Sparkshop: Carrying Your Students’ Stress

Session Overview:

As faculty, you often become a trusted person students turn to when they’re navigating crises, trauma, or emotionally heavy situations. While you want to be supportive, hearing these difficult stories can take a toll on your own well‑being. This session explores the concept of secondary traumatic stress—the emotional strain that can arise from empathizing with someone else’s pain. We’ll discuss why these reactions are both common and normal, how to recognize when you’re carrying students’ stress as your own, and practical strategies for setting boundaries, managing emotional residue, and caring for yourself in healthy ways. Participants will leave with tools to maintain compassion for students while also protecting their own emotional resilience. 

REGISTER FOR SPARKSHOP CONNECTION INFORMATION

You only need to register once for any one Sparkshop as the connection information is the same for all Sparkshops.

About Sparkshops:

Sparkshops are 15 minute mini-workshops, facilitated by CFE staff.  Sparkshops are meant to start exploration of a chosen topic with continued support from the CFE as requested.

Each Sparkshop provides:

• An introduction or re-imagined approach to an evidence-based teaching practice, or productivity strategy
• Potential reasons faculty or staff might incorporate the practice in their course(s) or work flow
• Examples of how the practice can be implemented
• Resources for further investigation of the practice

LEARN MORE ABOUT SPARKSHOPS

Change One Thing Program:

Attending Sparkshops adds to your eligibility to receive the “Change One Thing” Certificate.

To earn the certificate, participants will:
✔ Attend at least three sparkshops, workshops (e.g., Integrating AI Into Your Teaching sessions) or other learning opportunities offered by the Center for Faculty Excellence.
✔ Implement a small but impactful change in one of their courses.
✔ Submit a brief reflection on the change and its anticipated or observed impact.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CHANGE ONE THING CERTIFICATE

Location

Virtual – register for connection information.

Audience

All Faculty

To request a disability-related accommodation, please contact the Office for Civil Rights at civilrights@pnw.edu or (219) 989-2163 five days prior to the event.

In accordance with Purdue policies, all persons have equal access to Purdue University’s educational programs, services, and activities, without regard to race, religion, color, sex, age, national origin or ancestry, genetic information, marital status, parental status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, disability, or status as a veteran. See Purdue’s Nondiscrimination Policy Statement. If you have any questions or concerns regarding these policies, please contact the Office for Civil Rights at civilrights@pnw.edu or (219) 989-2337.