Podcast

Episode 212: Building Resilience

By Laura and Matt Grundler, posted on Apr 22, 2025

As educators navigate the ever-changing landscape of arts education, the need to foster emotional strength, adaptability, and creative confidence in students and themselves has never been more important. In this episode, Oral Historian Dr. Mi'Jan Celie Tho-Biaz and Matt Grundler ask Connected Arts Network (CAN) members Amanda Standard and Melissa Hronkin to share their experiences and research-backed strategies for fostering resilience as they create empowering learning environments in their respective art forms. Explore how visual and performing arts can serve as powerful tools for social-emotional learning, how they support their students in overcoming challenges, and how educators can build personal resilience while maintaining a strong sense of purpose and joy in teaching.

About Connected Arts Networks (CAN): The National Art Education Association (NAEA), in partnership with the Educational Theater Association, National Association for Music Education, National Dance Education Organization, and NYC Department of Education’s Office of Arts and Special Projects has launched a nationwide initiative to create virtual Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). The goal of this Connected Arts Networks (CAN) is to build a sustainable model of professional learning to help teachers better serve students.