Teaching children the skills of respectful disagreement.
Be SWEET helps elementary students practice communication, listening, conflict resolution, and emotionally intelligent leadership through classroom lessons, educational resources, and the children’s book Sweet Sophie.
“Her Be SWEET resources should be in every school in our country because she teaches students first that everyone matters.”
Isabella Weyerman · Founder of Be SWEET
About the founder
An initiative shaped by what she noticed.
Isabella Weyerman wrote and illustrated Sweet Sophie at fifteen, after noticing how rarely children are taught the words to handle conflict. What began as a children’s book has grown into an educational initiative with resources now used by classrooms, libraries, civic groups, and community organizations across 43 countries.
She leads Be SWEET as a JD candidate at Georgetown University Law Center and the current Miss Georgetown DC. She personally teaches the program, expands its resource library, and builds partnerships to bring it to schools that have not yet been reached.
Isabella believes communication is one of the defining leadership skills of the next generation.
Isabella Weyerman · Georgetown University Law Center · Miss Georgetown DC · Featured on ABC & FOX
Why this matters
“Communication is not about proving you are right, but about learning and growing to be better together.”
Christina Thurman · EL Specialist on Be SWEET
Children are asked to navigate disagreement every day at school, on the bus, in group chats, on playgrounds. They rarely have the words for it. As artificial intelligence and screens absorb more of childhood, the rarest skill becomes the one children most need: the ability to listen, disagree thoughtfully, and find a way forward together. Be SWEET puts that skill in elementary classrooms.
Featured on
ABC
FOX
Endorsed by a Teacher of the Year
5,000+
Students personally taught
200+
Classrooms served
7,249
Resource downloads
43
Countries reached
All 50 U.S. states
Eight years active
English & Spanish, more on request
$50,000+ raised for accessibility
What it is
A simple framework children remember long after the lesson ends.
Conflict isn’t a problem to silence. It’s the moment children most need a method, and almost never get one. Be SWEET gives elementary students five steps they can use the next time a disagreement arises on the playground, in the classroom, or in a group chat.
Built on Sweet Sophie, the children’s book Isabella wrote and illustrated at fifteen, the program now reaches students in 43 countries and all 50 U.S. states.
The SWEET method
Five Steps. Thirty Minutes. A Skill Children Carry Into Adulthood.
The framework maps to the Relationship Skills and Responsible Decision Making competencies of the CASEL social emotional learning framework used in school districts nationwide.
S
Say
how you feel.
W
Wait
and listen to what the other person has to say.
E
Engage
in sharing ideas to resolve the conflict.
E
Elect
a solution that is as fair as possible.
T
Take
a step forward in being friends.
In classrooms
Real students. Real teaching.
Be SWEET in action.
The EL classroom
The book makes the method accessible in any language.
The small group reading
The book opens conversations the lesson plan can’t predict.
The educator workshop
The book opens conversations the lesson plan can’t predict.
What educators say
Teachers Don’t Just Like Be SWEET. They Keep Using It.
“
Her Be SWEET resources should be in every school in our country because she teaches students first that everyone matters.
Shayna Swann
Teacher of the Year, 2022
“
Students are still using the Be SWEET model to solve conflicts during the school day.
Lauren Blake
School Counselor
“
The girls in my troop truly felt she cared about each of them.
Esther Glenn
Girl Scout Troop Leader
Global reach
Used by educators across 43 countries and all 50 U.S. states.
43 countries
All 50 U.S. states
6 languages
200+ classrooms
Bring Be SWEET to your community
Pick a date.
We bring everything else.
A Be SWEET visit runs 30 to 45 minutes, scaled to the age and attention span of the group, and fits inside a normal class period. We provide the books, the SWEET bracelets, the student materials, and the lesson itself.
Available in person across the DMV and virtually anywhere in the world. Resources in English and Spanish, with Mandarin, Arabic, Hindi, and French available on request. Be SWEET keeps materials and presentations accessible to schools and students at no cost.
30 min
One class period. One framework. Language students can use the same afternoon.
Educational resources
A Library used in 43 Countries.
The full Be SWEET lesson, the children’s book, the read aloud video, and the role play scenarios. Curated for educators, counselors, librarians, and parents. New materials added every quarter.
Lesson Plan
The Full Sweet Sophie Lesson Pack
The complete thirty minute lesson, role play scenarios, read aloud script, and parent letter. Everything a teacher needs to lead Be SWEET independently.
The Book
Sweet Sophie, the Full Book
The children’s book Isabella wrote and illustrated at fifteen. Read it, share it, or use it as the lesson anchor in any K through 5 classroom.
Read Aloud Video
Sweet Sophie Plus a Mini Lesson
A guided read aloud paired with a SWEET method walkthrough. Ready to play in any elementary classroom.
Classroom Poster
The SWEET Method Classroom Poster
The full five step framework in one printable visual, ready for the classroom wall.
Twelve resources in English and Spanish. Mandarin, Arabic, Hindi, and French available on request.
The book at the foundation
Sweet Sophie. The children’s book that became an initiative.
Isabella wrote and illustrated Sweet Sophie at fifteen. The story became the foundation of every Be SWEET lesson and remains accessible to any educator, librarian, or family who requests it.
More than 200 classroom copies have been distributed worldwide. Free classroom copies for educators. Available in paperback or Kindle for families and individuals.
For partners
Partnership Expands What’s Already Working.
Be SWEET serves thousands of students across 43 countries on minimal overhead. Partners help expand operations by funding new classroom kits, translated resources, presentation travel, and outreach to schools that don’t yet know the method exists.
Civic
Rotary clubs, libraries, Girl Scouts, faith communities
Host a Be SWEET workshop or presentation in your community. We bring the program; you bring the convening.
Corporate
Brands aligned with elementary education, SEL, literacy, or heart health
Sponsor a regional lesson tour, a translated resource set, or a classroom kit program, with joint branding and quarterly impact reporting.
Education
School districts, teacher associations, SEL networks
Integrate Be SWEET into existing district SEL programming with train the teacher options and curriculum extensions developed together.
Partnerships directly fund
Books and classroom kits. SWEET bracelets and student materials. Translated resources in Mandarin, Arabic, Hindi, and French. Presentation travel to schools and civic groups. Outreach to districts and educators who have not yet been reached.
Bring Be SWEET to your school
Communication Is a Skill. Be SWEET Teaches It.
Visits scaled to the group, in person across the DMV and virtually anywhere in the world. Accessible to schools and students at no cost.