her for her strange looks, but she is suspicious.
After Iris finally admits that she disguised herself as a bee, Princess Priscilla tells her that she doesn’t need to look like them but to just “bee” herself. Iris is relieved to find out that she doesn’t have to pretend anymore. The other bees apologize for judging her by her looks and they invite her to “bee” their friend.
Princess Priscilla and the Mood Ring Rainbow
by Steph Jensen
Princess Priscilla is excited to show off her new color-changing mood ring. While wearing this amazing ring around her waist, she buzzes through her day focusing on her feelings in a brand new way.
In the story, Princess Priscilla experiences many feelings and her mood ring changes colors to show each one. Each time she sees a color change, she uses one of her skills to make sure she manages her mood. Priscilla uses the colors from her mood ring throughout the day to draw a bright, colorful rainbow.
This story encourages self-awareness and self-management for children in a cheerful and engaging journey through the Mood Ring Rainbow with Priscilla. Children gain fundamental insights on how to name their emotions and use self-regulation strategies to manage them when needed. Princess Priscilla shows examples of positive approaches children can use when they are feeling happy, jealous, embarrassed, bored, joyful, angry, confused, or sad.
Thrive in the Hive with CD – Surviving the Girl’s World of Good and Bad Relationship Bee-haviors
by Steph Jensen
While girls and boys deal with many of the same issues; some growing-up struggles are unique to the experience of being a girl in our society. This resource can help provide a foundation for girls to navigate through many of these issues. Using this curriculum, girls gain a stronger sense of self-worth and belonging in their families, with their peers, and in their communities.
Thrive in the Hive provides a curriculum of lessons, activities and reproducible pages to be used with individuals, or for an eight-week small group session with girls.
The girls will explore different roles that girls assume within the structure of social cliques. It also includes interactive lessons to guide girls on a journey to explore the keys to building healthy friendships. The sessions include an introduction and activity for personal reflection.
Black Girl Blues
by Carolyn Strong
Black Girl Blues: Small Group Sessions, Activities and Discussions to Combat Intra-Racial Bullying focuses on the relationships between African-American girls. It exposes the historical, cultural and social factors behind girl bullying among the African-American culture. While economic status and identity development are among the causes, physical characteristics are also often the source of intra-racial bullying.
This helpful book can be used by’professional school counselors, teachers, administrators, youth leaders and/or other professionals who interact with African-American girls. The lessons are aligned with the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) National Standards.
Stop Bullying Thumball
The Thumball is a soft stuffed ball to throw, roll, or pass in a circle or randomly. Once a player catches it, he or she looks under his thumb and responds to the prompt. Kids absolutely love this interactive tool that will get them talking and sharing. Meanwhile, teachers and counselors will be encouraging the use of interpersonal skills including taking turns, making eye contact, listening, responding, valuing similarities and respecting individual differences.
Using this learning aid, players respond to prompts around the topic of bullying. Discussions may include what students can say to a bully, what it feels like to be bullied, what are the results of bullying and how bystanders help. This offers a fun way to discuss a serious topic that affects many students. This game can encourage students to talk openly about how bullying affects them and others at their school while encouraging victims of bullying to speak out and for bullies and bystanders to share their perspectives as well. Students are invited to share suggestions and ideas while other students learn to listen and respect the opinions of their peers.
Stop the Drama Thumball
The Thumball is a soft stuffed ball to throw, roll, or pass in a circle or randomly. Once a player catches it, he or she looks under his thumb and responds to the prompt. Kids absolutely love this interactive tool that will get them talking and sharing. Meanwhile, teachers and counselors will be encouraging the use of interpersonal skills including taking turns, making eye contact, listening, responding, valuing similarities and respecting individual differences.
Players are encouraged to discuss interpersonal drama, how it starts, how it can lead to many different kinds of problems for oneself and others, and what they can do to prevent or deal with it. Topics include drama as it relates to bullying, jealousy, real and fake friendships, texting/tweeting/instagram posts, labeling and more.