SEL: Building Efforts Ahead

In the days ahead, I plan to build the social emotional learning, character development, and emotional intelligence efforts that lead a classroom community that's respectful, warm, and helpful.

What will I do?

Embed SEL into Academic Lessons
I'll reread the book I wrote with colleagues and include many of the lessons included and others in the daily teaching to promote emotional intelligence and social emotional learning.

Explicitly Teach the Attributes of Good Character
I hope to find ways to explicitly teach, discuss, and work on the specific elements of good character.

Explicit Review of the School Handbook
Teachers at my school spent a lot of time creating the school handbook which includes the policies and protocols for good community behavior. I will find ways with my team to do that at the start of the year.

Listen to and Follow the Lead of a Whole School and Team Initiatives Related to this Effort
Our whole school is involved in ongoing discussion and efforts in this regard, and I will continue to listen to and follow the lead of my committed and dedicated colleagues in this regard. Efforts such as matching SEL with good literature, using more specific language, discussing the "size of the problem," and making this work visible are some of the topics the staff as a whole is forwarding.