A traveling, well-known author and child psychologist will make helping area teachers, parents and students part of his ongoing mission.
Dr. Michael Thompson, whose books include "Raising Cain," "The Pressured Child" and "Best Friends/Worst Enemies," will serve as the featured presenter for the Fort Smith Montessori School's upcoming Day of Educational Opportunities event. The event will include a professional-development session for area educators from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., followed by a parent workshop for the community from 6-9 p.m., both on Feb. 19 at the school, 3908 Jenny Lind Road.
Both activities will provide benefits to the school and community, and they will mark Thompson's presenting debut at the school and, possibly, in the region, said Jessica Hayes, head of school for the Fort Smith Montessori School.
"I first met Dr. Thompson a couple years ago at a Montessori head of school retreat, and I was blown away by his workshops," she said. "When I came back to Fort Smith, we took one of his books and did the work related to the book among our staff.
"I then decided last fall that I wanted to get him in person," Hayes added of Thompson, who has appeared on "The Today Show," "The Oprah Winfrey Show," "CBS 60 Minutes," "ABC 20/20" and more. "I wanted to have him do some training with my teachers and with any other educators who are interested."
The professional-development session is "open to anyone who works with children" and will cover topics related to Thompson's books, "Raising Cain" and "Best Friends/Worst Enemies," she said. The former book traces the social and emotional development of boys, while the latter book covers the interactions of children and their developing friendships, Hayes said.
"In 'Best Friends/Worst Enemies,' it addresses what helps children and what harms children," she said. "And it talks about what adults should do and shouldn't do."
Thompson, who also has been featured on "The Early Show" and "Good Morning America," is a past member of the American Camping Association and serves on the advisory board of Parents Magazine. He lives with his wife, Dr. Theresa McNally, a psychotherapist, in Arlington, Mass., and has two children and three grandchildren.
"When I saw Dr. Thompson a couple of years ago, I took away a lot of things that showed we could be doing better in our school," Hayes said. "Over the last couple of years, we have made adjustments to our classes, and much of that has been from Dr. Thompson's work."
Fort Smith Montessori School currently has 14 full-time staff, one part-time teacher and 113 students ages 3-12. The school will have its first eighth-grade class in the fall and will add a new toddler program, which will allow Fort Smith Montessori School staff to serve children between 18 months and the eighth grade, Hayes said.
"I know we'll have our staff at the professional-development session, and we have two or three teachers coming from the Montessori school in Tulsa," she said. "There will be at least a couple from Fort Smith Public Schools, as well."
The cost for the professional-development portion is $250 and includes two books and snacks, while the cost for the parent workshop is $25 for parents of non-Montessori school students. Registration is encouraged and can be completed by calling (479) 646-7225.
"We'd love for people to call the week before to register, so we can get his books to the people ahead of time," Hayes said. "But if someone calls the Friday before and there's still space, we would be fine if that happens.
"And the cost does seem a little high, but the value is more than worth the cost of the money," she added. "Dr. Thompson really is a phenomenal speaker."
Thompson will address how many children feel pressure from social media, Hayes said.
"One of the biggest things we see is, children aren't able to disconnect from their peers the way we were able to when we were in school — it's because of the cellphone and social media," she said. "Children are constantly bombarded with text messages, Snap Chat messages and such. All of this stuff comes in, and it's hard for the children to shut it out for a bit."
Cindy Core, lead primary teacher at Fort Smith Montessori School, said she is thrilled that her school is hosting one of the country's leading psychologists as he brings his expertise to Fort Smith.
"Dr. Thompson's work involves helping boys understand how to react to things appropriately," she said. "It's OK to get upset and cry, and we want to help boys with their emotions.
"Even to identify the emotions they are having is important," Core added. "I've been here at the school for 17 years, and it's been helpful to give students the vocabulary to identify emotions — Am I angry? Am I frustrated? It's about helping children with feelings and have them not always be made angry and react physically."
Parents, like the teachers, will be appreciative of Thompson's words and experience during the event, Hayes said.
"The biggest takeaway for parents is to learn how we can support our children as they are going through school," said Hayes, who became a foster parent last year. "We often think and say, 'Well, when I was in school, it was this way and that,' but the world is way different than what we had to deal with, back when we were students."
Dr. Thompson's message will help parents learn to listen to their children more and offer effective advice and support to the children, she said. Some parents frequently "discount" what their children say, which can become an issue, Hayes said.
"We need to listen to our children more because they have a lot of valuable information to say, and we need to give them more of a say in their own education, because they know what works for them and what doesn't," she said. "It's my hope that by opening these workshops to anyone who wants to join us, that it will be an eye-opening experience for a lot of people."