Social-Emotional Learning

Shine on Care Bears

Change is one of the hardest lessons. Our daily lives become the norm to us; we wake up every day and follow a routine that we have become accustomed to. It is what we know and feel comfortable with and sometimes do not wish to change it all. Then on March 13, 2020, a huge change in Education occured, the closing of school buildings was announced.  Teachers, needed to make lesson plans and gather materials for students to work from home. It was a thought that had crossed my mind, but was still hoping it did not happen. This change would be very impactful for many as we stepped into uncharted waters, an unknown territory that could cause us anxiety and fear of  not serving our students to the best of our capacity.

People with strong social-emotional skills are better equipped to manage daily challenges and build positive relationships.

Most students were comfortable and happy to be home in the midst of fear of the pandemic. Students were calm and comforted to be close to loved ones in this time of fear. As one of my students said, “I like waking up late and staying in my pajamas while I do my school work. I am happy to have breakfast at home and playing with my sisters.” Teachers, on the other hand, were now feeling like most students feel the first month of school, full of worry and concern as we tried to understand new learning. We were now living in different times, searching for answers to calm our nerves as we set out on this journey to meet new expectations. After a few weeks of Remote Learning, Teachers are, hopefully, beginning to feel the calm after the storm because we've embraced the help and searched professional development.In the midst of all the craziness, we realize our colleagues and district personnel have been a huge support to keep us afloat. We now see that Distance Learning will look different for Teachers, depending on the circumstances of each child's household. This was not going to be an equitable time of learning because every child has a story, that we may be or may not be aware of. The situation a child is living in, will either enhance or put a stop to our practice.

As some children were feeling safe and happy at home, the realization of school continuing from home began to set in. Now, for some students, this has been a breeze and the learning has continued as if nothing changed. However, for other students, the fear of not having the daily support and human interaction to know how to read/comprehend a story, write an essay, or fully understand a mathematical concept may be causing them anxiety once again. To top it off, students might not have an electronic device at home or he/she may have one, but it has to be shared with all the other school-age children. The internet connection may not be strong enough to support the online work. Parents are still working and cannot be present to help fix all the problems. Students are trying to keep up with schoolwork, but the situation might be more frustrating at this point, when considering other issues at home. 

While students are still trying to process all that is happening in the world around us in the present time, no matter the situation, a common thing is this: many students are missing their Teachers, friends, sports, extra-curricular activities, and even the loud and crazy lunchroom. A news article from Education Week by Arianna Prothero, stated, “Tens of millions of students are dealing with massive upheaval to their education and daily live with their schools shuttered indefinitely to thwart the spread of the coronavirus.  Add to that fears over the pandemic that would sicken them or loved ones, students now more than ever need strong coping skills to adjust to this new reality…”

“No one cares how much you know, until they know how much you care.”  -Theodore Roosevelt

I say all of this to remind you to have GRACE on yourself and your students as education has changed for the time being. Now more than ever, we have to take care of ourselves, our families, and our students. An opinion article, “It’s Time to Accept that the Point of School has Changed” on CNN stated, “There is no one-size-fits-all for remote learning, any more than there is for in-person learning. Some parents and kids hate Zoom calls; others rely on them. Special needs kids, kids with individualized educational programs (IEPs) or who are on the autism spectrum, or are English language learners---we have to accommodate them all. Emotional support can cut through some of those barriers and differences and inequities.” YES, I agree, we need to provide more emotional support to make our students comfortable with this change and come back to us stronger than before. Social/Emotional skills have been and still continue to be very important to build strong minds.
Marc Brackett, a professor at Yale University and the director of its Center of Emotional Intelligence stated, “Social-emotional learning is critical to managing anxiety at this time. Because if you don’t know how to deal with the lack of control of your future, or the feelings of uncertainty that you’re having, your brain is going to stay in fight mode. And if our brain is in fight or flight mode, then it’s not in the learning mode.” We need to get our students in learning mode and be ready for the challenges to come. 

What can we do for our students?

•       Morning Check-Ins- “How are you feeling and why are you feeling this way?”
•        Send Daily Positive Messages (motivational quotes, fun facts, or silly jokes) on Class Dojo/Remind/Google Classroom/Email
•        Send a Letter- show students you are missing them and want to encourage them to continue doing their best even when they’re away
• .      Journal Writing- What would you do for others… getting them to focus on strategies to be compassionate in times of fear, will, hopefully, in turn have that compassion and grace towards themselves
•        Telephone Conversations/Zoom Meetings- to share what makes them happy while at home, see peers, play games, and continue learning with their Teacher
•        Read Alouds- to focus on the characters and their actions to reflect positive and responsible decision making
•        REACH OUT to School/District Staff! We are all in this together- our support staff has continued Virtual Spirit Weeks (this week’s being “It’s Good to Bee Me!”) and sending out Social/Emotional resources for parents/students; check out the Google folder our TOA, Lauren Gomez, has created for additional resources (which is a work in progress at the moment) https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1AjfpxK375ZrCJWBehwu-jP8ykINVNYOT?usp=sharing

Aside from the stated above, I have also added a quick activity, on their daily lesson, to get the focus off the work and any negativity that may be happening within their surroundings.

Social Emotional Learning Kids Stuck at Home You’re not alone!  What are you looking forward to doing once the world has healed?

Monday Go outside and count how many things are yellow. Add the SUNSHINE to your life.

Tuesday Write a thank you message in chalk on your sidewalk to your mail carrier

Wednesday Scribble all the things that are bothering you (mad, sad, lonely, worried) or all the things that are making you happy during quarantine.

Thursday Talk to an adult or close friend about your favorite place.

Friday Pull some weeds in your front/back yard to make your surroundings more beautiful.

You know your students best, find some one-on-one time through a phone call or a Zoom meeting, add some fun to your lessons/meetings to remind them that they matter and are deeply missed. Make them happy and find your happy too, because we love to teach, it is our dream to help every child succeed and we can still do it. Be present and show love because relationships are essential in the learning path. As you go through these last days of the 2019-2020 school year, think of this quote by Jeffrey R. Holland, "If you can't teach them, love them. Love will teach them... and if you love them today, maybe you can teach them tomorrow." I hope you are all taking care of yourselves too, YOU are amazing and you are doing your best in this situation. Stay connected to colleagues and students because we are all in this together, and as we all know Teamwork makes the Dream Work. 

Live, Love, Teach!

Hilda Sanchez