Equipped to Thrive: Improving School Mental Health featuring Charle Peck

Welcome to the 2023 - 2024 school year! It is hard for me to believe that this school year marks the EdLeader podcast’s fifth school year seeking to add value to the work and professional and personal lives of EdLeaders.

Recently I was humbled when the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction selected the EdLeader podcast as a Promising Practice in the state and added it to their collection on the Promising Practices webpage.

The EdLeader podcast community continues to grow worldwide because of your kind words and positive ratings on your favorite podcast player. Thank you for sharing it with your network of colleagues and friends.

There is no question that our ability to successfully help students achieve their potential depends in large part on our ability to recognize and meet the social, emotional, and mental health needs of our students and staff. Equipping ourselves and equipping our teammates for this work is crucial as we prepare for a new school year, a year I believe will be our finest ever.

To launch this school year on EdLeader, I thought it would be appropriate to spend time with an equipper of educators and students. Today’s guest brings a unique background and rich tapestry of experience to this work.

With over 20 years of education and mental health leadership experience, she has the unique lens of both a certified teacher and a licensed clinical therapist specializing in trauma.

After 18 years as a successful high school teacher, she stepped out of the classroom to serve as a social worker and licensed clinician. Her classroom experience coupled with her clinical work with children and families in crisis gives her incredible insight into solving youth mental health problems present in our schools.

She has earned both a Master's Degree in Education and a Master's Degree in Social Work.

She is also the co-author of the book, “Improving School Mental Health: The Thriving School Community Solution,” a global keynote speaker delivering powerful messages of hope to educators, and is the host of the Thriving School Community podcast.

I hope that you enjoy our time together with Ms. Peck. Her simple, yet powerful solutions for making a difference resonate with me, especially when she encourages us to not say to someone that they “should” do something and instead remind them that they “could” do something. I am convinced that turning “should” into “could” would absolutely make a difference in our interactions. 

As a new school year arrives, please allow me to thank you for all that you do for every student, every teacher, and every staff member. You are making a difference. If no one else has told you, I want you to know that I believe in you.

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Charle Peck on Twitter