The Kimochis Service Learning Program is designed for middle or high school students to act as mentors to elementary school students in their district. It takes collaboration and communication between schools, teachers, and students, but it’s worth every effort.
Middle and high school students get the opportunity to learn and practice the Kimochis skills as they teach their younger peers.
Goals for High School Students:
- Engage in meaningful service working on a project that makes a difference
- Develop social responsibility and project management skills
- Expand social, emotional, and communication skills
- Experience the concept of mentoring/teaching
- Expand career choices into the educational field
Goals for Students in Grades 1 thru 5:
- Learn new social emotional skills
- Strengthen communication skills
- Experience the positive effects of working with older students
- Gain the skills to: recognize and manage emotions, demonstrate caring and concern for others, make and keep friends, and make responsible decisions
ABOUT THE TRAINER
For over 20 years, Ellen, a pioneering speech-language pathologist, was getting out of her office and teaching communication skills to more than just the children on her caseload. She knew that feelings fuel behaviors. And, she saw first-hand that teaching basic communication skills helped children express challenging feelings which, as a result, eliminated a lot of negative behaviors—throughout entire schools. When Ellen started working with Kimochis as the Educational Director and curriculum author, the dream of helping children and families, grew to encompass entire school districts, communities… our world.
She is a recognized leader in character education and communication skills in the classroom. Ellen has published numerous books and articles in the area of social emotional learning. Her interactive workshop style and effective communication strategies and passion for raising children’s social and emotional intelligence makes her a sought-after speaker. She has extensively taught in public schools in Northern California where her communication curriculum won a National Character Education award.
Ellen, with Dr. William Pollack, author of Real Boys, collaborated to create classrooms that are academically and socially engaging for boys through Supporting Our Sons. In 2013, Ellen served on Parenting Magazine’s Editorial Advisory Board.
In 2014, Kimochis was awarded a five-year contract to provide training and support materials for Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) schools in the Domestic Dependent Elementary and Secondary Schools (DDESS) system where Ellen is the lead trainer.