Here is what Leaders and Educators say about our work together
"Roni attended our Staff Retreat! I had staff sharing with me at the end of the day, “There is no way you are going to top this one, he was great”. I truly agreed. Roni connected with my staff in such a personal way and brought staff together in ways they haven’t been given the opportunity prior to this day. He made learning fun and showed us the importance of creating that environment for our students. His message was powerful, to be well connected and be fully present in every moment. My teachers are using his strategies in the classrooms to better connect their students and they are seeing a difference from Kindergarten through 8th grade."
Cindy Gist
Principal/Superintendent, Sundale School
“Roni’s support has been integral in building districtwide capacity for student wellness. He is an engaging presenter with a deep understanding of impactful strategies. We are grateful for his influence on our district culture and community.”
Terry Walker
Superintendent, Irvine Unified School District
“Roni Habib provided professional development to all district staff which included classified employees, teachers, site and district leaders and was our keynote speaker to kick off the beginning of the school year. Staff loved him! Not only did he engage and motivate staff, he connected with us on our level. He delivered a great keynote address with a very powerful message. He was well received by everyone and spent extra time really listening to the needs of our district”
Yolanda
Assistant Superintendent, Gonzales Unified School District
“Roni’s work provided our educators with an ‘I got this’ mindset. His knowledge and energy brought immediate relief to those feeling overwhelmed, reinforcing leadership and creating a renewed sense of purpose.”
Dana Tevenian
Superintendent, Turlock Unified School District
"Our district has had the opportunity to work with Roni Habib and EQ Schools over the past few years and the incredible value of this experience cannot be truly quantified. Roni helped guide our administrators and entire staff through one of the most challenging times in our district. The activities and encouragement he provided resulted in an increase in joy, gratitude, and appreciation despite the challenges we faced. We were able to retain our positive culture and even become stronger as a result. Our team is grateful to Roni the strategies he gave to our team to help them manage their stress, have fun together, and keep things in perspective. Whether it was a keynote address to kick of the school year, monthly support provided to our management team, or the gratitude challenges we used to support us through challenging times of the year - Roni and the EQ Schools’ team made a difference in our district for our staff which absolutely trickled down to our students and entire community."
Holly Edds
Superintendent, Orcutt Union School District
"Our positive school culture, our staff’s ability to put the social and emotional needs of our students first, is in great part due to the work we did with Roni Habib and EQ Schools. As a servant leader, my work in helping teachers and students find their “center”, coaching them to understand what is truly important, and my own mental health came about because of my work with EQ Schools. Our staff puts student mental health above all else. They understand that learning can only take place when a child feels emotionally and physically safe. As a former teacher, Roni gets what it’s like to be in the classroom. His ability to encourage people to be their authentic selves and create deep connections with students is exactly what education needs right now. "
Wade Spenader
Principal, Covington Elementary School
"Our Staff development today moved throughout campus starting in the lounge, moving to a kindergarten classroom, then on to a 5th grade class to discuss writing articulation and finally landing in 6th for a conversation about behavior and the Collaborative Problem Solving Process. In the welcome session we played the clapping game and 1, 2, 3… it was AWESOME! There was SO MUCH Sharing and then two teachers even offered activities they utilize as well! We went over on our time allowed but it was WORTH IT!"
Nikki Sorensen
Principal, Orcutt Union School District
"EQ Schools and people like Roni Habib are what we need in education today.
The pandemic, inflation, recession, climate change, elections, social media… EQ Schools and their mission are the fulcrum nestled between classroom/school environment and rigor.
Engaging and research based, Roni and his team know their audience.
I had heard about Roni from a teacher that went to CUE. I then went to see one of his sessions and knew within moments he could captivate and inspire our staff. And he did.
He has since been to other schools in our district and was the keynote for our leadership retreat this year.
The proof is in the pudding though- it’s been a couple years since he’s has been on our campus for professional development. Not only are teachers still employing his suggestions and techniques, those teachers have taught teachers hired since Roni was here to utilize his classroom approaches. In short, he knows what sticks and it has stuck.
Please contact me with any questions about what Roni is able to do with and for educators."
James Parker
Principal, Plaza Vista Middle School
"Coming out of the pandemic our school was in need of connections. Connections to each other as a staff and to our students. We needed to put Social Emotional Wellness at the forefront of our thinking. EQ Schools was a great partner in that process. Roni and his team excel at making SEL real for staff and allowed us to open ourselves back up to our students. His 30 day challenge to launch the school year gave us a dose of positivity each day and we grew closer as a staff. The foundation we laid working with EQ schools for the year has paid real dividends as we now have a clearer vision for the role SEL will play in our world and has enhanced the feeling we are building that all students on our campus have a home here at CHS."
Jon Lyons
Principal, Carmel High School
"Roni supported our district leadership and our individual schools over the 20/21 and 21/22 school years, providing support in the areas of mental wellness, self-care and building relationships among staff and families.
The services provided by EQ Schools and Roni were an integral part in promoting staff well-being while weathering and coming out of the pandemic. The practices he modeled and taught to our site and district teams helped keep moral moving in a positive direction as we navigated the challenges placed before us. The EQ Schools app was an awesome resource that drew people in to be reflective and mindful of their well-being and the positive affects we can have on one another, while also creating a gamified experience that promoted fun and connectedness among staff.
While the practices listed above are absolutely amazing things, they are not what impressed me most in working with Roni. He is an expert communicator, making all who are listening feel welcome and heard. The practices he teaches and the methodology he uses allowed me, and many others I have spoken with, to gain a greater awareness of ourselves and the importance of being present in our endeavors. To find the fun in navigating the challenges placed before us and to be there for one another along the way.
Roni’s instruction is excellent in helping you to be reflective on your own practices. It opens realizations as to how communication with one another, and within your own mind space, foster positive connection and self-worth. On a number of occasions, I have stopped to recalibrate my thoughts and ideas to things Roni has taught, and turned the course of conversations with staff and families in a more positive direction building stronger relationships along the way.
Last but not least, a testimonial for Roni and EQ Schools would not be complete without talking about fun. His reminders to have fun and his endless list of ways to do so was incredibly important in allowing our staff to bond and be receptive of the things he had to share. His teaching of how important fun is to our overall well-being and providing a space for us to have fun together was very impactful.
Roni is sound in his practices. His teachings and strategies are grounded in science and he has the data to back it up. I cannot say enough about him and what he has to offer. He is a great human being and a joy to work with. His services will truly benefit all those that choose to work with him."
Jared Banks
Principal, Olga Reed Elementary School
"Hi Roni,
I just wanted to take a moment to share how much I appreciate what you do. I receive your emails, and even when I feel super busy and overwhelmed—as teachers often do—I always make the time to read them. Why? Because I know they’re filled with valuable insights and meaningful support.
What you do truly matters, and I’m so thankful for it. You know better than most how teachers are often stretched to the point of burnout. Yet, somehow, we find ways to “recompose” ourselves and keep giving our best for our students. I want you to know that you’re part of the reason we can do that—you’re like an oxygen mask for us when we need it most.
I only wish teachers had more time and space to be as creative as we want our students to be. It’s tough to inspire engagement and creativity when we’re overloaded ourselves. But your work reminds us of the bigger picture and helps us push through those challenges.
Thank you for being such a meaningful part of this journey."
Sonsoles Abbott
Science/Spanish Teacher, Tree of Life
"Roni's meetings with our staff were via zoom and turned into such a highlight to our participants' school year! We would leave his session feeling lighter and ready to give the best of ourselves to all we care about (especially our scholars) because he helped us remember how important it is to take care of ourselves as well."
Wendi Cook
Principal, Brown School in Turlock USD
“Thanks so much for the wonderful experience yesterday. Simply put, you were inspiring in the best of ways. Your willingness to share your resources with me is certainly appreciated and will help our efforts in the Snowline JUSD.
Take care and I hope that our paths cross sooner rather than later."
Ryan Holman
Superintendent, Snowline Schools
"Olympus Jr. High has worked with EQ Schools and Roni Habib since 2016 when we hosted an EQ Schools conference at our school. Over 400 educators from all over the region joined us to learn about emotional intelligence, mindfulness, and positive psychology in our schools. Since then, the skills we learned from Roni and EQ Schools have guided us in every interaction we have with our school community. We have led the way in our area in providing a Positive Psychology enrichment that the vast majority of our students have in their schedule. We have earned a reputation for having a kind, caring, respectful, and safe school culture. Roni and EQ Schools continue to support our district with workshops and professional development. In particular, Roni helped our Administration team engage in Post Traumatic Growth after the last few years of COVID disruptions. We have been able to carry that through to our staff, students, and school community!"
Sean Healy
Principal, Olympus Jr. High School
"R N Podar School, Mumbai, was honored to invite Ronen Habib to India to conduct a training program for two days on Design Thinking and Building Creative Confidence in 50 plus teachers as well as moderate a one-day immersive discussion with 100 educational leaders under the umbrella of LSIx2016, an education conclave. This year the discussion centered around the three pillars of Technology, Empathy and Design Thinking, under the overarching theme of “Managers to Leaders.”
The three-day sessions were held in Mumbai from 3rd to 5th April 2016 and saw a tremendous amount of energy, initiative and deep learning for all participants. Ronen’s sessions were relevant and extremely meaningful as he added global perspective to the conversations around the tables. His energy was most infectious during the two-day workshop that he led for teachers as he took them through hands-on training on the various phases of Design Thinking and interspersed with play as well as regular mindfulness exercises.
The planning for the three-day event was impeccable with attention to minute details and followed up with a fine-tuned execution. The learning and takeaways for the participants were immense as each one felt the transformation in them.
The success of LSIx was evident as the participants went back to their schools recharged and ready to take their learning to their colleagues.
We would like to thank Ronen Habib for mentoring our teachers and inspiring them with his immense talent, experience and warm nature.
We wish Ronen Habib the very best for all his endeavors."
Avnita Bir
Director Principal, R N Podar School in Mumbai
