Today’s Humble Badass Educator is the phenomenal Evan Whitehead. Evan is currently the director of special services for a PK–8 school district outside of Chicago where he oversees a range of services including social emotional learning, community engagement, special education, ESL, MTSS and much more. He also works as a professional development consultant and trainer for Dr. Ruby Payne’s Company aha! Process. Previously, Evan has worked in a variety of roles in education including Special Education Teacher, Dean of Student Discipline, Latino Parent Outreach Coordinator, and District/School Improvement Specialist to name a few.
Evan digs into many of today’s issues in education in our conversation. He discusses why social emotional learning and self-care is a guiding value that influences his approach to his work and how we are at a pivotal point in making a shift in our education system to truly build this in as a priority at the student, educator and family levels. He breaks down how his 3 B’s - Balance, Boundaries and Breaks - support making self-care a simple way to build into daily habits. Evan also discusses strategies for engaging families, how leadership at the school and district level can set the tone for social-emotional learning, and how we as educators can build the tools to have difficult conversations with students that are so necessary in navigating today’s divisive and complex world.
It was an absolute delight to talk with Evan Whitehead, one true Humble Badass in our world of education today.
