My School Says We “Have To” Do SEL?
Every teacher’s fear of what they are all already doing …..
Pre-Covid, educational curricula stamped itself within State Standards, primarily on the Common Core subjects dubbed as “graduation requirements” with a healthy mix of elective choices. While what is known as SEL has been put into conversation, the necessity to bring it into ALL classes was not unanimous.
Common fears & questions surface around “getting through the curriculum” and there is not enough time to do that already….
How am I supposed to take time out of my class to do “this?”
Why do I need to take time to do “this?”
If you go on Social, you even hear I wont’ be doing “this.”
To all of these questions and concerns, I start with:
You are doing “that” everyday.
There is no universal textbook, curriculum guide, rubric for Social and Emotional Learning. And it shouldn’t be about that. The well-being of your staff, students, parents and community doesn’t need a grade attached to it — it needs intentional, genuine attention connected. That is why I say we are all partaking in SEL on a daily basis. Whether it be a “hello” in the hallways, asking how students are doing while eating lunch, or building relationships with clubs, teams and staff, SEL is all about personal connections.
It may sound silly, but it is simply Being Human.
With this being said, Social and Emotional Learning does need to be modeled in reverse to be effective and have a long-term impression. Post-Covid education, pertaining to SEL practices, needs to be modeled on teachers, faculty and staff first. We as educators, school leaders, cannot expect SEL to be taught to students (effectively) if it has never been showcased to your leadership team.
A major conversation being left out of the SEL talk are the teachers well-being. If your school/district is looking to bring SEL into the universal language of your school/district, I urge you to start with your staffulty (teachers and faculty). If their well-being is not where it needs to be, how can we expect them to look out for and improve our students’ well-being?
Don’t be afraid to take risks during these times. Now is the moment to exceed the norms of traditional education and invite social change. If you do, the collective well-being of your staffulty, student body and community will thrive. This type of re-branding of your school’s culture and climate will empower student’s voices to be heard, embrace empathy as a whole and promote positive, social inclusion; all of which support Casel’s 5 Competencies and Character Education’s standing Principles.
Whether you’re new to SEL, are excited to learn about SEL, or even not convinced about the need for SEL, here are some innovative ways for your school year to supporting the Social and Emotional Well-Being of your Community in a way that focuses on Relationships over Rigor…..
- “Welcome Back” Faculty Flipgrid ~ Have staff “show me you” in a 90 second Flipgrid video. Have these playing on the screen in the auditorium Day 1.
- “Faculty Families” ~ Take 1 staff member from each department and have these families be a support group during the year. Beyond curriculum, emphasize time to lend to discussing personal connections and well-being of staff (PLC Days)
- “Me in a bag” ~ Have teachers take the first day(s) to build personal connections with their students. More importantly, emphasize students getting to know one another (too many times, students spend an entire year not knowing every student’s name in a classroom). Ask students to bring in an item in a paper bag that symbolizes who they are, or represents their personality. You can also ask them to bring in an item that symbolizes how they see the school, how they feel about school during quarantine…whatever the choice, this give the students a voice and allows for personal connection in a way where everyone in the room is heard.
