Dear Principal, Headmaster or PTA President,

Teachers and parents today must deal with situations and issues unimaginable even a few years ago. Studies indicate that up to 70% of students may be affected by one or more of the following: anxiety; distraction and difficulty attending; sensory integration; impulsivity; emotional and behavioral impacts; and bullying.

Brain Boosters™ Workshops combine forty years of scientific research with cutting-edge insight into the human brain to provide 21st century interventions proven to boost performance in class, including:

•    20 practical ways to improve attention and retention.
•    Behavior plans that build confidence and work long-term.
•    The correct way to calm an angry, anxious or violent child.
•    Transfer ownership of academic and behavioral success to students.


DO YOU KNOW WHY YOUR STUDENTS DO THIS?
Do you ever find yourself saying, "That child is so smart, I just wish he would work harder or apply himself." Most educators struggle with students who:

•    Fidget, press against their seats or chew constantly.
•    Zone out in class or make annoying noises.
•    Have difficulty with writing, organizing thoughts and following directions.
•    Experience anxiety and meltdowns over disappointments and transitions.
•    Forget to turn in assignments, lose their agendas and procrastinate.
•    Have difficulty making and keeping friends.
•    Make simple tasks difficult.
•    Act like attorneys, policemen and judges all rolled into one.

When you do not understand why your students behave and react to situations the way they do, it is easy to muddle through every day frustrated and misinterpreting motives. We want this to be your most rewarding teaching experience.

We will help you identify and effectively neutralize two of the most insidious causes of distraction in the classroom: anxiety and sensory integration issues. We will help you understand these students inside and out so you can implement effective interventions.

We expect excellence from our students. Sometimes even intelligent students do not have the tools to transfer that intelligence into practical classroom work—especially when it comes to writing, organizing thoughts, recalling information for exams, attention and retention. It's like asking a skilled carpenter to complete his work without a hammer. He has the knowledge, but not the tools.

Instead of misinterpreting motives, we empower teachers, parents and students with a practical toolkit to help students who learn differently. In fact, the science-based, multi-sensory stimulation interventions we teach help all students learn more effectively.

WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT?
We have worked with over 1,500 intense children, with every diagnosis possible, so we guarantee insight you cannot get anywhere else. Anywhere. We tutor, instruct and work directly with groups of students 210 days each year. We have teamed with preeminent researchers, scientists, special education experts and the world-renowned Amen Clinic to bring you the latest understanding of the human brain. We rely on our Trusted 100—a group of 100 teachers and administrators—for practical implementation.

While all of our interventions are research-based, our emphasis will not be on theory. Rather, we are going to take you inside actual classrooms all across America, and share over 60 very practical classroom interventions that every teacher can implement.


Provide Lasting, Systemic Change.
We practice what research has proven: lasting interventions must be internalized by students, administered by teachers and reinforced by parents at home. All of our programs actively involve students, teachers and parents as problem-solvers.


Employ an Inclusion Model.
Most school districts do not have sufficient special education resources, so it is imperative that general education teachers be equipped to deal effectively with bullying, behavioral issues and learning differences. All students can thrive in general education classrooms.


Transfer Responsibility to Students.
Children want and need independence, and as we begin to trust and hold them accountable, something miraculous happens. They assume ownership of their choices, attitudes and academics.


Who will benefit from the Brain Boosters™ Workshops?
Anyone who works with children, including pre-school, elementary, middle, high school and Sunday school teachers. School and private counselors and psychologists, occupational therapists, social workers, youth ministers, etc. will benefit from the insight. Parents and students should be encouraged to attend the evening sessions.

 
Program Elements & Scheduling Options
We can customize a program specifically for your school or school district. Elementary, middle and high schools in the same area often join together to host training. 

Whether you choose convenient after-school and evening programs, In-Service Workshops or 2-day training including classroom observations, we will always provide an additional Calm Kids™ Parenting Workshop in the evening for parents and students.


Continuing Education Credits
We will provide teachers with documentation that can be submitted to local school districts to qualify for Continuing Education credits. 


Calm Kids™ Workshops for Parents & Students
Simply put, your students cannot be successful in school if their home life is in disorder. Both students and parents are invited to learn tools necessary for academic and behavioral success. These are powerful sessions and always very well-attended. Parents will thank you for hosting this event.

The following is a sample announcement commonly used for Calm Kids Workshops.

Do you need help calming your explosive household? Tired of yelling at, negotiating with and bribing your child? Do you want your child to take responsibility for his homework, morning routine and chores? 

Join us for a humorous, practical workshop with best-selling author and nationally-recognized expert Kirk Martin, who has trained over 45,000 parents and teachers. Celebrate Calm specializes in working with intense children, including families affected by AD/HD, Anxiety, Sensory issues, Aspergers, Autism, ODD and OCD.

Martin will provide practical strategies to:
•    Create a Stress-Free home—eliminate yelling, arguing and power struggles (even with teens).
•    Channel disrespect and defiance into positive experiences.
•    Help improve focus, attention and behavior in school.
•    Relieve anxiety and sensory issues.
•    Help students develop vision, internal motivation and responsibility.
•    Create stress-free discipline and homework time.
•    Get your kids off their video games without saying a word.

Martin will explain why your kids are bossy, anxious, and easily overwhelmed; sabotage friendships, demand fairness and say, “I’m bored”; like to argue, fidget, make noises or chew; have difficulty writing, sleeping and maintaining eye contact. Medication, nutrition and handling siblings will be addressed as well.

The Workshop is FREE to the community. Teachers, parents, students, grandparents and all caregivers are encouraged to attend.
 

No Excuses. We have a no excuses policy for our students. We believe in personal responsibility and accountability. We are not here to make excuses—we are here to show you practical ways to help these kids thrive. So let’s take a short tour of our 10 Brain Booster strategies.


Brain Booster # 1: Every classroom needs a traffic cop to keep traffic moving.
•    How a teacher in Chicago encourages students to create their own Class Contract.
•    Use this one memorable word to banish whining, complaining and manipulating.
•    Why does this teacher in Ohio imagine that his students are deaf?
•    Why traditions are more powerful than rules.

Brain Booster # 2: Calm the quiet stalker that destroys focus: anxiety.
•    Why anxiety causes more distractions and behavior issues than any other factor.
•    5 proven steps to identify, prevent and overcome anxiety.
•    One question you can ask that will uncover a debilitating form of anxiety.

Brain Booster # 3: Be Sensory Smart to improve behavior. Nearly 60% of students experience sensory processing issues, another silent destroyer of focus.
•    How a teacher in New York meets sensory needs by putting kids to work.
•    The game hundreds of teachers play for 2 minutes to begin class that saves 15 minutes of redirection throughout class.
•    What you can learn from watching your students during fire drills and recess.

Brain Booster # 4:  Calm explosive students before they dominate your classroom.Ever notice how students who get angry have a difficult time finding the words to express their emotions? That's because the temporal lobe is responsible for temper control and language—talking to a child during this time can be disastrous.
•    3 common actions adults take that unwittingly make tense situations worse.
•    One proven step that calms every upset child every time.
•    Why one Principal in North Carolina sits outside in a rocking chair.

Brain Booster # 5: Create behavior plans that build a child’s confidence and reduce negative behavior. The basal ganglia—responsible for impulse control, judgment and motivation—responds best to a strengths-based approach.
•    The fatal flaw all behavior plans suffer from and why they never work for long.
•    Why increasing consequences never motivates the student and leads to frustration.
•    How to redirect seamlessly without giving attention to the disruptive student.
•    What you should be sending home instead of a daily behavioral chart.
•    What happens when we show children what TO DO instead of what not to do.

Brain Booster # 6:  Exercise and nutritious food are the high-octane fuels our students’ brains need.
•    Specific ways that teachers in Boston, Tampa and Omaha incorporate exercise into lesson plans to reduce interruptions and improve productivity.
•    One thing you must never, ever do.
•    Ways to equip students to take ownership of their nutrition.

Brain Booster # 7:  Improve concentration by giving students textured objects.
•    We show how an amazing teacher in Seattle uses texture strips to improve focus.
•    The center for language, reading and emotions in the brain also controls rhythm. Learn how these five teachers use music, swings and movement.
•    What should you do when students refuse to give eye contact or stare out the window?

Brain Booster # 8:  Use multi-sensory stimulation to improve attention and retention.Movement anchors new information and experiences into neural networks.
Application: 20 specific examples from real classrooms situations.
•    How an innovative Atlanta teacher got his students practicing math during recess.
•    A powerful intervention that increased test score by 38% in hundreds of schools.
•    How a teacher in Charlotte uses puppets and cell phones to teach Spanish.
•    Case study: How a teacher at one of the toughest schools in Chicago used crayons to improve behavior and test scores.
•    Why a teacher in Austin, Texas turns energetic students into classroom leaders.
•    The one question you can ask your students before an exam to improve test scores.
•    Let’s rethink circle time!

Brain Booster # 9:  Celebrate diversity of learning styles and gifts.
•    Teach students to control their own actions, attitudes and emotions.
•    How to get students using their respective strengths to mentor each other.
•    Learn the key to prevent bullying.

Brain Booster # 10:  Ignite a student’s internal motivation.
•    Why most of our well-meaning efforts at motivating students cause more anxiety.
•    How teachers from Long Island to St. Louis to Long Beach motivate students.
•    Learn how a teacher in Phoenix turned over his classroom to his students.


There is a reason these students have crossed your path. One day you will look back with great satisfaction, knowing that your choices and your commitment had a lifelong impact on dozens of kids and their future families. That’s why you are a teacher.

Please contact us to discuss exactly how we can serve your school community. References are gladly provided upon request.


Edward Hallsey, Ph.D.           Kirk L. Martin
Director of Research             Director of Education
Celebrate!Calm
www.CelebrateCalm.com
 

BONUS--VERY IMPORTANT
We like to add a special component to our back-to-school training that is completely unique. In the evening, we will provide a Parent & Student Workshop at no additional cost. We will invite kids to participate and take ownership of their academic and behavioral success. By adding this component, we are able to reach educators, parents and students with a consistent message to begin the school year.


In this video from a recent Brain Boosters Workshop, we demonstrate two ways that multi-sensory stimulation helps improve attention and retention in all students.

To understand how two physiological responses in the child's brain affects learning, watch the two videos on our home page.