Social Emotional Learning

 SEL, or Social and emotional learning, is widely spoken about in education. CASEL defines it as “SEL is the process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions.” (https://casel.org/fundamentals-of-sel/)

There are many SEL programs and initiatives in schools because it is so important. In fact, I think it might be the most important aspect of education and the greatest gift I can give my students. SEL transcends a program. I believe it is an approach and is infused in everything we do. How I respond to a student, providing feedback and coaching as they work through problems or interact with peers, what the environment feels like, and what is expected in the classroom are all aspects of SEL. 

These skills and strategies are both in the fabric of the classroom and also need to be explicitly taught. Everyone picks up on skills differently and each child comes with different background knowledge and experiences. Specific skills should be taught directly and then reinforced throughout the day and school year. Programs help give a framework of what is developmentally appropriate and what to teach students. I also think looking at the needs of your class and responding accordingly is crucial to be effective.

Last year, I really felt the effects of the pandemic with my class. They were in kindergarten in 2020 when we went remote and then in 1st grade they were in small cohorts that did not interact with other cohorts. Therefore some social skills and even knowing how to play with other children was lacking. I had to develop discussions, lessons and reinforce skills that I hadn’t in prior years. This was pretty intense last fall, but I saw significant growth in the class over time. 

I am passionate about SEL. Prior to the shutdown with the pandemic, I had been working with a friend to develop an after school SEL club. I also love learning more and trying new strategies with my students. One daily portion of our day is the Morning Meeting. We take about 10-15 minutes to sit on the carpet together to greet each other (every child’s name is said and has a chance to speak). We discuss whatever concept we are focusing on based on our school’s SEL program 2nd Step. I also like to incorporate movement and we have a poll of the day where kids get to share their preferences for the given questions. This time each morning is a way to connect and build community. It is also a time to discuss social skills or strategies. I have been consistently doing Morning Meeting for the last 2 years and have seen how important 10 minutes a day can be.

In addition to Morning Meeting, I also take time to explicitly teach SEL skills. These lessons I’ve developed based on what I’ve learned from my own mental health, self-care journey and what I have seen students need over my time teaching. 

SEL is not a phase. It’s not an initiative that will go away. As I said, I believe it is the most important aspect of education as we are truly teaching life skills. An added bonus is as we teach our own students these skills and apply them ourselves, it is a way to foster our own growth.