This course empowers veteran and new educators with practical, research-backed strategies to enhance mental wellness, joy, and happiness. Recognizing the critical impact of educator well-being on teacher effectiveness and student success, this class offers actionable tools rooted in data-based research. A course targeting mindfulness and mental wellness for teachers is essential as educators face significant daily stressors that can impact their well-being and effectiveness. Teaching demands constant emotional, cognitive, and physical energy; often leading to anxiety and decreased job satisfaction. By equipping teachers with mindfulness techniques and mental wellness strategies, this course supports teacher resilience, emotional regulation, self-care and stress management - which can directly improve student performance. Many of the strategies can also be adapted for use with students of all ages. This current Fall 2026 course content will include tasks and techniques to embed in daily practices. Participation in any previous JOY LAB course from 2025-2026 school year is not required. Additionally, having attended any previous JOY LAB course will not preclude a student from attending this current offering. Course content is updated and extended for the 2026-2027 school year with contemporary and current issues impacting teachers of today. Sessions will be asynchronous learning opportunities. The two instructors of this course have vast knowledge and experiences working within a school district, and understand teacher and family stressors from a first hand perspective.

This proposal outlines a structured professional learning course designed for educators and related service providers working with students with special needs. The course integrates research-based articles and curated video content to deepen understanding of anxiety and provide practical, classroom-ready strategies. Participants will engage in guided learning, reflection, and application to improve outcomes for students. Anxiety significantly impacts students with cognitive, communication, and sensory differences, often presenting as challenging behavior, avoidance, or disengagement. Without targeted training, these behaviors may be misunderstood, leading to ineffective interventions. A structured course that combines research, visual learning, and applied strategies will equip professionals with the tools needed to respond effectively and consistently. This class is beneficial for all educators K-12, and related service providers. For this class you will need a google classroom account.

Designed for special education professionals-including SPED teachers, SLPs, and OTs, this course provides practical, evidence-based strategies to support students with food selectivity. Participants will learn how to use sensory desensitization, structured interventions, and gradual exposure to reduce anxiety and increase acceptance of new foods. Participants will also leave with useful takeaways to support families and guide parent training for carryover at home. The course emphasizes strategies that incorporate modeling, reinforcement, and engaging, play-based activities. By the end, attendees will be equipped to help students expand their food choices and build positive, stress-free mealtime experiences.

This course is designed for teachers of all grade levels who have students with disabilities in their classrooms. The course will be an asynchronous class that will run for 5 weeks. The assignments will be posted on the google classroom platform. Assignments will be posted once a week and you will have the week to submit the completed work and to respond to fellow classmates. This course will explore activities that you will be able to incorporate into any middle school or high school classroom. .Activities will range from growth mindset material to begin from the first day of school to games and activities that will help motivate students to want to learn and understand the material.

Teachers will engage in professional learning focused on ENL (English as a New Language) best practices, exploring strategies to effectively modify instruction and adapt lessons and curriculum to meet the diverse needs of ENL students. Participants will gain the skills to design assignments that foster meaningful engagement, promote language development, and encourage the purposeful integration of technology into classroom instruction. In addition, teachers will be introduced to a variety of evidence-based techniques, digital tools, and instructional resources that can be applied across content areas to support student success and equity in learning. Teachers will learn how to properly incorporate AI tools and how to encourage students to properly use AI tools.

This dynamic course equips educators, counselors and service providers with evidence based behavioral strategies to foster a positive learning environment and promote student achievement. Participants will explore techniques to enhance student engagement, motivation and self-regulation while also addressing common behavioral challenges in diverse classroom settings. Topics include positive reinforcement, proactive classroom management, conflict resolution and individualized support. Learners will gain tools to create inclusive support spaces that empower students to thrive academically and socially. This is ideal for educators looking to nurture resilience and create successful students.

Many students struggle with procrastination, not because they do not care, but because they have not yet developed effective strategies for managing challenges, emotions, and competing demands. In this asynchronous course, educators will explore how procrastination develops as a habit and how schools and families can work together to help students replace avoidance behaviors with productive action. Participants will learn evidence-based approaches to teaching self-management, building confidence, reducing stress, and promoting positive decision-making. The goal is to support students with life skills that extend far beyond the classroom and prepare them for future academic, personal, and professional success.

This course empowers educators to strengthen English Language Learner (ELL) instruction using Canva's visual, interactive, and AI-powered tools. Through self-paced modules, participants will explore practical strategies for designing engaging, scaffolded learning materials that make academic content more accessible for multilingual learners. Educators will learn how to create image-rich vocabulary flashcards, digital word walls, and graphic organizers that support comprehension and academic language development. The course also guides participants in developing digital storytelling projects that integrate images, text, and voice recordings to enhance students' reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills. Participants will design interactive lessons and activities, such as drag-and-drop tasks, structured writing prompts, and collaborative whiteboards, that promote active engagement and language production. The course highlights the use of Canva's AI tools, including Magic Write for generating simplified text and writing supports, as well as translation features to bridge students' home languages with academic English.

This 30 hour course will help educators master Project-Based Learning (PBL). You will gain the knowledge and confidence to design, run, and assess PBL lessons that keep students deeply engaged. The course introduces participants to PBL where knowledge is gained through hands-on projects instead of traditional lectures. After this course you will be able to transform your classroom into a dynamic space where students own their learning and create meaningful work that showcases their creativity and critical thinking.

Maslow Before Bloom: Education and Mental Health: In this course, we'll explore why meeting students' basic needs is so important before expecting them to succeed academically. Using Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs as a guide, we'll look at ways to create a supportive classroom environment that helps students feel safe, connected, and ready to learn. You'll also gain a better understanding of how students' emotional and physical well-being affects their learning, while discovering practical strategies you can use right away that can make a big difference in helping every student thrive.

Inspired by the book "Rigor Unveiled," this course offers a friendly, down-to-earth exploration of what rigor truly means and how it can enhance student learning. Together, we'll clear up common misconceptions and focus on how rigor can support your growth as a teacher and leader. Using the RIGOR Walk model-Relationships, Instruction, Goals, Organization, and Relevance-you'll explore what makes a classroom truly thrive. You'll dive into short videos that explain key concepts, see real classrooms in action, and hear from coaches as they share their observations. This course is designed to be practical, engaging, and directly useful in your everyday teaching. Optional Book: RIGOR Unveiled: A Video-Enhanced Flipbook to Promote Teacher Expertise in Relationship Building, Instruction, Goals, Organization, and Relevance by Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey Although it is optional, this highly recommended resource is ideal for educators, coaches, and leaders. It offers practical tools and video-enhanced strategies to deepen understanding and promote effective, rigorous teaching practices across key areas.

This course supports special education teachers and speech-language pathologists to confidently apply a Neurodiversity Affirming, strengths-based approach when planning inclusive learning for high needs students. You will explore how to center each learner's unique strengths, communication styles, sensory preferences, and individual needs-moving away from deficit-focused thinking. The course emphasizes collaborative planning that honors the lived experience of neurodivergent learners and their families, and encourages environmental and expectation adjustments to foster genuine participation and wellbeing. Practical strategies will help you co-create inclusive learning pathways that celebrate difference, empower self-advocacy, and build meaningful connections within educational teams.

This course is designed to help educators, related service providers, and members of the educational team distinguish between sensory based responses and behavior driven actions in students. Many students exhibit behaviors that are often misinterpreted as noncompliance, inattention, or defiance when they may instead be responses to unmet sensory needs. Understanding these differences is critical for implementing effective, supportive, and proactive interventions in the classroom. Participants will explore common sensory processing differences and how they can impact a student's ability to regulate emotions, attend to tasks, and participate meaningfully in learning activities. The course will examine how sensory challenges may present across environments and how they can influence behavior, academic performance, and social interactions. Participants will learn to identify sensory red flags and distinguish them from behavioral challenges. The course will also provide simple, practical strategies that educators can immediately apply to support students with sensory needs and promote positive participation and independence. Emphasis will be placed on collaboration among educational team members and knowing when to seek additional supports or referrals.