Hiding in Plain Sight Virtual PD Series

2 hour virtual sessions for K-12 Teachers on Zoom

OPI Credit available

June 18, 25, July 2

Ken Burns is the executive producer of a major new public television documentary, Hiding in Plain Sight: Youth Mental Illness. The film, premiered in June 2022 and gives voice to the experiences of young people who struggle with mental health challenges and focuses on the importance of awareness and empathy. 

Teachers who attend this virtual workshop series will have the opportunity to view portions of the film and discuss topics such as identifying mental illness, supporting their own mental health and strategies for supporting students in the classroom with other teachers and mental health advocates. Virtual workshops are free and open to all teachers who support K-12 students. 

Teachers who attend workshops live will earn 2 OPI credits for each workshop they attend and a chance to win prizes. These workshops will NOT be recorded as a large part of each session will be devoted to discussion. 

Please be advised that the content of this film may be upsetting to some. Please only attend these events if you feel comfortable viewing and  talking about this sensitive content with others. The full film can be viewed using a private link provided by Montana PBS for free. The link will be shared during the workshop. Teachers are not required to watch the full film before attending the workshops but it is highly recommended. 

Dates and topics:

All workshops will be on a Wednesday from 10am MST to 12pm MST

June 18  Identification and Stigma

June 25 Supporting Students in the Classroom with Mental Health

July 2 Teacher Mental Health: Put Your Own Mask on First!

Build your content knowledge while being inspired to create engaging lessons for students when you watch full length, award winning programs from PBS and Montana PBS–and earn credit for doing it! This FREE professional development activity can be done when and wherever you are and is always open–no deadlines!  

Getting started is easy! 

• Explore this catalog of local and national productions from PBS and Montana PBS. 
• Fill out a form to sign up to view as many of the films as you want. 
• Watch your email for directions about how to watch the film and complete the reflection activity. 

NOTE: Please allow up to 10 business days to receive information about viewing the films. You will get an email from Nikki Vradenburg with the links to the films and the reflection activities. Due to the high volume of requests it may take NIkki longer to respond to your registration. Thank you for being patient!

NEW! PBS KIDS Watch and Learn for PreK-2 Educators (or anyone who loves PBS KIDS)

PreK-2 teachers asked for it and MTPBS listened! Earn OPI credit for watching PBS KIDS programs and exploring digital resources for classroom teaching and school home connections. These programs are just being developed but stay tuned for more to be added in 2025. Register here to get the link for the first activity about Lyla in the Loop!