“Hands down the best speaker we have ever had. Over 200 parents attended.”

Professional Endorsements

(These are the people that are REALLY hard to impress!)

Thank you doesn’t begin to express our appreciation of your willing outreach to the parents and staff of Fairfax County Public Schools. We work diligently to bring the latest information, resources, workshops, and presentations to FCPS and you exceeded our expectations measurably. We were thoroughly impressed with your authentic examples, honest sharing, and clear logical resolution to tricky situations in which we have all found ourselves at one time or another.

I am sure the enraptured crowd would have willingly maintained their seats for another hour or two motivated by the calm humorous morsels of wisdom you so graciously shared in perfect bite-sized chunks.

Please thank Casey for his kind engaging support while helping with the presentation. We truly enjoyed working with both of you and hope that this is the first of many more collaboration projects. Thanks Kirk, you are AWESOME!
- A. Gail Holloman
Manager, Fairfax County Parent Resource Centers

Mr. Martin, I want to personally thank you for presenting a workshop for my staff and students that truly provided “immediate” strategies that were evidenced by several of them on the very next day. We have been singing your praises to all. I shared my thoughts regarding your presentation to my staff and parents at my MCAASP Board of Directors’ meeting. The individuals who are represented by this organization are principals, assistant principals, and central office representatives. They were so interested in my “enthusiasm,” that I was asked to share your site information. As a result, our Board president has sent out this information to the 130 elementary representatives. Once again, thanks and I do hope that we are able to collaborate in the future on other workshops.
- Joanne Smith, Ed.D.
Principal, Montgomery County Public School System

You and Casey have impacted every part of our school community. I’m the school counselor, and it’s clear that Casey’s message stuck with our students. I regularly ask students who controls their behavior, and since Casey spoke to them, they all respond with an enthusiastic, “I do!” That’s a natural lead in for me to explore with them ways that they can take more responsibility for their actions.

A number of parents have told me specific changes they’ve made to their routines and responses (like doing push-ups with their kids, sitting on the floor, or taking better care of themselves) that had immediate positive effects for their families.

Finally, our faculty was energized by your in-service. Longtime teachers and new ones alike have pushed themselves to develop creative new solutions that support their students. In less than two weeks, I’ve heard at least a dozen ways you and Casey impacted our community. Imagine what the future holds for us! Thank you!
- Krissie Betbeze, M.Ed., LCSW
Counselor, Overbrook Academy / St. Cecilia Academy

Many, many parents stopped in or emailed to thank me for having you come to our school. The parents said they could have stayed there all night listening, learning and laughing. The teachers were especially excited because they actually walked away with many techniques to try the next day. Many said it was the fastest two hours ever for an in-service.

Casey, thank you for sharing your story as well. Having you talk is very powerful and helps bring the message even closer to home. I look forward to working with you again.
- Stacie Short / St. Albert School / Louisville, KY

The teachers couldn’t stop talking about your workshop. Some said they could have listened for another hour (now that’s an accomplishment!) Thank you for taking on this mission. Parenting seems to be becoming a lost art. You are a great help to many people.
Mary Nicolatos / Thomas More School / Atlanta, GA

Thanks for another great event! I received a lot of positive feedback and thanks. It was great to see so many Dads in attendance. I was watching their faces and you could see the look of “Oh, now I get it” throughout your presentation. You offer real solutions.
Robin Patras, Director of Children’s Ministry
Christ the Savior Lutheran Church / Indianapolis, IN

Everyone is buzzing about how wonderful you were. The principal wants for me to keep in touch and ask you to come back. The staff developer that has morning cafeteria duty came to the principal and me with a big smile saying,”It works, It really works”! She was referring to a student that was having a meltdown in the cafeteria screaming at the top of his lungs, “I hate this school ” and other things. She put to practice what she learned in the training and asked him to go find a staff member for her. The child completely changed his attitude! Thank you so much.
- Noelia Torres, Parent Outreach Coordinator
Glen Haven Elementary School

Thank you for your insightful presentation! Because our student population struggles with focus, anxiety and sensory problems, your approach and strategies were well-received by parents and educators. I absolutely loved your examples of the power struggles that happen on a daily basis. The “categorizing activity” based on the brain activity and manifestations stirred everyone’s interest. Personally, I was mentally placing each individual student under one of the three categories. Your practical suggestions on how to gain control over yourself before attempting to “control” others were my favorite part of the evening. We look forward to having both you and Casey back at Sophia!
- Camelia Rat, Sophia Academy, Atlanta

Hi Kirk and Casey, I want to thank you for presenting the wonderful workshop here. We all learned so much and could have listened to more for hours. Thank you again for giving your time, expertise, and energy to us. You’re the best!
- Joanie Waldman, Director
Beth-El Zedeck Early Childhood Center / Indianapolis, IN

Kirk Martin’s Celebrate Calm presentations are always gratefully received
by our community. His practical advice and experienced perspective serves
to support our parents and teachers in helping students navigate the
challenging years of adolescence. My community always appreciates us
hosting his workshop.
Kay Sands, Principal
Trickum Middle School / Atlanta, GA

My professional staff and I continue to use the many strategies you presented. The in-depth evaluations provided in your individual team meetings have been invaluable. Your willingness to go beyond the formal lecture presentation to delve more deeply with classroom teachers presented us with a unique staff development opportunity.
Often times, staff development never reaches the classroom. However, your strategy of reviewing actual cases and observing students in the classroom setting empowered our educators to pursue new strategies.
The Parent Workshop was a godsend for many parents. Many programs identify the problems, but few offer practical solutions or strategies. Your ability to de-mystify the problems of students with learning differences gave our parents hope and a renewed commitment to the success of their children.

It is a shared consensus by staff, administration and parents that Calm Classrooms is one of the most powerful training modules for today’s complex learning environment. The combination of your knowledge, expertise and delivery model give Calm Classrooms my high endorsement.
Principal Brandon Smith
East Wake Academy/ Raleigh, North Carolina

You passed on a great deal of insight and knowledge to our teachers and it will impact many children positively for years to come. It was truly a comfort to have someone who really understands the challenges we face as educators.
Robert W. Duckworth, Principal
Legacy Elementary School, Ashburn, VA

Simply put, if you want the one resource who understands kids with learning differences inside and out, you must schedule a Calm Classrooms Workshop. The most beneficial Workshop our school has ever had.
D. Gonzales, 4th grade teacher
Dallas, TX

Most in-service programs are nothing but theory. It is clear you have spent time in classrooms because your strategies work. Highly recommended.
S. Hardeman, 7th grade teacher
Gwinnett County, GA Public Schools

We have used your insight to reduce special needs services for several children, whose performance has dramatically improved. We are looking forward to expanding the program.
M. Castinan, Special Services Coordinator
North Sacramento S.D., CA

Thank you for your collaborative approach. It is refreshing to work on an IEP together with parents in a productive manner.
G. Callahan, IEP Coordinator
LRHS, Baltimore, MD

Instead of a boring lecture, Kirk Martin delivered lively, engaging training sessions that equipped us with the tools to change our community. Mr. Martin made the connection between scientific insights and practical strategies that help all children and families. We highly recommend Celebrate!Calm.
Beulah Greer, Executive Director
MS Parent Information & Resource Center (PIRC)