2026 Conference Archive
The Heart of Teaching: Practical Strategies for Social-Emotional Growth
First Presenter's Highest Degree Earned
BSED
Year First Presenter's Degree Was Awarded
1999
First Presenter's Field of Study
Elementary Education
Institution Where First Presenter Received Highest Degree
University of Georgia
First Presenter's Institution
Martha Rawls Smith Elementary
First Presenter's Brief Bio and Description of Credentials for This Presentation
Sherna Spearman-Lott is a dedicated elementary reading intervention teacher from Jesup, Georgia, with twenty-six years of classroom experience. A lifelong educator, she is passionate about empowering young learners and strengthening her community through literacy and education. In addition to her teaching role, she served as Parent and Family Engagement Facilitator for five years, fostering meaningful connections between home and school. A proud University of Georgia alumna, Spearman-Lott is also a published children’s book author. Her debut book, *My Teacher Sees Me*, along with its Spanish edition, *Mi Maestra Me Ve*, celebrates the student-teacher bond and the power of feeling seen. She continued this mission through her follow-up titles, *My Teacher Loves Me* and *My Teacher Cares for Me*, which highlight compassion, understanding, and care in education. Her work reflects an unwavering commitment to nurturing the hearts and minds of children.
Location
Percival
Document Type
Individual Presentation
Primary Strand
Youth Resiliency
Relevance to Primary Strand
This session relates to youth resiliency by equipping educators with strategies that strengthen students’ ability to cope with challenges, adapt to change, and develop a positive sense of self. By focusing on social-emotional wellness, the session promotes skills such as empathy, self-awareness, and emotional regulation - key components of resilience. Through stories and reflective practices, educators learn ways to create supportive, nurturing environments where young learners feel seen, valued, and capable. Ultimately, fostering these connections helps children build the inner strength and confidence needed to thrive academically and emotionally.
Alignment with School Improvement Plan Topics
Family and Community Engagement
Brief Program Description
“Teaching is truly a work of heart!” This engaging session invites educators and childcare providers to explore how social-emotional wellness builds confident, compassionate, and resilient learners. Through storytelling, discussion, and reflection, participants will gain practical strategies to foster empathy, emotional regulation, and positive classroom connections. Attendees will leave inspired and equipped with simple, meaningful practices to create nurturing environments where every child feels seen, valued, and ready to thrive. Above all, caring for children’s hearts is the foundation for lifelong learning and success.
Summary
Teaching and caring for children is truly a work of heart! This engaging and interactive session invites educators and childcare providers to explore the essential connection between social-emotional wellness and the development of confident, compassionate, and resilient learners. Grounded in real-life classroom experiences, the presentation highlights how intentional practices can foster emotional balance, empathy, and self-regulation - which are cornerstones of both academic and personal success.
Participants will learn practical strategies that can be implemented immediately in any early learning or elementary setting. These include using emotion-based vocabulary to help children name and navigate feelings, incorporating mindful moments into daily routines, and creating “safe spaces” within classrooms that promote self-reflection. Attendees will also explore techniques for modeling empathy, guiding students through problem-solving, and using positive language to reinforce connection and trust.
Through storytelling, discussion, and reflection, participants will gain insight into the “why” behind social-emotional learning and its lasting impact on children’s ability to thrive in school and beyond. The session will address real-world challenges such as managing big emotions, supporting smooth transitions, creating a sense of belonging, embracing social challenges, and maintaining balance between academic goals and emotional needs.
Take-home learning opportunities will include sample scripts for emotion coaching conversations, ideas for simple daily routines that promote regulation and empathy, and reflection prompts for ongoing professional growth. Participants will also receive strategies for engaging families in supporting social-emotional learning at home.
Whether new to the profession or a seasoned educator, attendees will leave this session with renewed purpose, practical tools, and a deeper understanding that teaching from the heart not only shapes children’s minds, but it also has the power to transform lives - the students as well as the teacher.
Evidence
This proposal integrates field-tested strategies from Growth Mindset research, ReachOut.com, and ResilientEducator.com, all emphasizing resilience, empathy, and self-regulation as keys to student success. Evidence shows that fostering positive mindset practices, emotional literacy, and supportive teacher-student relationships improves academic performance, emotional wellness, and long-term resilience in young learners across diverse educational settings.
Learning Objective 1
Participants will be able to explore how fostering empathy, self-regulation, and resilience supports academic success, positive relationships, and long-term well-being in children.
Learning Objective 2
Participants will be able to practice specific methods such as emotion vocabulary, mindfulness routines, and empathy modeling to create nurturing, emotionally safe learning environments.
Learning Objective 3
Participants will be able to implement take-home tools to strengthen educator and family collaboration.
Start Date
6-3-2026 8:30 AM
End Date
6-3-2026 9:30 AM
Recommended Citation
Spearman-Lott, Sherna T., "The Heart of Teaching: Practical Strategies for Social-Emotional Growth" (2026). Southeast Conference on School Climate. 83.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/secsc/2026/2026/83
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
The Heart of Teaching: Practical Strategies for Social-Emotional Growth
Percival
Teaching and caring for children is truly a work of heart! This engaging and interactive session invites educators and childcare providers to explore the essential connection between social-emotional wellness and the development of confident, compassionate, and resilient learners. Grounded in real-life classroom experiences, the presentation highlights how intentional practices can foster emotional balance, empathy, and self-regulation - which are cornerstones of both academic and personal success.
Participants will learn practical strategies that can be implemented immediately in any early learning or elementary setting. These include using emotion-based vocabulary to help children name and navigate feelings, incorporating mindful moments into daily routines, and creating “safe spaces” within classrooms that promote self-reflection. Attendees will also explore techniques for modeling empathy, guiding students through problem-solving, and using positive language to reinforce connection and trust.
Through storytelling, discussion, and reflection, participants will gain insight into the “why” behind social-emotional learning and its lasting impact on children’s ability to thrive in school and beyond. The session will address real-world challenges such as managing big emotions, supporting smooth transitions, creating a sense of belonging, embracing social challenges, and maintaining balance between academic goals and emotional needs.
Take-home learning opportunities will include sample scripts for emotion coaching conversations, ideas for simple daily routines that promote regulation and empathy, and reflection prompts for ongoing professional growth. Participants will also receive strategies for engaging families in supporting social-emotional learning at home.
Whether new to the profession or a seasoned educator, attendees will leave this session with renewed purpose, practical tools, and a deeper understanding that teaching from the heart not only shapes children’s minds, but it also has the power to transform lives - the students as well as the teacher.
