The Classroom During Covid: An Interview with Katie Deppen, certified Early Childhood Educator.

Lauren has an in-depth conversation with certified Early Childhood Educator, Katie Deppen. She teaches first grade in Pennsylvania and has previously taught third and fourth grades in Berlin, Germany. Katie discusses in detail the classroom changes and teaching challenges during a global pandemic. 

Katie discusses many topics during this episode:

• Her classroom experience this school year.
• Teaching struggles during the pandemic.
• Current challenges for parents.

Lauren discusses how the global pandemic has resulted in extreme stress for nearly everyone. The ongoing changes affect many areas of our lives and cause people to feel mentally and physically exhausted. Many are experiencing a limited mental bandwidth which reduces their ability to deal with strong emotions. 

Chronic stress can cause mental exhaustion, which can also lead to Decision Fatigue. Lauren discusses how this can cause people to avoid even small choices, like what to make for dinner. Some tips and advice are offered to help.

Katie also talks about her Wish List for Schools: Social Emotion Learning (or SEL). 
Katie feels SEL needs to be a focus in schools, both in and out of the classroom. Lauren agrees and talks about the need to deal with emotions first, then kids can be more present for learning.

Guest Bio:
Katie Deppen is a certified Early Childhood Educator with over five years of experience in the elementary classroom. Katie holds a BS in Early Childhood Education and an MS in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. Katie has a true passion for working with young learners and their families. Personally, Katie is a world traveler who seeks any chance to see a new destination and experience new cultures.

Books mentioned:

• The Best American Travel Writing, by Andrew McCarthy

Some of Katie's favorite authors/children's books include:

• Mo Willems
• Marc Brown 
• Arthur Books for Children
• She also likes to teach the classics, like Stuart Little. 

Other related resources available from us: 

• ALL the Coping Strategies for Your Kiddos
• Children’s Emotions: How They Work and Behavior Strategies to Try

Try-at-home tip: Routine & Journal

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