I have recently reviewed some online training designed to help teachers and administrators improve their emotional intelligence and develop relational skills that may be especially helpful during these unusual times. Among other things, these skills can enable teachers to:
- Serve challenging students who bring a lifetime of trauma and broken relationships into the classroom,
- Respond to critical parents patiently and build relationships of mutual respect and cooperation,
- Influence inexperienced or difficult staff members and inspire them to upgrade their own relational skills,
- Get upstream of conflict on all of these fronts and devote more of their time to the joy of teaching,
- Fulfill continuing education requirements (this training has been approved by the Montana Office of Public Instruction for 10 contact hours of renewal credits)
- Go home with less stress in the evening, where they can use these same skills to nurture a stronger family.
This training is based on a concept called “relational wisdom,” which is a values-based form of emotional intelligence. You can learn more about this concept through these links:
- Discover Relational Wisdom – Provides a brief introduction to the concept of relational wisdom and its connection to emotional intelligence.
- The Value of RW/EI for Teachers – Summaries of eleven scholarly studies confirming how relational skills training can reduce teacher stress and burnout and improve quality of life.
- Enhancing Relational Skills and Reducing Conflict in a Public School – Twenty-four strategies for integrating relational skills training in a public school.
- RW Training Strengthens Both Families and Businesses – Explains the benefits of learning relational skills that can be applied in both the workplace and the family.
Thanks to a grant from the Gianforte Family Foundation, this online training, which normally costs $49, is being offered for free to Montana public school teachers and administrators through August 31. To access this training, go to Exploring Relational Wisdom 3.0 and use the coupon “mt-public-school” for free access.
If you have any questions about this training or this offer, please email or call David Kelly at the RW360 office at David@rw360.org or 406-294-6806.
