Now, more than ever, we need connection and community before we focus on content. Join me for a lively conversation about tools and tips to help you create a connected classroom, at school or online, that will help you and your students heal, catch up and keep moving forward. Rusty is a SEL educator and educational relationship specialist who has worked in the K-14 environment since 2002. Over the last year, Rusty has dedicated himself to making virtual presentations to educators about how to take care of themselves & their students, how to talk to their students about what's going on and how to connect and create community in their classrooms. • Become aware of the effects of the stress and grief that we have all experienced and the importance of self care for teachers and students as we move forward. • Opening and closing routines as well as daily and weekly activities to help create community and connection face-to-face or in the virtual classroom. • Creative ways to get students more involved in class and online and help them connect with each other again.