Healing our school communities and new lessons     Morningside Center NEWSLETTER     Dear Morningside Center friends, I want to send warm wishes to all educators and after-school staff in this new school year – and remind you of all the resources that are available on TeachableMoment to support you in your important work (over 1000 activities and counting!). Please also consider inviting your co-workers to sign up for this newsletter, which delivers our latest resources and readings to your inbox every two weeks. In this issue, we’re excited to share a wonderful blog by Dionne Grayman about one principal who offered her community the kind of hospitality and care that can “soothe frayed nerves and calm wildly beating hearts.” And don’t miss our collection of activities to start the year. Lastly: Take a listen to Brian Lehrer’s WNYC interview with Morningside founding executive director Tom Roderick about Tom’s new book, Teach for Climate Justice – or read the transcript. And enjoy. I’m so glad you’re part of our community. Please stay in touch! Cassie Schwerner, Executive Director New on TeachableMoment & Our Blog Should We Lower the Voting Age To 16—Or Raise It To 25? Should 16-year-olds be allowed to vote? Many advocates and some elected officials think so. But others are trying to push the other way. Students explore the options. Generosity, Connection, and Care Can Heal Our School Communities Young people and adults are coming to school carrying heavy burdens. One Harlem school showed how generosity can lighten the load, writes Dionne Grayman. Youth Activists Score a Landmark Climate Victory Young people sued the state of Montana seeking climate justice - and won! Students learn about the new ruling and talk about what it means going forward. Announcing: Emma Iris González Arts Fund We are excited and honored to announce the launch of the Emma Iris González Arts Fund. For almost all of Morningside Center’s 40+ years of existence, Emma González, an educator and artist, helped to invent and drive our work. She brought her endless creativity and driving passion for justice and joy into classrooms, schools, and our own organizational culture. Emma passed away in 2021. We have now created the Emma Iris González Arts Fund. All proceeds from Emma's artwork will go toward this fund, which will provide small grants to schools to incorporate practices Emma championed, including peer mentoring, student leadership, and projects to advance racial and gender equity. Click here to view and purchase Emma's art. And join us on November 2 at Morningside for an Arts Fund inaugural event! Details to come. What We're Reading Why social emotional learning is critical for teaching climate justice "SEL builds our capacity both to weather the emotional challenges created by the crisis and to work together effectively to respond to it," writes author and Morningside founding ED Tom Roderick in MindShift States Look to Social-Emotional Learning to Combat Student Misbehavior, Poor Mental Health "Education officials in Missouri are hopeful that new state social-emotional learning standards will eventually help them combat the core challenge of teacher turnover." By Libby Stanford at Education Week For one Dallas school, addressing kids’ mental health needs starts in the classroom "SEL instruction includes lessons on how the amygdala processes anxiety and emotions, and how the prefrontal cortex processes experiences and plans actions." By Elena Rivera, Yfat Yossifor at KERA "I feel like a free person." – Third grader, on how he felt after he shared his story in a “diversity panel” led by Emma González   Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility www.morningsidecenter.org   Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility | 475 Riverside Drive, Suite 550, New York, NY 10115 Unsubscribe [email protected] Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice Sent by [email protected]