Speaking
To book Todd for a speaking engagement, simply call, text, or e-mail a request. If e-mailing, please include the following information in your request:
- Name of event
- Date/Time of event
- Amount of time my presentation needs to be.
- Which topic(s) you would like me present.
- Audience information (age, background, etc.)
- Equipment I would need to bring.
Book Todd to Speak: 843-340-1213
Testimonials"Your presentation made quite an impression on me. I now do mindful breathing daily for 5 minutes with the goal of increasing it to 30 minutes. I have spent the week finding a time of the day that works and just getting comfortable with it. I plan to share your information with my secondary science preservice folks in the fall class. I'll be tying it to setting class climate. I will also show them how they can integrate it with experimental design."
- Jacqueline T. McDonnough, Ph.D. Associate Professor Science Education NSF Robert Noyce Grant, Principal Investigator Virginia Initiative for Science Teaching Speaking Experience2011 Pre-Collegiate Fall Renewal Conference
2012 Pre-Collegiate Fall Renewal Conference 2013 Pre-Collegiate Fall Renewal Conference 2012 SC Teacher Forum Conference 2013 Upstate Teacher Cadet Conference at Limestone College 2013 SCATE Fall Conference at Limestone College 2012 SC Induction Symposium at The Citadel 2013 SC Induction Symposium 2013 PSTA Convention 2013 NOYCE Foundation Keynote 2014 USC-Aiken Teacher Cadet Day 2014 Virginia Association for Teachers of Family and Consumer Sciences Professional Development Institute 2015 You Matter Conference 2015 PSTA Convention Charleston Southern University Teaching Fellows Winthrop University Teaching Fellows Newberry College Teaching Fellows Anderson University Teaching Fellows University of South Carolina Teaching Fellows Columbia College Teaching Fellows USC-Upstate Teaching Fellows Allendale County Schools Induction Teachers Coker College Teacher Cadet Day Chesterfield County Schools Teacher Forum USC-Upstate (Sumter) Senior Education Majors 2011 Teaching Fellows Conference Stone Elementary School Professional Development Horry County Schools Professional Development Everyday Zen Workshop 2015 Virginia Association for Teachers of Family and Consumer Sciences Professional Development Institute Fort Mill's F21 Conference Lancaster County Schools Professional Development 2015 South Carolina Teacher Forum Conference Edgefield County Schools Professional Development South Carolina - National School Public Relations Association Winter Workshop Induction Coordinator Institute 2016 SC Mindfulness Retreat 2016 SC New Teacher Induction Symposium 2016 Virginia Association for Teachers of Family and Consumer Sciences Professional Development Institute 2016 North Central Group Conference Lexington/Richland Five School Counselors Summit Drive Elementary Professional Development SCDJJ - Ridgeville - Students and staff sessions 2016 Fall Renewal Conference 2016 SC Teacher Forum Conference Carolina Forest High School Teacher Cadets Horry-Georgetown Community College River Bluff High School Teacher Cadets Kershaw County School District Coastal Leadership Academy South Carolina Department of Education Watkins-Nance Elementary School Gallman Elementary School Professional Development SC Dept of Juvenile Justice District Professional Development 2017 Newberry College GROW Symposium Spartanburg School District Six Induction Teacher P.D. Lowcountry Leadership Charter School P.D. Ballentine Elementary School P.D. Aiken Middle School P.D. Florence-Darlington Technical College Faculty Development Kershaw County School District Retreat 2017 South Carolina Mindfulness Retreat Francis Marion University Poverty Summer Institute Marion County School District P.D. 2017 Virginia Association for Teachers of Family and Consumer Sciences Professional Development Institute Clarendon Two School District P.D. Horry County Schools Social Studies P.D. Midwest Wedding Summit - Madison, WI 2017 SC New Teacher Induction Symposium 2017 SC Teacher Forum Conference Spartanburg School District Six Induction Teacher P.D. Mergon Corporation Wellness Week Pee Dee Education Consortium 2018 Newberry College Seminar SC Association of School Administrators Session Sumter School District Teacher Forum Berkeley County School District Professional Development Beautiful Mind - Meditation for Skeptics Classes |
Speaking PhilosophyI use multimedia, humor and props to assist me, but these things are worthless without meaningful, well-researched content. My goal is to spark conversations and inspire curiosity about the topics I cover.
When I attend a meeting or a conference, I want speakers to be relevant, energetic and engaging. I try to keep this in mind when I am asked to speak. If another human being is going to invest part of his/her life listening to me, I want him/her to feel it was a worthwhile investment. 
Session DescriptionsMindful Education
Teaching is stressful. From the stresses of duty to the larger stresses of school violence, educators are under pressure. Many outstanding teachers leave the profession within their first five years. Those that remain in teaching can easily become burned out. Mindfulness is a free, easy, and secular approach to managing stress that is scientifically validated. In this session, Scholl will discuss the basics of mindfulness and why it should be included in every teacher’s toolbox. Google Apps for Education In this session, participants will be introduced to the free and powerful applications offered at no cost by Google to educators. Google Drive, Docs, Forms and Classroom will all be explored. This session is highly interactive and set up so that teachers see how Google Classroom looks from the student point of view. Vision to Reality Need some inspiration? This is your session. First we will create a vision by identifying and clarifying one goal for each participant. We will then clearly define the steps needed to convert that vision to reality and develop the mindset needed to stay motivated. Leveraging Social Media Social media has been used to bring about positive change across the globe. In this session, learn how you can use social media to promote the amazing things going on inside your school and classroom. You will also explore ways that social media can be used to advocate for your profession. Build Your Own Website in 60 Minutes In this session, you will learn how to build a website using a free online service called Weebly. You will discover how easy it is for you to build a dynamic website with drag and drop tools that can also serve as a mobile application. Bring your laptops and build your own website while Todd takes you step by step through the process. Augment Your Reality Augmented Reality (A.R.) is a relatively new technology that has the potential to revolutionize the way students learn and the way we deliver instruction. Early adopters are already using this tool to make textbooks, images, and objects come to life through the creation of “auras.” Todd Scholl will show you where this technology stands and where he thinks it is headed in a session sure to please and intrigue technophiles. The Future of Education The power of technology is growing exponentially. In this session, we will discuss the impacts this rapid growth will have on our society and our system of education. Will we soon have brain-computer interfaces installed within our heads? Will teachers be replaced by androids? Drawing upon the works of futurists like Ray Kurzweil, Scholl will explore these questions and many more in this thought-provoking session. 
Todd presenting to South Carolina's District Teachers of the Year on utilizing social media
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About Todd
Todd Scholl is the Coordinator of Communications & Technology at The Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention & Advancement (CERRA).
Todd began his teaching career in special education at Lakewood Elementary School in 1995. In 1997, he joined the faculty at the newly-constructed Carolina Forest High School where he taught broadcast journalism and Teacher Cadets. He earned a M.Ed. in Secondary Education in 2001. In 2006, he was elected to serve on the CERRA Advisory Board. In 2008, he was named Carolina Forest High School's Teacher of the Year and a Teacher of the Year Finalist for Horry County Schools. He joined CERRA as a Teacher-In-Residence in January of 2011 and was asked to serve as a liaison between CERRA and South Carolina's Palmetto Priority Schools. In the summer of 2011, Todd moved into his current role as Coordinator of Communications and Technology. In this role, he manages CERRA's websites and social media, writes press releases, creates various media to promote CERRA's programs and services, and works as a creative consultant on various projects.
Todd became interested in mindfulness several years ago. As a teacher, new father, and human being, he was experiencing a great deal of stress and began looking for solutions. He stumbled upon mindfulness practices and, over time, began practicing mindful breathing and other techniques. He continued to research the practices and the relevant neuroscientific research. Scholl also began connecting with other educators interested in bringing the secular practice to public schools. Todd became increasingly passionate about the idea that mindfulness could address the stress experienced by his students and fellow teachers.
"Mindfulness has helped me recognize that I am often not at peace with my present experience. My practice has helped me meet my life's experiences with greater acceptance, generating more stillness and peace. I continue to struggle, too often shifting into auto-pilot and missing the present moment, but I feel that mindfulness practice has helped me be more aware of this so that I can spend more of my life in the present moment. Meditation has helped me feel deeply connected to others. It has boosted my creativity, empathy, and problem solving. My goal is to build greater awareness among educators in my home state so that they can experience the great benefits of mindfulness practice," said Scholl.
"CERRA's mission involves recruiting, retaining, and advancing outstanding educators for all children in South Carolina. We know that many outstanding people choose other professions or enter the profession and leave quickly due to the enormous stress faced by teachers. This problem is not unique to South Carolina, nor is it unique to teaching. This site is tailored to address the needs of educators and their students. I believe mindfulness has the potential to successfully address the epidemic of stress within our schools. It is free, relatively easy to teach, and science is validating its efficacy. Our teachers and students need a tool to manage stress, and mindfulness can be that tool."
Todd was born in Syracuse, NY in 1971 to two outstanding educators. His father, Thomas, spent most of his career teaching special education. His mother, Nancy, was an elementary school teacher early in her career and later taught high school math. In 1986, Todd's family moved to Conway, SC. He was a sophomore in high school and eventually graduated from Conway High School in 1989. Four years later he graduated from the University of South Carolina in 1993 with a B.A. in Journalism. Todd worked in the radio industry through college and thought that would be his career path. He eventually decided to follow his parents' footsteps into education. Todd lives in the Carolina Forest area of Myrtle Beach with his wife, Anna, and three children, Madison (16), Colin (13), and Sophia (7).
You can contact Todd via e-mail at toddscholl@gmail.com.
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