Weekly WINGS
Wisdom and Inspiration Nurturing Growth and Success
Social Emotional Learning (SEL) has gained significant attention in recent years as educators recognize the vital role that these skills play in a student’s overall development.
There are now dozens of popular boxed curriculum sets that are designed as a standardized, scope-and-sequence approach to SEL.
Despite some community objections based on concerns about who, how, and what should be taught, many school districts are jumping on the bandwagon to purchase and implement these programs.
While teaching SEL content can certainly be helpful as an introduction to concepts around emotions and interacting with others, focusing solely on the curriculum can overlook the practical application and real-world integration of these skills.
Building relationships and providing emotional coaching are essential aspects of an effective school-wide approach to supporting social-emotional development in children.
Taking a practical, holistic approach that goes beyond theoretical concepts will ultimately be the kind of learning that has a real impact on our children’s growth.
Beyond the worksheets and into their hearts
Here are a few reasons why relationship-building and emotional coaching are more important than just teaching from a set SEL curriculum…
1. Real-World Application
Teaching SEL content as a standalone curriculum doesn’t always translate into real-world situations. Students might grasp the theoretical aspects of self-awareness, empathy, and communication, but struggle to apply these skills in their daily lives.
Building relationships of trust and reciprocity with students allows educators to guide them through practical scenarios, helping them understand how to navigate complex social and emotional situations. Through consistent interactions and personalized guidance, students can develop a deeper understanding of how to use these skills effectively.
For example, instead of simply doing a pre-made worksheet or SEL activity on how to communicate with friends, teachers and other staff can observe children as they do group work and play together, and step in when necessary to support communication as it comes up in natural interactions.
Students can also bring real-world scenarios into circle time discussions or small group sessions for role play and coaching.
2. Emotional Connection and Trust
Having a fantastic SEL curriculum will do nothing at all to improve students’ social and emotional learning if they don’t like or trust the person who is teaching it.
When students feel a genuine connection with their teachers, they are more likely to engage in open conversations about their feelings, challenges, and experiences.
A strong teacher-student relationship empowers students to seek support and advice when facing difficult situations.
Some educators do this kind of natural mentoring and coaching intuitively, but a school-wide approach with training and with assigned mentor-teachers and trusted adults who can spend time one-to-one with students can also be effective.
When using this more formal mentoring type of approach, it’s important that the adults are not only deeply caring and committed to supporting students but are also given adequate time and resources to do this important work.
3. Modeling Social Skills
Humans learn by observing and imitating. Modeling social skills in real-life interactions is a powerful way to teach students how to manage emotions, communicate effectively, and solve problems.
Educators who actively, deliberately, and strategically demonstrate social and emotional skills in their interactions create a living example for students to follow. This modeling goes beyond theoretical explanations and allows students to witness the practical application of SEL in action.
As the saying goes, “Students don’t care how much they know until they know how much you care.” When the adults in their lives demonstrate emotional maturity, warmth, and compassion, students are more likely to want to emulate these qualities in their own lives.
4. Teaching in the Moment
Worksheets and pre-planned lessons may not adequately capture the dynamic nature of emotional experiences, making in-the-moment teaching much more valuable than a scripted curriculum.
Teaching in the moment, during actual interactions and situations, allows educators to provide timely guidance and support. This approach ensures that students receive guidance precisely when they need it, enhancing their ability to regulate emotions and make informed decisions.
Teachers and other adults can be both a calming presence and offer wise leadership, not only in the classroom but also in the hallways, cafeterias, playground, and other areas where students engage in social interactions.
It is essential that we give all teachers and adults in our schools down time during the day for their own rest and self-regulation, so it’s important to consider how to schedule duty times and other opportunities for mentoring so that educators to not feel pressured and overwhelmed. There are many creative ways to do this, including the use of mentoring partnerships with outside agencies and caring, vetted volunteers.
5. Individualized Approach
Every student is unique, with distinct emotional needs and learning styles. Building relationships and offering emotional coaching enable educators to tailor their guidance to each student’s individual circumstances.
This personalized approach acknowledges that the effectiveness of SEL skills varies from person to person.
By understanding each student’s background, challenges, and strengths, educators can provide targeted support that resonates on a deeper level.
It’s all about being human
While teaching SEL content can be a good starting point, focusing solely on curriculum-based learning misses the mark in fully preparing students for real-world challenges and for becoming an emotionally mature human being.
Building relationships, modeling social skills, and offering emotional coaching create a more comprehensive and effective approach to integrating SEL into education. By doing so, educators empower students to navigate emotions, communicate effectively, and thrive in diverse social environments.
Some teachers and parents might argue that these are skills that should be taught at home rather than at school. However, school is the place where students spend most of their time during the day.
It just makes sense for educators to coach them in the moments they are actively engaged in using their social and emotional skills with a variety of other students and adults they engage with on a daily basis.
Creative school leaders and community groups can work together to find ways to incorporate more time and resources to make mentoring and emotion coaching with caring adults a priority.
If you are passionate about using your lived experience to become the compassionate, trauma-informed, healing-centered leader that children, families, and teachers really need today, then we would love to talk to you about joining our one-of-a-kind certification programs!
These programs provide the tools and strategies you need to become a confident expert who can be a role-model and trauma-informed changemaker in schools, communities, and families.
Many of our graduates have also found that the program has made them better parents and teachers of their own children!
For more information, reach out to Support@WingBuilder.com!
I hope this Weekly WINGS has been helpful to you!
Be an active, engaged and caring role model for social and emotional learning with the children you care for this week, and I’ll see you here again next week!
