VAFACS Conference

Disconnect to Connect was the title of Diana’s Keynote Address at the 2018 Virginia Association of Family and Consumer Sciences Teacher Conference held in Virginia Beach in July.   Diana presented the effects of technology on mental health.  Diana followed up with a workshop entitled, The Power to Empower where teachers learned how to become more aware of connecting students for success.  Workshop descriptions are as follows:

Session Description: When we think about the FACS mission, we think of words such as:  well-being, balancing, critical thinking, and responsible.  Yet we know these words also describe the challenges we have as individuals and educators.  Teachers are under an increasing amount of pressure in and out of the classroom.  As a culture we are more connected than ever with ubiquitous technology, yet we are becoming a society of disconnect.  We will examine free gifts to give us a true plug-in to ourselves, our students, and our community.

Session Description: This is a hands-on session to follow “Disconnect to Reconnect” session.  Participants will learn hands-on empowerment strategies to help students address problems in diverse family, community, and work environments.  Educators will learn how to help students reduce the stigma of mental health, build resilience, and to become a source of hope for themselves and others.  Snippets of the award winning mental health curriculum, “Behind the Mask” will be integrated