My name is Pam Lozoff, and I am an Acknowledge Alliance Resilience Consultant supporting several elementary schools in Mountain View and Redwood City.
To be a Resilience Consultant is to be fluid like water, responsive to the changing tides of each school climate and culture and all of the individuals who comprise each school ecosystem. Some schools have a steady flow of processes and team dynamics, others are more in crisis, like a fire hose or a torrent. Each day and each week are dynamic; we continue to shape shift and adapt to each changing school environment.
To illustrate the many ways that our team of mental health professionals are building thriving school communities, I am delighted to share with you a composite of real-life examples across multiple school sites to give you a glimpse into a “typical day” of a Resilience Consultant:
8:30 am: I arrive at my school site and settle into my working space. It is a communal office space shared with three other staff members. I feel very lucky to have a dedicated working area at one of my sites, since space is always so coveted at schools.
9 am: I meet one-on-one with the school counselor. During our time together, I provide support with her caseload of students, her SEL curriculum and managing challenges at the school.
9:30 am: I am off to a one-on-one meeting with the school’s Resource Specialist to discuss her high levels of stress. We talk about how she can incorporate daily self-care practices, like taking a 10 minute walk around campus and doing an intention setting and end of day ritual to set boundaries on work stress before going home. Educators have so much on their plates, and can really benefit from learning these effective strategies for dealing with stress.
10 am: Next, I attend a meeting with the 5th grade teaching team to provide support with some challenges they are having with a particular student. Together, we brainstorm interventions and strategies for staying regulated when addressing big feelings with students.
10:30 am: The next meeting I have is with the 3rd grade teaching team to discuss some challenges they are having with their new district-wide English Language Arts curriculum. It has been particularly challenging with students who are English Language Learners and are a few grade levels behind in their literacy. I remind the teachers how important it is to give themselves grace and compassion as they are tasked with the significant feat of teaching bilingual education.
11:30 am: It’s lunch time! It is essential to take the time to pause during the busy day for my lunch break, so I can recharge my batteries. Somedays I choose to take my lunch alone, but today I have my lunch in the staff lounge with school staff. At Castro Elementary School, there is a wonderful place of respite where I will sometimes meet with staff to catch a breath amidst the flurry of the school day.
12 pm: I host a Weekly Recharge gathering so staff have a space to decompress and connect with one another. We usually have tea together, I guide a brief meditation or mindful movement practice, and staff are invited to share a current stressor or self-care practice. We had a great turnout with 9 staff members attending the first session!
12:30 pm: One-on-one meeting with a 1st Grade teacher who has been struggling with regulating her own emotions.
1 pm: I meet with the school’s Community Liaison to debrief about an event he had led and feelings of frustration he had with a few colleagues. We talk about some effective communication strategies he can use to discuss his frustrations in a constructive way.
1:30 pm: I meet with the 2nd grade teaching team where we chat about different strategies they can use to help balance their professional and personal lives. This is challenging in any profession, but especially for teachers who have so many duties and responsibilities beyond teaching content daily.
2 pm: I have a meeting with the school principal. Among a variety of topics, we talk about how Acknowledge Alliance can continue to support the principal in creating a positive school culture where people feel valued and supported.
2:30 pm: I wrap up with my administrative tasks and enter my notes from the day. Then it’s time for the long commute home!
On Halloween, two of our school sites that share a campus combined their school communities to orchestrate a parade for over 600 students and their families. It really shows what amazing things we can accomplish when we all work together to create warm, positive school environments.
