education beyond the classroom

speaking

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speaking engagements

Care is complex. Let’s talk about it.

Shirley Bolden speaks to educators, school leaders, parents, and community organizations about what it means to care for modern kids in a changing world.

Her speaking style is honest, reflective, engaging, and deeply human. She blends storytelling, educator insight, and practical application to help audiences examine the gap between caring about young people and caring for them in ways that are meaningful, sustainable, and transformational.

Whether leading a keynote, professional development session, panel conversation, or parent workshop, Shirley creates experiences that invite both reflection and action.

keynote

Shirley’s keynotes are designed to inspire, challenge, and re-center educators around the deeper purpose of care. Through powerful storytelling and practical insight, she helps audiences rethink what students need from the adults who serve them.

Best for conferences, district events, educator appreciation programs, school leadership gatherings, and community education events.

Professional Development Workshops

These interactive sessions help educators move from inspiration to implementation. Shirley guides participants through reflective exercises, discussion, and practical strategies that support more intentional care in classrooms, schools, and student-facing spaces.

Best for school teams, teacher training days, educator retreats, and youth-serving organizations.

Parent and community workshops

Shirley creates space for parents and caregivers to explore what it means to support modern kids with care, structure, emotional awareness, and curiosity. These sessions are not about telling parents what to do. They are about helping families feel seen, supported, and equipped.

Best for schools, nonprofits, family engagement events, community programs, and parent education nights.

Panels and small talks

Shirley brings warmth, clarity, and thoughtfulness to panel discussions and moderated conversations. Her perspective is especially valuable in conversations about education, youth development, student belonging, educator burnout, boys in education, and the future of care in schools.

Best for conferences, media events, community panels, book events, and education-centered conversations.

Book Signing

A meaningful add-on or standalone event centered around Shirley’s book, The Heart Is Not Enough: Habits of Educators Who Care for Modern Kids. Book signings create an opportunity for readers, educators, and community members to connect with Shirley’s work and continue the conversation around care, burnout, and modern education.

Best for: Conferences, school events, author talks, educator appreciation events, community gatherings, bookstores, libraries, and post-keynote engagement.

Logistics: Book signings can be paired with a keynote, panel, or Small Talk session. Event hosts may coordinate book sales in advance or provide space for on-site signing and reader engagement.

Testimonials

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We have received feedback that our CMs really enjoyed your session...We can't thank you enough for you contribution to this event and, ultimately, creating equitable and antiracist learning environments for the students here in DFW! We hope that we can continue to partner with you on future events...

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You made today so special!...Thank you so much for being part of our "Communities in Dallas" panel...Your insights, stories, and presence deeply resonated with our incoming corps members and helped bring to life the power of community-centered education.

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Shirley has a way of explaining care that makes you immediately understand why it matters. Even as someone outside of the classroom, I found myself fully bought into her mission because she makes the work feel personal, urgent, and deeply human

FAQs

To which audiences do you speak?

I am happy to speak to teachers, administration, parents, and students alike.

On which topics can you present?

I am happy to consider all speaking requests in my areas of expertise, experience, and interest. Some topics I have presented in the past include:

• Transformational CARE in Modern Schools
• Teacher Emotional Burnout
• Why Caring Educators Fail
• Classroom Management for Modern Students
• The Matthew Effect and Why Boys Give Up on Learning
• Reaching Modern Students
• Why Relationships Alone Are Not Enough
• The Habits of Educators Who Reach Modern Kids

How early do we need to book you?

I generally require requests be submitted 30 days in advance for any speaking engagements that are local (in the Dallas Fort-Worth metroplex) and 90 days notice for engagements outside the local area.

What is your fee?

My fee varies based on factors like location, topic, length of presentation/event, and more. Most speaking engagements fall within the range of $1000 to $3000.