We as teachers have the time and ability to sit down with students to help them learn valuable skills especially with critical values like social & emotional understanding.
We all can look back right now and remember just how helpful it would have been to have a classroom of students who were able to empathize, work through problems, cope with their emotions and simply be kind to one another because they have an understanding of their feelings and situation they are in. Oh, how we long for a classroom that can make reasonable decisions without a meltdown!
We know that seems impossible as our kiddos can have such big, valid emotions. However, with a little bit of work and the right tools you can be one step closer to achieving that goal!
Here are 5 easy steps to set your classroom up for success this year with social & emotional learning.
Set aside time in the daily schedule or your weekly lesson plan to make this topic a priority. Giving appropriate time in the day to be consistent and work on social and emotional skills you want your students to learn can be the easiest step!
Setting relatable examples for the students can help them have “Ah-Ha!” moments when they are faced with the same issues themselves. Showing what kindness, respect, and empathy looks, sounds, and feels like can ensure they understand how to work through those emotions on their own. Plus, showing that we adults can have similar issues helps them to connect with you as you teach!
Taking time to teach the importance of building good teamwork in the classroom as early as possible really can launch your students into having positive relationships with their classmates. This gives them the opportunity to learn about each other and how to work well with their peers. We all know group activities can be a bit chaotic without synergy within the group, so teamwork activities can be so beneficial towards overcoming that!
The five questions that set the stage for learning. We know students can ask a million and one questions a day. Being one step ahead and having the resources already available for you to answer all the questions will help you out tremendously. The social & emotional learning bundle I have available here has all the answers, printables, activities, and more that will help you have a million and two answers to give back, without you doing any of the work! Having hands-on discussions and visuals about each skill can help your students be more attracted and active in the lesson as well!
We teachers know better than any how important taking the lessons from school into the home can be the biggest encouragement to our students’ learning. We all want to see our kiddos succeed; parents and teachers alike. So, the easiest way to ensure guardians can help with SEL is to get them active in the teaching as well. Sending home parent letters is the simplest way to do this. And guess what? I have provided those in my bundles as well!
As the new school year gets kicked off, begin implementing these easy steps towards helping your students grow personally in these skills and see the change it will have in your classroom environment! The biggest reward we have as teachers is to give our kids the tools to succeed not only academically, but personally as well.
You got this!
-Jennifer
