How Teaching Health Education Supports Our Own Wellness

Being an effective health educator includes modeling what we teach. This episode invites the wonderful Kathleen Vogt, a 20-year 8th grade health teacher, to share how teaching our subject area supports her own wellness habits. From practicing self-management skills of sleep and technology habits, to being aware of influences, Kathleen notes how she has become healthier. And, upon sharing our own habits in the classroom setting, we support our students’ habits!

Kathleen Vogt is a Health Educator at Union Vale Middle School in the Arlington Central School District located in the Hudson Valley of New York. She is the current Chair of the SHAPE America Health Education Council and co-writer of the Inclusive Practices in Health Education Guidance Document. She has taught 8th grade health education for the last 20 years and is a dedicated member of NYSAHPERD. You can connect with Kathleen on Twitter at MrsV_UVMS or through email at kvogt@acsdny.org. She is also a member of the Health and Physical Education Collective.

Remember, you can watch this episode on the School Health Educators YouTube Channel.

To contact Lori Reichel, the host of the School Health Educators Podcast, email her at schoolhealtheducators@gmail.com or visit her websites at www.schoolhealtheducators.org and www.lorireichel.com.

Habits of Mind at the Elementary School Level

Contrary to some people’s thoughts, there are school health educators who teach full-time at the elementary school level. In this episode, Janice Mix shares her experiences teaching at this level, including teaching Habits of Mind. Listen in to hear how Janice explains the strong ability of young students to learn and implement what she teaches into their everyday lives.

Janice Mix is a passionate health teacher at FRES, where she teaches all 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students. In the classroom, Janice focuses on helping students build emotional regulation skills, healthy habits, and a lifelong interest in their well-being. Her lessons are grounded in play-based learning and the Habits of Mind, encouraging students to think deeply, manage impulsivity, and care for themselves and others. Janice was honored as the Central Western Zone Teacher of the Year for her innovative and compassionate approach to health education. Also, since 2014, she has also owned and operated Janice Mix Photography, specializing in senior portraits.

Remember, you can watch this episode on the School Health Educators YouTube Channel.

To contact Lori Reichel, the host of the School Health Educators Podcast, email her at schoolhealtheducators@gmail.com or visit her websites at www.schoolhealtheducators.org and www.lorireichel.com.

Fun and Practical Activities to Help Young People Navigate Puberty and Life Changes

Lori, the host of the School Health Educators Podcast, shares three activities that focus on helping students manage the challenges of growing up. The activities include the Puberty Grab Bag, “Dr. I.B. Healthy” Letters, and the Puberty Chit Chat Cards. All have been student-tested and approved!

Click here to obtain the PDF for creating a set of the Puberty Chit Chat Cards. You can also use the TALK Puberty app on iOS products.

Click here to check out the Tools for Teaching Human Sexuality book.

Click here to review the book titled Common Questions Children Ask About Puberty.

To contact Lori, email her at schoolhealtheducators@gmail.com or check out her websites at: www.schoolhealtheducators.org and www.lorireichel.com.

Remember, you can watch this episode on the School Health Educators YouTube Channel.

The New SEL Resource titled “Tactile Tools for Social Emotional Learning”

School Health Educators are social and emotional learning experts. In this episode, Lori reminds us of this fact as well as introduces her new resource titled Tactile Tools for Social Emotional Learning: Activities to Help Children Self-Regulate with SEL. This book contains over 50 student-tested activities supporting self-regulation skills. Listen in to hear about some of these activities and how students can create their own “SEL Toolbox.”

To purchase this new resource, go to Amazon.com or Routledge (Taylor & Francis Group) Publishing.

Remember you can watch this episode on the School Health Educators YouTube Channel.

To contact Lori Reichel, creator of the School Health Educators Podcast, email her at schoolhealtheducators@gmail.com or check out her websites at: www.schoolhealtheducators.org and www.lorireichel.com.

Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays! Lori wishes you a wonderful holiday season and a Happy and Healthy 2025! She also reviews the resources shared this past year (2024) on the School Health Educators Podcast. Click here for a list of all of the 2024 Episodes.

Remember you can contact Lori Reichel by emailing her at schoolhealtheducators@gmail.com or check out her websites at: www.schoolhealtheducators.org and www.lorireichel.com. Also, check out her products at this link: https://www.lorireichel.com/books-cards/

Also, remember episodes can be watched on the School Health Educators YouTube Channel.

THE FUSED Toolbox Website (Part 2)

In this episode, Drs. Kristen Ford and Julie Knutson share an overview of THE FUSED Toolbox website. Pages include “What is FUSED?,” the SPA Tools, THE Pedagogy Tools, Fused Trainings, and Meet the Authors.

To connect with both Drs. Julie Knutson and Kristen Ford email them at: fusedhealthed@gmail.com

To check out their website, go to: https://sites.google.com/view/thefusedtoolbox?usp=sharing

To watch this episode on the YouTube Channel click here.

Contact Lori by emailing her at schoolhealtheducators@gmail.com or check out her websites at:  www.schoolhealtheducators.org and www.lorireichel.com. Also, check out her products at this linkhttps://www.lorireichel.com/books-cards/

The People Behind THE FUSED Toolbox (Part 1)

Are you teaching skills-based health ed?  Are you sure? To double-check, listen in to this episode to hear about the wonderful tools Drs. Julie Knutson and Kristen Ford have created for health educators!

To watch this episode on YouTube, click here.

To connect with both Drs. Julie Knutson and Kristen Ford email them at: fusedhealthed@gmail.com

To check out their website, go to: https://sites.google.com/view/thefusedtoolbox?usp=sharing

Contact the School Health Educators host, Lori Reichel, by emailing her at schoolhealtheducators@gmail.com or check out her websites at:  www.schoolhealtheducators.org and www.lorireichel.com. Also, check out her products at this linkhttps://www.lorireichel.com/books-cards/

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Teaching Analyzing Influences to Middle School Students with Kevin Mason

Embracing skill-based teaching requires a shift in thinking and planning. In this episode Kevin Mason shares information from the Analyzing Influences Unit he taught to his middle school health education students.

To watch this episode on YouTube, please go to the School Health Educators’ Podcast Channel.

To get in touch with Kevin, email him at: kpmason814@gmail.com  or connect with him through “X” @ MrMasonHealth.

Contact Lori Reichel by emailing her at schoolhealtheducators@gmail.com or check out her websites at: www.schoolhealtheducators.org and www.lorireichel.com. Also, check out her products at this link: https://www.lorireichel.com/books-cards/

A Conversation with One Middle School Health Educator, Mr. Kevin Mason

Kevin Mason is in his 3rd year of teaching middle school health education in the Mid-West. In this episode he shares his background and how he started teaching skill-based health ed. Kevin also shares how he helps students think instead of simply being given information. To watch this episode, check out the School Health Educator’s YouTube Channel.

To get in touch with Kevin, email him at: kpmason814@gmail.com  or connect with him through “X” @ MrMasonHealth.

Contact Lori Reichel by emailing her at schoolhealtheducators@gmail.com or check out her websites at: www.schoolhealtheducators.org and www.lorireichel.com. Also, check out her products at this link: https://www.lorireichel.com/books-cards/