Affirmations aren't magic. But said out loud, together, again and again, they become part of how kids see themselves and how they treat each other. That's worth building into your classroom on purpose.

Hey, I’m Adrien Palmer, half of Narwhals & Waterfalls. I currently live in Dallas with my wife Lizbet , my son “O”, and my dog, Tyler. I do all kinds of things, odd jobs here and there, but my main work is writing music and managing communications for a nonprofit here in Dallas. After being forced to take a summer job at McDonalds when I was 18, I was determined to do anything but that the next summer. I ended up working at a summer camp in Gaston, a small town 20 minutes out

Hey, I’m Paige and I’m half of Narwhals & Waterfalls. I live with my husband Matt, two kids Ezra and Zoey, & my blue-heeler dog, Luna.I love songwriting, journaling, being outside and reading books about self-growth and business. I am a K-5 Music Teacher in Dallas, TX. I can still remember the first day I stepped into my elementary school campus. As a baby-faced 23-year-old who was fresh out of student teaching, I was scared and unsure of how I was going to manage 700 student

As a Music Teacher, I find myself trying to explain the importance of respect to my students at the beginning of every school year. I’ve found that respect can be quite an abstract concept for younger students. We tell them to show respect, but forget to tell them HOW. It’s important to give kids practical steps for showing respect so that they can be successful. We are happy to inform you that we’ve created a song, lesson plan, activities and PowerPoint slides just for this

***This post was written during COVID-19, but the ideas and exercises expressed remain relevant and invaluable during both personal and communal times of stress for our students.*** This past week has already been such a blur, with school cancellations and constant updates. We're showing up to let you know that we are right there with you, trying to navigate "at-home learning", and helping kids cope during this complicated time. Here are some practical tips to help you & your

Trust. Respect. Smiling Faces. Impactful Relationships. These words don’t need to be reserved to describe some Utopian, Pinterest-ready, picture-perfect classroom. They are all indicators of a positive learning environment that you can have with your students. You might be thinking, “Not my kids….you don’t know the kids at MY school…” But what I’m about to share with you has been researched and proven to work in the 20 largest urban school districts in the United States. No m