Book Study: Why Smart Kids Worry by: Allison Edwards

With a career spanning 25 years, Allison studied anxiety reduction and emotion regulation in children and has served as a teacher, school counselor, psychotherapist and Vanderbilt University professor. Allison is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Registered Play Therapist and founder of All the Feels Company, her product company providing effective tools to help kids manage emotions.

Mr. Rogers advised parents to limit their children's exposure to news events and to comfort them by focusing on "the helpers".  Big world events are scary,  but for some children  their concerns are even more intense.  Perfectionism and fear of failure also cause worry.  In this book story, we’re going to learn all about this topic and how we can work together to support students.

You will learn to deal with these concerns in the classroom and empower children to cope during challenging times. We'll also discuss how you might engage in conversations with your student's families, building strong relationships along the way.

The book study has two virtual meeting dates: January 12, 2026 at 4:00 pm & February 23, 2026 at 4:00pm. The rest is done on your own time.

You will earn 15 Gifted hours for book study completion.

This book study is provided at no cost for employees & educators from ESCLEW Gifted aligned districts (Anthony Wayne, Maumee, Ottawa Hills, Rossford, Springfield, and Washington Local) and ESCLEW staff working at an aligned Gifted district. 

It is $50 per person for employees & educators from all other schools and districts, including ESCLEW employees NOT working at an ESCLEW Gifted aligned district.