Many Health Education conferences exist, yet how can you attend when funding is limited? This episode provides basic tips for future and current health education professionals on attending a conference. Lori, the host of the School Health Educators podcast, also shares the “secret tip” for attending conferences.

Remember, you can watch this episode on the School Health Educators YouTube Channel here.

To contact Lori, email her at schoolhealtheducators@gmail.com or check out her websites at: www.schoolhealtheducators.org and www.lorireichel.com.

This episode is a discussion of the National Health Education Standards: Model Guidance for Curriculum and Instruction, 3rd Edition (NHES-3) from the National Consensus for School Health Education (NCSHE) (2022). Key points include the background for the 3rd edition of the NHES, what standards emphasize, and the many free materials available on the SchoolHealthEducation.org site.

Click here for specific links referred to in the episode.

Elisa “Beth” McNeill, Ph.D., and Marlene Tappe, Ph.D., are the current co-chairs of the Development Group of the NCSHE. Together they are engaged in activities related to the dissemination of the National Health Education Standards: Model Guidance for Curriculum Instruction (3rd Edition) (NCSHE, 2022) and Teaching Standards-Based Health Education (NCSHE, 2024).

Dr. McNeill is an Instructional Professor in the College of Public Health at Texas A& M University. Beth started her career as a teacher of Health and Science and then became a professor with a focus on curriculum and instruction in health education. She is an original co-chair of the Development Group and coordinated the activities of its four subgroups.

Dr. Tappe is a Professor Emerita of Health Science at the Minnesota State University, Mankato. Marlene started her career as a Health and Physical Education teacher and then became a professor with a focus on health education teacher education. Marlene was member of both Joint Committees on National Health Education Standards (1995, 2007) and was a co-chair of the Standards Writing Group for  National Health Education Standards: Model Guidance for Curriculum Instruction (3rd Edition).

Remember, you can listen/watch this episode on the School Health Educators YouTube Channel.

To contact Lori, email her at schoolhealtheducators@gmail.com or check out her websites at: www.schoolhealtheducators.org and www.lorireichel.com.

October marks Health Literacy Month. In the newest episode of the School Health Educators podcast, Lori offers a definition of health literacy and provides three real-world examples. These include understanding health information for a powder product, utilizing an overdose reversal kit, and employing a tool for self-regulation.

Remember, you can listen/watch this episode on the School Health Educators YouTube Channel.

To contact Lori, email her at schoolhealtheducators@gmail.com or check out her websites at: www.schoolhealtheducators.org and www.lorireichel.com.

 

In this episode, members of SHAPE America’s National Health Education Council (HEC) share their mission, projects, ways you can get involved, and the importance of advocating for health education. Also covered is the importance of Health Literacy Month and how you can bring it to life in your school or community!

Contact info for this episode’s guests includes:

Adam Mullis: mullispe@gmail.com x: mullis_PE

Lennie Parham: Lennie.parham@doe.nj.gov

Melissa Quigley: mquigley@aacps.org

Remember, you can watch this episode on the School Health Educators YouTube Channel here.

To contact Lori, email her at schoolhealtheducators@gmail.com or check out her websites at: www.schoolhealtheducators.org and www.lorireichel.com.

Many educators are starting to get ready for the Back-to-School Event, where students’ family members will be present. In this segment, Lori discusses her top four “do’s and don’ts” along with the four questions that are most frequently asked during these gatherings.

Remember you can watch this episode on the School Health Educators YouTube channel.

To contact Lori, email her at schoolhealtheducators@gmail.com or check out her websites at: www.schoolhealtheducators.org and www.lorireichel.com.

Welcome back to the new school year! The following folks chose to share a message with you for the new school year: Joe Deutch, Heidi Hancher-Rauch, Jodi Aman, Judy LoBianco, Erica Scott, Julie Knutson, Deb Tackmann, and Stephen Sroka. Enjoy and be reminded of how wonderful our profession is!

Remember you can watch this episode on the School Health Educators YouTube Channel.

Information to connect with these folks:

Dr. Joe Deutch, SHAPE America Board of Directors President: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-joe-deutsch-18211329/

Dr. Heidi Hancher-Rauch, SOPHE Nat’l Board of Trustees President: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heidi-hancher-rauch-phd-mches-08a03822/

Dr. Jodi Aman, DSW, LCSW: https://jodiaman.com/

Judy LoBianco, Former President of SHAPE America: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judy-lobianco-a888539/

Erica Scott, Found of Creating Consent Culture: https://www.creatingconsentculture.com/our-values

Dr. Julie Knutson, Professor at Minnesota State Moorhead: https://www.mnstate.edu/academics/colleges-schools/hhp/faculty-staff

Deb Tackmann, Health Education Professional & Speaker: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deborah-tackmann-b9001019/

Dr. Stephen Sroka, HE Teacher in the Nat’l Teachers Hall of Fame/Speaker: http://www.drstephensroka.com/

To contact Lori, email her at schoolhealtheducators@gmail.com or check out her websites at: www.schoolhealtheducators.org and www.lorireichel.com.

It's the beginning of a new school year for many school health educators. To support your success, Lori shares her "deep thoughts" on two introductory health education activities as well as examples of some of her classroom norms/expectations.

Remember, you can contact Lori by emailing her at schoolhealtheducators@gmail.com or check out her websites at: www.schoolhealtheducators.org and www.lorireichel.com.

You can also watch this episode on the School Health Educators YouTube Channel.

 

Are you feeling a bit melancholy about the new school year approaching? Then listen to this episode to consider how you can plan to best support yourself, as well as your students, this upcoming year. Guest Meghan Vlad shares some of her recommendations, which include planning simple, joyful acts for a day off, finding ways to focus (e.g., listening to audiobooks), planning purposefully, setting boundaries, and taking your lunch. Also, consider taking opportunities that occur during the school year, like attending state or national conferences or checking out reliable online resources.

Remember you can watch this episode on the School Health Educators YouTube channel here.

If you want to learn about more ideas, contact Meghan Vlad at: meghanvlad94@gmail.com

To contact Lori Reichel, the host of the School Health Educators Podcast, email her at schoolhealtheducators@gmail.com or visit her websites at www.schoolhealtheducators.org and www.lorireichel.com.

In this mini-episode, Lori, the host of the School Health Educators’ podcast, challenges you to answer the question, “Are you truly days off?” She then reminds you to consider slowing down, including checking out the Calm app (or Calm.com website) for tools to slow down.

To contact Lori, email her at schoolhealtheducators@gmail.com or check out her websites at: www.schoolhealtheducators.org and www.lorireichel.com.

Remember you can watch this episode on the School Health Educators YouTube Channel.

Want some inspiration for planning your future teaching? Listen to this mini-episode which provides a quick overview of the past four episodes of the School Health Educators’ podcast. Episodes focused on the “habits of mind,” using analogies in health lessons, ideas and reminders about teaching puberty/growing up topics, as well as the reminder of how we what we teach supports our own wellness.

To contact Lori, email her at schoolhealtheducators@gmail.com or check out her websites at: www.schoolhealtheducators.org and www.lorireichel.com.

Remember you can watch this episode on the School Health Educators YouTube Channel.

In this episode of the School Health Educators podcast, nationally recognized health educator Scott Todnem joins us to share how he uses clever analogies and engaging activities to help students stay focused—no matter the unit being taught. Scott offers a variety of creative examples, demonstrating his passion for encouraging students to be mindful about what they’re learning.
To learn more about Scott Todnem or to connect with him, visit his website, Life Is the Future. There you’ll find information about his books and the classroom podcast he produces alongside his students.
Remember, you can watch this episode on the School Health Educators YouTube Channel.
To contact Lori Reichel, the host of the School Health Educators Podcast, email her at schoolhealtheducators@gmail.com or visit her websites at www.schoolhealtheducators.org and www.lorireichel.com.

Being an effective health educator includes modeling what we teach. This episode invites the wonderful Kathleen Vogt, a 20-year 8th grade health teacher, to share how teaching our subject area supports her own wellness habits. From practicing self-management skills of sleep and technology habits, to being aware of influences, Kathleen notes how she has become healthier. And, upon sharing our own habits in the classroom setting, we support our students’ habits!

Kathleen Vogt is a Health Educator at Union Vale Middle School in the Arlington Central School District located in the Hudson Valley of New York. She is the current Chair of the SHAPE America Health Education Council and co-writer of the Inclusive Practices in Health Education Guidance Document. She has taught 8th grade health education for the last 20 years and is a dedicated member of NYSAHPERD. You can connect with Kathleen on Twitter at MrsV_UVMS or through email at kvogt@acsdny.org. She is also a member of the Health and Physical Education Collective.

Remember, you can watch this episode on the School Health Educators YouTube Channel.

To contact Lori Reichel, the host of the School Health Educators Podcast, email her at schoolhealtheducators@gmail.com or visit her websites at www.schoolhealtheducators.org and www.lorireichel.com.

Contrary to some people’s thoughts, there are school health educators who teach full-time at the elementary school level. In this episode, Janice Mix shares her experiences teaching at this level, including teaching Habits of Mind. Listen in to hear how Janice explains the strong ability of young students to learn and implement what she teaches into their everyday lives.

Janice Mix is a passionate health teacher at FRES, where she teaches all 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students. In the classroom, Janice focuses on helping students build emotional regulation skills, healthy habits, and a lifelong interest in their well-being. Her lessons are grounded in play-based learning and the Habits of Mind, encouraging students to think deeply, manage impulsivity, and care for themselves and others. Janice was honored as the Central Western Zone Teacher of the Year for her innovative and compassionate approach to health education. Also, since 2014, she has also owned and operated Janice Mix Photography, specializing in senior portraits.

Remember, you can watch this episode on the School Health Educators YouTube Channel.

To contact Lori Reichel, the host of the School Health Educators Podcast, email her at schoolhealtheducators@gmail.com or visit her websites at www.schoolhealtheducators.org and www.lorireichel.com.

It’s springtime, which means teaching upper-elementary/younger-middle school students about puberty and other growing-up changes. To help you out, this episode provides simple tips and advice from Megan Adams, a high school Health and Physical Education teacher with 10 years of experience in Central NY. She is also the creator of the HealthTeacherHodgePodge social media account and a Girls’ Varsity Basketball Coach who is dedicated to supporting students both in the classroom and on the court.

Connect with Megan through her social media accounts: HealthTeacherHodgePodge

Remember, you can watch this episode on the School Health Educators YouTube Channel.

To contact Lori, email her at schoolhealtheducators@gmail.com or check out her websites at: www.schoolhealtheducators.org and www.lorireichel.com.

Some tools to help with teaching about puberty/growing up:

the Puberty Chit Chat Cards.
the TALK Puberty app on iOS products.
the Tools for Teaching Comprehensive Human Sexuality
Common Questions Children Ask About Puberty

Lori, the host of the School Health Educators Podcast, shares three activities that focus on helping students manage the challenges of growing up. The activities include the Puberty Grab Bag, “Dr. I.B. Healthy” Letters, and the Puberty Chit Chat Cards. All have been student-tested and approved!

Click here to obtain the PDF for creating a set of the Puberty Chit Chat Cards. You can also use the TALK Puberty app on iOS products.

Click here to check out the Tools for Teaching Human Sexuality book.

Click here to review the book titled Common Questions Children Ask About Puberty.

To contact Lori, email her at schoolhealtheducators@gmail.com or check out her websites at: www.schoolhealtheducators.org and www.lorireichel.com.

Remember, you can watch this episode on the School Health Educators YouTube Channel.

Did you know that 1 in 26 people will be diagnosed with a form of epilepsy and that 1 in 10 will experience a seizure at some point in their life? Listen in to this episode to learn about what we, as health educators can teach about epilepsy, including demonstrating compassion and knowing basic first aid skills. Michael Radell, this episode’s guest, is the Education Coordinator and Camp Director for Empowering People’s Independence (in Upstate NY) and hopes to help us best support all students. Resources shared by Mike include the Epilepsy Alliance America, Seizure Action Plan Coalition, Empowering People’s Independence.

Remember you can watch this episode on the School Health Educators’ YouTube Channel.

To contact Michael Radell, you can email him at mradell@epiny.org or call him at 585-442-4430 (extension x2741). Also, consider checking out Empowering People’s Independence website at https://www.epiny.org/ or the other resources shared in today’s episode.

To contact Lori Reichel, creator of the School Health Educators Podcast, email her at schoolhealtheducators@gmail.com or check out her websites at: www.schoolhealtheducators.org and www.lorireichel.com.

School Health Educators are social and emotional learning experts. In this episode, Lori reminds us of this fact as well as introduces her new resource titled Tactile Tools for Social Emotional Learning: Activities to Help Children Self-Regulate with SEL. This book contains over 50 student-tested activities supporting self-regulation skills. Listen in to hear about some of these activities and how students can create their own “SEL Toolbox.”

To purchase this new resource, go to Amazon.com or Routledge (Taylor & Francis Group) Publishing.

Remember you can watch this episode on the School Health Educators YouTube Channel.

To contact Lori Reichel, creator of the School Health Educators Podcast, email her at schoolhealtheducators@gmail.com or check out her websites at: www.schoolhealtheducators.org and www.lorireichel.com.

Being a member of a state or national professional organization has numerous benefits for school health educators. In this episode, Jessica Synenki, the Executive Director of the NYS Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, & Dance, discusses these benefits with Lori to encourage you, the listeners, to become or continue being a member.

To connect with Jessica Synenki you can call her at 315-823-1015 or email her at jsynenki@nyshperd.org. You can also check out the NYS AHPERD website here.

Remember you can watch this episode on the School Health Educators’ YouTube Channel.

To contact Lori Reichel, creator of the School Health Educators Podcast, email her at schoolhealtheducators@gmail.com or check out her websites at: www.schoolhealtheducators.org and www.lorireichel.com.

It seems like a lot of things are happening on our planet and happening so quickly. These things, in addition to other stressors, can create a feeling of “burnout.” In this episode, Henry Opperman, 2022 NYS AHPERD Health HS Teacher of the Year, chats about recommendations to help offset this feeling. Ideas include setting boundaries (professionally and personally), reflecting on your achievements, considering how you can grow, and seeking support from peers and administrators, as well as your medical providers when needed.

Remember you can watch this episode on the School Health Educators’ YouTube Channel.

To connect with Henry Opperman, email him at henryopperman@gmail.com or connect through his X/Twitter account at HOppermanHPE.

To contact Lori Reichel, creator of the School Health Educators Podcast, email her at schoolhealtheducators@gmail.com or visit her websites at www.schoolhealtheducators.org and www.lorireichel.com.

In this episode, Mr. Kevin Dahill-Fuchel shares information about the New York City resource “Counseling in Schools.” Discussed is the need for students to be mentally prepared to learn, as well as to feel they belong. Other concepts shared include the importance of connecting with school resources (ex. counselors, social workers) and the challenges of chronic absenteeism, as well as the resources found on the Counseling in Schools website.

You can connect with Mr. Kevin Dahill-Fuchel by going to the website

www.counselinginschools.org.

To contact Lori, email her at schoolhealtheducators@gmail.com or check out her websites at: www.schoolhealtheducators.org and www.lorireichel.com.

Remember you can watch this episode on the School Health Educators YouTube Channel.