“March Tired” Already: Maintaining Mental Motivation with Paralympic Medalist Deja Young

Presented by Deja Young, American Paralympic Athlete; and Ella Maya, 6th Grade Teacher, Glenn L. Downs Social Sciences Academy (AZ)
Moderated by Darri Stephens, Former Award-Winning Classroom Teacher, Founder of Darrow Ink, Learning Designer, Author, and Speaker

Hosted by Classroom Champions
Sponsored by ClassLink

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Closed captioning will be added to the recording within 2 weeks of the live presentation. Get a CE Certificate for this edLeader Panel. Learn more.

Let’s be candid—our educators are feeling “March tired” already, well before the end of the school year. In this second year of personal and professional upheaval due to the effects of the pandemic, educator attrition rate is at an all-time high, threatening the infrastructure of our school system and the wellbeing of our students and school communities. Our educators are leaders in the community and often help set the positive tone about aiming high and staying positive. But how can one stay mentally motivated to persevere through the lows to finish the school year strong?

View this edLeader Panel to hear from Paralympic medalist Deja Young as she shares how she’s trained herself to embrace the athlete mindset to work through her personal and professional highs and lows throughout her track and field career. Deja has been quite candid in dealing with her own mental health challenges, and she discusses those practices and techniques she has embraced to help motivate herself and work towards her goals. Her journey parallels what many of our teachers are facing in today’s classrooms, so come hear Deja’s inspiring presentation in this new year.

This recorded edLeader Panel is of interest to K-12 and higher education teachers, librarians, counselors, and school and district leaders.

About the Presenter

Deja Young is a two-time Paralympic gold medalist taking home gold at the 2020 Tokyo and 2016 Rio de Janeiro Paralympic Games. Deja has also brought home six Paralympic World Championship medals—four gold and two silver. Deja was born with brachial plexus that caused nerve damage and limited mobility to her right shoulder. She ran and played volleyball and softball in high school before earning a track scholarship to Wichita State University where she was All-Conference. In college, she discovered Paralympic track and field and today holds the national and world title in the 200-meter race.

Ella Maya is a 6th grade teacher in Phoenix, Arizona, a dog-mom to Pepper, winner of the Arizona Diamondbacks Most Valuable Teacher Award, and an educator who believes in building lasting and meaningful connections with her students and their families. This is Ella’s eighth year in Classroom Champions and it is without a doubt that Ella’s students year after year truly feel a connection with Ms. Maya.

About the Moderator

Darri Stephens is a former member of Teach For America and a seasoned educator, with more than 10 years of experience in Los Angeles and New York City public schools. She’s a published author who has also worked for education-focused media companies including Nickelodeon, IMAX, EdSurge, and Discovery Education. With master’s degrees in education from both Harvard and Stanford, she’s passionate about creative curriculum development that pushes boundaries, especially considering the influx of today’s technologies. Her most recent positions as Senior Director of Content at Common Sense and Director of Education at Wonder Workshop underscore her love of instructional design, writing, and the ever-changing edtech world—so much so that she has now founded her own content consulting agency, Darrow Ink.

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Classroom Champions is a non-profit and registered charity that connects volunteer Olympians, Paralympians, and Professional Athletes to classrooms through a K-8 social and emotional-based curriculum and mentorship experience.

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