Thriving School Psych Thriving Students

3 Take Home Messages from NASP 2023

I’ve just returned from NASP 2023 in Denver and want to share three things that I’m bringing home with me.

For those of you who couldn’t come, I know what it’s like to get bombarded with NASP FOMO posts on social media all week long when you can’t go…

….so I got a little something special for you! Read on for free virtual swag.

1. Executive Functioning. So Hot Right Now.

My talk was on “10 Ways to Teach Executive Functioning” and imagine my surprise that folks were lined up to get in 30 minutes before like it was Taylor Swift concert tix going on sale! Y’all really love learning about executive functioning!

The ballroom room was so packed there were people sitting in the aisles and lurking outside to try to hear. Here’s the awkward group selfie to prove it. And this blog serves as my written apologies to the Denver Fire Marshall!

If you were turned away or weren’t at NASP, never fear! I got some virtual goodies for you!

I’ve recorded a mini-version of my talk for you to watch on my new fancy pants new website here!

Just scroll to the bottom of the page and look for this thumbnail:

You’ll get a crash course on executive functioning plus an Executive Functioning toolkit with printable worksheets for your students and families! Click here to get instant access to the mini-masterclass.

And if you want to get the full shebang (or better yet, get your district to pay for your MTSS team to get the full shebang) you can also check out my masterclass, How to Teach Executive Functioning to Children and Teens and learn about group rates so you can geek out with your colleagues on all things teaching executive functioning!

2. Y’all Love Swag (Especially of the Frog Variety)

The pens! The stress balls! Who doesn’t love the NASP exhibitor hall?

But what about frog bookmarks and mint/lip balm combo packs for your school psych bag? That’s what’s UP…

 

And if you’re all, “Wait, what is up with Kermit the frog and the frog swag?” then I have another virtual swag goodie just for you!

“Eat the Frog” is a productivity hack for getting reports written AT WORK so you don’t have to bring them home. You can read all about it in my FREE ebook version of my book, The Thriving School Psychologist! Click here to get the book for free!

Yours for Zero dollars because we need you thriving! Click here for the free e-book version.

3. We have WORK to do in Social Justice

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the harmful incident caused by Hyatt employees at the conference that involved excessive surveillance of our NASP President, Dr. Celeste Malone and her black school psychologist colleagues. If you don’t know what happened, there is more information here and a CBS news story about it here. NASP also issued a statement you can read here and it is being updated as the situation progresses.

I was proud of how quickly NASP and its members responded, and Hyatt has issued a formal apology, but in the context of the conference theme of “Radical Hope and Authentic Healing” it doesn’t stop here. We need to take this incident as a reminder to do more to fight injustice and nurture the next generation toward equity and inclusion.

I wrote down this quote during Dr. Malone’s keynote and had no idea how true it would be just a few days later:

Racism hurts all of us,  not just those directly harmed. 

Do yourself a favor and watch Dr. Malone’s full keynote on her theme Radical Hope, Authentic Healing from the General Session in Denver. Her message is strong and powerful in the challenging times we live in. Listen, reflect on your practice as a school psychologist, and share with others.

Even in these troubling times, I am encouraged by how NASP and how the school psychologist community rallied behind our colleagues.  And remember that it is not solely up to to marginalized individuals to take on institutional racism on their own.

As school psychologists with professional privilege, we must use it where we can and stand together. (And if you don’t know where to start, one small thing you can do is to donate to the Black School Psychologist Network or the NASP Minority Scholarship fund to show our solidarity as a profession). Or check out my call to action post from 2020 on how school psychologists can fight racism that still holds true today.

Do one thing. Then do the next right thing. Small acts stack up to big changes. Where there is crisis, there is an opportunity for healing and transformation…together.

Now do me a favor and go mark your calendar for our next NASP Conference in New Orleans in 2024. 🙂

Here’s to thriving together,

Rebecca

 

 

 

 

 

Sharing is caring!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *