NeurodivURGENT Chats: Conference Edition - Jeanna Barrett, MAT

We're two weeks away from NeurodivURGENT 2025, and we couldn't be more excited to kick off our countdown by introducing you to some of our amazing speakers! First up is STEM Instructional Specialist, Jeanna Barrett, MAT. Here's what she had to say!

Why is it so important that interdisciplinary collaborative spaces like this one exist in today's educational landscape?

As classrooms continue to become more inclusive, more training is necessary for teachers/aspiring teachers to truly understand the diverse needs of the students that they serve or will be serving. As the number of non-traditional educators within the field continues to rise, many are finding out fast that they aren't as equipped as they may have initially thought to handle some of the challenges that come with this work. They are being tasked with navigating difficult behaviors, various learning disabilities, and many other issues that require a level of expertise that demands expanded capacity. The way that this expanded capacity is built is through candid conversations, collaboration, and ongoing training from highly-skilled professionals. This type of space is exactly that for those who are committed to becoming well-trained professionals who endeavor to support students of all ages and backgrounds in becoming their very best.

What are you most excited about as #NeurodivURGENT2025 gets closer? 

I'm honestly most excited about sharing my deep passion for education, and meeting people where they are in a way that inspires them to be better. In any space that I'm afforded the opportunity to share knowledge, my goal is to help people recognize the beauty in diversity of all kinds and ensure that everyone leaves with something of value from the discussion, no matter how they learn or what their background may be. This is the same attitude that I try to embody as an instructional coach, and I'm grateful to carry it into this space. Simply put, I just want to spread my joy and love for learning in a way that helps radiate light in others so that they can continue to share that light with the world.

If you were encouraging a colleague to attend the conference, what would you tell them? 

I would tell them that we as educators need to be reflective at every stage of our practice in order to continue to grow. Through that reflection, we should be aiming to see how we can make things better, not just for ourselves, but to build a culture that helps everyone around us as well. That is why this conference should be on their radar as an essential tool in evaluating their practice. As we all know, no one knows everything. As we share our knowledge and learn from others in this space, we can all leave inspired and far more equipped than we came. Not only does The NeurodivURGENT Conference give us that, but it also gives us the opportunity to think about how we can be successful in passing on that tradition of knowledge-sharing to future generations of educators and other helping-professionals so that they can be successful as well.

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About NeurodivURGENT Chats: Interdisciplinary Conversations That Can't Wait

"NeurodivURGENT Chats" is a written and audio-visual conversation series dedicated to raising issues that impact neurodivergent youth with a sense of urgency and conviction. The goal with each conversation is to remind each other that when we work together to strategize for the good of those we serve, there is no challenge that can't be overcome.