For this webinar series, participants will automatically be enrolled in all 5 sessions.

Speaker

Shannon Butler-Mokoro, MSW, Ph.D.

Description

In today’s diverse and ever-changing school environments, educators and paraprofessionals need more than instructional expertise—they need the skills, awareness, and resilience to foster responsive, inclusive communities where every student and staff member feels seen, valued, and supported. This five-part webinar series equips participants with practical strategies to deepen cultural understanding, strengthen communication, navigate challenges, and sustain joy in their work.

Across the series, you will:

  • Identify and appreciate the rich diversity within your school, using observation and relationship-building strategies to better understand and support varied identities.
  • Practice cultural humility as an ongoing, reflective approach to fostering trust and respect among students, colleagues, and families.
  • Recognize and adapt communication styles to bridge differences, create brave spaces, and promote inclusive dialogue.
  • Prepare for and navigate “hot moments” and difficult conversations with care, confidence, and emotional safety.
  • Reconnect with humanizing values that bring meaning and joy to your work, even in challenging times.

Through reflection, discussion, and hands-on tools, this series offers a balance of professional insight and practical application—empowering you to lead with awareness, engage with compassion, and contribute to a school culture where all can thrive.

To receive PDPs and CEUs, participants must attend all 5 sessions and successfully pass a quiz following Session 5. Within 24 hours of the live webinar, registrants will be emailed a link to view the recorded webinar. The recording will be made available for 7 days after each session. If you are not eligible for PDPs and/or CEUs, you may apply for a Certificate of Attendance.

Schools are rich with varied identities, and as educators and paraprofessionals, it can feel overwhelming to understand and support every unique background and experience. But you don’t have to know everything to make a difference! In this session, we will explore practical strategies for observing and learning about your school community without feeling overloaded. You’ll gain tools to foster a supportive environment for students and colleagues while building confidence in your ability to navigate differences with awareness and respect. Join us to shift from feeling overwhelmed to feeling empowered in your approach to school diversity!

This session will introduce the concept of cultural humility. We will discuss how cultural humility applies to the school setting and how you can use cultural humility to build positive relationships amongst staff, students, and families. This session will utilize information from session 1 – “Who’s in your school?”

Being aware of our communication styles and preferences, and acknowledging our communication gaps is important for working together as a team and in order to communicate effectively and appropriately with students and families. This session will help participants identify their communication style and provide guidance on how to use that style to communicate with team members, students, and families. 

Helping schools – teachers and staff manage hot moments and difficult conversations that arise due to current events or an incident that has occurred at a school. This workshop helps schools prepare prior to an incident.

Teaching is more than a profession—it’s a calling driven by passion, purpose, and a commitment to shaping young minds. But in the face of increasing demands, structural challenges, and emotional exhaustion, how do educators and paraprofessionals sustain their joy and motivation? This session will help us explore the power of humanizing values—compassion, connection, and authenticity—in creating a fulfilling and resilient teaching practice. Through reflection, discussion, and practical strategies, we will rediscover the light that fuels our work, learn ways to navigate challenges with grace, and cultivate joy even in the toughest moments. 

About the Speaker

Shannon Butler-Mokoro, Ph.D., (she/her) is currently the Dean for First Year Students at Wellesley College. She earned a B.A. in Sociology from U.C. Santa Barbara, a MSW from Clark Atlanta University, and a Ph.D. in Educational Policy from Georgia State University. She describes herself as an eclectic interdisciplinary teacher and researcher. One of her overarching teaching, research, and service themes is “creating culturally humble & proficient environments.” Shannon’s career has included her being  a clinical social worker, social work professor, and higher education administrator. She has engaged with several schools and non-profit agencies on the topics of diversity, inclusion, equity, and cultural humility. 


Membership Information

Most MPY webinars are available ONLY to current staff from member districts and organizations. Public school memberships include police and fire personnel. Former and retired employees and members of committees, including but not limited to, PTO/PTA, PAC, School Improvement Councils, Health Councils, Drug/Alcohol Councils, and school volunteers, are not considered MPY members.

PDPs and CEUs

MPY is an approved Professional Development Provider through the Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education (Provider No. F20180079). Professional Development Points (PDPs) are offered for most MPY professional development webinars. PDPs are issued in 10 hour increments, per DESE requirements.

Continuing Education Units (CEUs) are available for clinical staff through the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and the Massachusetts Mental Health Counselors Association, Inc. (MaMHCA). The NASW and the MaMHCA approve each event individually. CEUs may be given in hourly increments.

To receive PDPs and CEUs, participants must pass the quiz following Session 5.

Event Cancellation Policy

If you are unable to attend a MPY webinar you must cancel, through Bonnie Mullen at bonnie@mpyinc.org, one business day before the webinar.

For MPY hybrid conferences, the date in-person registration closes will be posted on MPY’s website. Virtual conference registration will close one business day before the hybrid conference. You cannot cancel or switch your registration from in-person to virtual after in-person registration closes. Please email Bonnie Mullen at bonnie@mpyinc.org with any questions regarding registration.

 

Register

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Register Now

If you are seeking to receive CEUs and/or PDPs, please click Register Now. Once you complete the webinar series, you will be able to take quizzes for CEUs and/or PDPs. Upon completion of each quiz, you will receive a certificate.

All sessions are 9:30 – 11:30 am

  • Session 1: October 10, 2025, Who’s in Your School? Strategies for Observing, Learning, and Supporting Varied Identities
  • Session 2: October 24, 2025, Cultural Humility
  • Session 3: November 7, 2025, Communication Styles and Creating Brave Spaces
  • Session 4: November 21, 2025, Managing Hot Moments and Difficult Conversations
  • Session 5: December 5, 2025, Embracing Humanizing Values: Keeping the Light and Joy in Our Work During Trying Times