SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING ENCOURAGES SELF-ESTEEM AND SELF-REFLECTION

Healthy social-emotional development is believed to help students progress further in their education and enhance personal and social well-being in both youth and adulthood. We know that the pandemic has brought various feelings and emotions forward—we want our students to know that they are not alone, and we are here to help. September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month and as the month ends, we are sharing the social-emotional learning integration in schools that foster greater self-awareness, care, and habits for success that work together to overcome barriers to learning.

“Our students have to know that they are heard and valued, and we are ready to help with systems in place to support their success,” said Jacalyn Davis, MUSD’s Coordinator of Equity and Access. The systems she is referring to are the District’s social emotional learning curriculum, intervention and support team, counseling services, and beyond. As part of the integrated social emotional learning in schools, junior high classrooms like Mr. Jason Campbell’s from Great Valley Elementary encourage open dialogue and diverse perspectives in guided conversations.

The systems she is referring to are the District’s social emotional learning curriculum, intervention and support team, counseling services, and beyond.

As part of the integrated social emotional learning in schools, junior high classrooms like Mr. Jason Campbell’s from Great Valley Elementary encourage open dialogue and diverse perspectives in guided conversations.

“We have ‘advisory discussions’ about things happening at school or in the community and appropriate ways to handle various situations,” explained Mr. Campbell. Recently, his class dissected the word ‘depression’ and students responded with defining and connecting words he displayed on the white board. This activity practiced emotion recognition, articulation, understanding for others, and applying strategies to work through those emotions.

Mr. Campbell asked his class to identify feelings of depression

Jacalyn Davis, a former principal with a unique lens, hands-on approach, and culturally relevant experience, explains that students have many emotions that they cannot quite yet articulate. It is key for teachers, parents, and support providers to listen, be aware, build a feeling of safety and positivity, and reinforce healthy communication habits.

“The biggest impact that I’ve noticed since using the SEL curriculum is better relationships with my students,” said Mr. Campbell. “I understand my students better, and they appreciate that I hear their concerns.”

Ms. Benet Simonds, an 8th grade teacher also at Great Valley, reports that she sees a big difference in how students respond to challenges and to each other, often encouraging each other to do their best, since implementing SEL. She displays a chart in her classroom with visual cues of a fixed vs. growth mindset— “Students often look [at the chart] to remind themselves of what they can say and think instead of what they used to,” said

Ms. Simonds' fixed vs. growth mindset chart

There is an increasing amount of research into the importance and impact of how kids feel and how they manage their feelings. Evidence shows that healthy emotions, relationships, and inner well-being are key factors in driving attention, memory, learning and decision-making. This means that learning to handle emotions well is especially critical during adolescence, when the behavior patterns for an individual’s entire life are being formed.

The SEL curriculum is modified for each grade level with designated activities aimed to develop social-emotional skills as well as tactics for integrating its foundations in day-to-day lesson planning. For example, a third-grade classroom could be implementing problem solving skills where students practice monitoring and rating their feelings in conflict situations and learn to use a calm breathing technique to regulate emotions.

In Ms. Simonds’ 8th grade classroom, students created a Positive Name Acrostic Poem first by collectively brainstorming words of affirmation, then choosing the words that best described them. “Students enjoyed this activity because it made them focus on their positive attributes,” added Ms. Simonds.

Last school year, the District introduced a new base SEL program which services middle through high school students on particular topics such as anxiety, anger management, bullying, and restorative practices to name a few. Jacalyn Davis explained that the District will host trainings this school year to teach this new program.

As the District’s Coordinator of Equity and Access, and with the support of District leadership, it is Jacalyn Davis’ mission for students to feel heard, “I want the students in our community to know that we support them. We hear them, value them, and they are our future leaders. We will do all that we can to help meet their needs and develop the habits for success.”

WHAT IS SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING?

Social-emotional learning (SEL) helps kids work on things like coping with feelings and setting goals. It also helps with interpersonal skills like working in teams and resolving conflicts.

SEL can help kids articulate their emotions, sense of identity, and build self-esteem. Whether it’s called “social-emotional learning” or “emotional intelligence,” most understand it’s critical to pay attention to the development of the whole young person, including character education.

HOW CAN PARENTS SUPPORT SEL AT HOME?

Parents have a dual role to play in raising a self-aware child who knows how to manage their emotions, make responsible decisions, and resolve conflicts non-violently. At home, you should strive to create an environment of trust, respect, and support. Implementing these strategies at home is the first step in nurturing emotionally intelligent children:

Be a good listener Communicate better by listening more. Ask questions, keep an open mind, and foster a safe/accepting environment for your child to express their emotions.

Model the behavior you seek Whether it's apologizing when you're in the wrong or treating others with respect and kindness, children learn a great deal about relationships from observing the behavior of their parents.

Nurture your child's self-esteem A child with a good sense of self is happier, more well-adjusted, and does better in school. Strategies for fostering self-esteem include giving your child responsibilities, allowing her to make age-appropriate choices, and showing your appreciation for a job well done.

Respect differences Every child has their own unique talents and abilities. Whether in academics, athletics, or interpersonal relationships, resist the urge to compare your child to friends/siblings. Instead, honor your child's accomplishments.

Know that there are support services Partner with your child’s teacher/school to inquire about resources! There are many different support systems in place depending on student need.

Source: Edutopia Social and Emotional Learning: Strategies for Parents

CRISIS HELP RESOURCES

MUSD Health Services Department (209) 858-0783

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-TALK (8255) suicidepreventionlifeline.org

Crisis Text Line Text HOME to 741741 www.crisistextline.org

Teen Line 1-800-852-8336 text TEEN to 839863 teenlineonline.org

San Joaquin County Youth Warm Line (209) 468-3685

The Trevor Project 1-866-488-7386 Text START to 678678 www.thetrevorproject.org

Childhelp Nonprofit Organization 1-800-4-ACHILD (422-4453) Childhelp.org

National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-7233 text LOVEIS to 1-866-331-9474 www.thehotline.org/help

Trans Lifeline 1-877-565-8860

Veterans Crisis Line 1-800-273-8255

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THESE RESOURCES, VISIT THE SOCIO-EMOTIONAL AND MENTAL WELLNESS RESOURCE CENTER ON THE MUSD WEBSITE.