Empowering Hard Kids: How Megan Yoder Makes a Difference

Stacy Nation is joined by Megan Yoder. Stacy introduces Megan as one of her committed online stalkers turned colleague. They discuss Megan's work as an educational consultant on the resilience team at sda and her role as the director of the Reno County Learning Center. Megan shares her journey from being a licensed surgical assistant to working in mental health and eventually becoming a teacher. She talks about her passion for helping students with mindfulness and yoga. Stacy highlights the importance of loving and supporting hard kids who have experienced difficult situations. They discuss the need for trauma-informed practice and social-emotional learning. Megan explains how she uses the 'mad, sad, glad, or afraid' check-in method to connect with her students and create a safe space. They also talk about the upcoming Bridging to Resilience conference organized by sda and the Real Resilience team and the importance of having everyone at the table to make a change. Finally, they discuss strategies for dysregulation, including sitting hip to hip and using humor and distraction. The episode ends with Megan emphasizing the need to understand and support the whole story of each student.