Name: Indiana Teachers of the Year—We Can Do Hard Things: Rigor Through Relationships
Start: 2026-06-03T09:40:00-0400
End: 2026-06-03T10:30:00-0400

Indiana Teachers of the Year—We Can Do Hard Things: Rigor Through Relationships

Wednesday June 3, 2026 9:40am - 10:30am EDT

Community Room

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When difficulty feels isolating, unclear, or high-risk, the brain protects itself. However, when rigor is sequenced thoughtfully and grounded in trust, students rise.

This session reframes what it means to ask students to do hard things. Through concrete instructional moves, we will explore how intentional sequencing builds trust, creates confidence, and develops stamina without lowering expectations. By the end of our time together, participants will know how to help students solve challenges that may initially appear impossible using a framework for designing how they will embrace hard things and thrive.

Speakers

Tara Cocanower

2023 Indiana Teacher of the Year

I'm a World History teacher, Psychology teacher, Ed Professions teacher, and Instructional Coach at Bluffton High School. In 2023, I was humbled to be chosen as Indiana Teacher of the Year. I've recently worked on the IDOE Social Studies standards and have also been working with an... Read More →

Eric Jenkins

2024 Indiana Teacher of the Year, Franklin Community School Corp

Eric Jenkins is an educator at Franklin Community High School in Franklin, Indiana, where he teaches 10th-grade Honors and General English Language Arts, Indiana University’s ACP Composition course, W131, and Ivy Tech’s EDUC 101: Principles in Teaching.In 2024, Jenkins was named... Read More →

Room Host

Brooke Marsh

Career Readiness Project Coordinator, CELL

Brooke Marsh serves as the Career Readiness Project Coordinator for the Center of Excellence in Leadership of Learning (CELL). At CELL, Brooke supports schools across the continuum of K-12 career readiness, particularly in the areas of work-based learning, school-industry partnerships... Read More →