She had the plans. She had the weapons. And judging by her journal, she had the motivation to commit the biggest school shooting since Columbine. Luckily someone stepped in and notified the authorities, neutralizing the threat and avoiding our next massacre. I can’t...
“Don’t do for students what they can do for themselves.” This philosophy was taught to me by one of my mentors, the great Kathleen Bethke, a wonderful educator and veteran after-school professional. Each time I’ve applied it, I’ve seen students grow in profound ways....
Nearly one-quarter of junior high school students and more than 15 percent of high school students reported being cyberbullied in 2015. And, since 2007, the number of people who have at some point in their lives experienced cyberbullying has almost doubled as of 2016....
I have often mentioned how visiting over 1,000 schools has helped me to develop our Student Ownership M.A.P., which is a time-tested theory that school culture can be easily built through your message, your activities, and your people. So I want to take a few moments...
Every school has a slogan. I assume your school has one as well, but is it working? In my book, Building School Culture From the Inside Out, I highlight the importance of a school slogan and discuss how just a few simple words can drive school culture and create...
Learn Parenting & Co-Parenting Strategies that Work In a complex world filled with challenges and increasing isolation, what would it look like for you to have tools to connect with and love your teen? Join us for the Austin film premiere of TEEN TRUTH: Parents...
The New Year offers all of us a fresh beginning. We’ve made the pledges to lose weight, call so-and-so more often, finally clean the garage, or any other series of goals, but I’ve found over the years that these resolutions often fade into the busy landscape of our...
We know the speakers you invite to your campus need to connect with your students, and over the past 10 years, we’ve employed many youth speakers who inspire positive change in students lives. However, no speaker has ever done as well as Jared Scott. His TEEN TRUTH:...
Visiting over 5,000 campuses has given TEEN TRUTH a unique insight into what it takes to build school culture. Even after just a minute or two of stepping into a school, we can generally feel the culture. We know within moments how engaged the students will be during...
When it comes to children, the smartphone has gotten a bum rap in the recent years. Adults have placed the blame for everything from bullying to low grades on the same technology that they rely on for daily business and family planning. Since there is no reason to...
Over the last 10 years I have visited more than 1,000 schools, and I can usually tell if a school has a positive school culture within minutes of stepping on campus. Research has proven that a positive school culture creates safer school communities, connects teens,...
This July we worked with Frisco ISD in what has turned into a landmark event for the RISING UP: Coaching Program. RISING UP, designed specifically to help school counselors extend guidance efforts across campus, will be implemented in 18 schools across the district...
This summer I was honored to serve as an adjunct instructor for Texas State University. Working directly through the Texas School Safety Center School-Based Law Enforcement Summits, we were able to bring TEEN TRUTH’s message to over 400 officers across Texas. As I...
When I started RISING UP in 2012, I wanted to create a program that would help students work through adversity. Having worked with TEEN TRUTH in the anti-bully / school culture development field for the last 10 years I felt that this was a need for both students and...
Imagine you’re standing in a school auditorium, and a young student tells you that they’re cutting to relieve the pain in their life, and that they are being abused by their step mom. Imagine that student tells you they’re thinking about suicide. Now…imagine...
On April 14, 2016, TEEN TRUTH partnered with the Harris County Department of Education Center for Safe and Secure Schools in Houston, TX to offer the first ever TEEN TRUTH: Difference Maker Summit for adults. The 3-hour workshop featured student-driven content geared...
Recently TEEN TRUTH’s CEO, JC Pohl, went live on Facebook to discuss the RISING UP: Coaching Program – Trainer Certification Course coming up on June 7th in Austin, TX. To see a replay of the webinar please click the video below....
Early registration is now open for TEEN TRUTH’s RISING UP: Coaching Program – Train the Trainer Course. Our CEO, JC Pohl, will be hosting this event, which will guide you through all the skills needed to train your student coaching staff. You’ll also learn how...
From JC Pohl… I was recently asked by Lifetouch to keynote the South Carolina AMLE Conference and I had an amazing time working with nearly 1,000 inspirational educators from across the state. After the session I had an insightful conversation with...
