My journey began when our high school had a suicide epidemic. It impacted me deeply as these were my friends. Everything I've done since then has somehow involved the nourishment of identity in others.

 

The turning point of my life came when I was working in a school with a violent campus culture and a 50% drop out rate, I had exhausted every teaching method i knew, with little impact to engage these students. Then I had an idea:

 

I used music to teach.

 

... and with that, everything changed. I was able to infuse tools I had learned from my psychology degree into specially designed songs that bypassed their defense mechanisms. All the issues they were unable to talk about, they could sing about and find the answers they so desperately needed.

 

For the first time, my students were engaged. They cared. They were present. They took ownership. The bullying stopped. They were courteous and enthusiastic. They began to dream. They began to heal, and they began to succeed. 

 

Today I continue my pursuit to protect and empower children by giving my emotional safety education system to any educator who will join me in this passion. It breaks my heart to think of the number of precious kids who suffer in silence, all alone surrounded by a whole classroom of kids. We might not know their pain, but as their teacher, we can bring them hope. Championeers! provides that hope.

 

Together we can do this!

 

Deanna