I have always said that if everyone was just nicer to each other the world would be a better place. As cliche and simplistic as it sounds, I believe that it's true. In a world where children are increasingly under stress- whether it be because they feel different/like they don’t belong, or stupid because they don’t learn like other kids, or alone, or angry, or anxious, or have stressful home environments- how do we reach them? How can we teach them strategies and coping skills to deal with the issues they have, so that they can mange their emotions, feel good about who they are, and grow into resilient and contributing members of society? How can we teach them tolerance, and to feel empathy, compassion, and kindness towards others? I believe that consistently and purposefully addressing children’s social-emotional learning (as early in life as possible) is a positive approach to putting them on the path towards becoming more self-aware, more aware of others, and better able to cope with whatever life demands of them.
As teachers, we know that children today are coming to school with needs that are far greater than academic learning. They come with their own unique social and emotional needs that silently scream to be addressed. These silent screams are disguised behind behaviour issues; anxiety, ADD, ADHD, inattention, anger, and bullying. I am reminded of the idea that "all behaviour is communication". As people, we know this- we all convey how we are feeling through our behaviours. Why would this be any different for our students? We all go through rough times, we all have bad days...and we all need validation and understanding, and this needs to be a part of the learning day.
I feel that I have always considered the importance of the social and emotional well-being of my students. Having the tendency towards empathy, I have always wanted to be someone who would try to help. Further, I have always placed great emphasis and priority on the building of relationships, connection, and positive communication in both my professional and personal lives. Teaching, from my perspective, is grounded in developing relationships with students, and attending to their social and emotional needs along with their academic ones. This is an investment of time and energy that I feel I have to make. From my perspective, we connect by communicating and by sharing who we are, and that builds trust. Trust and sharing lead to positive relationships, which in turn can nurture the seeds of a willingness to engage with learning: engagement is necessary for meaningful learning to take place This cannot happen without relationship, connection, communication, and purposeful attention to the social and emotional needs of our students.
As teachers, we know that children today are coming to school with needs that are far greater than academic learning. They come with their own unique social and emotional needs that silently scream to be addressed. These silent screams are disguised behind behaviour issues; anxiety, ADD, ADHD, inattention, anger, and bullying. I am reminded of the idea that "all behaviour is communication". As people, we know this- we all convey how we are feeling through our behaviours. Why would this be any different for our students? We all go through rough times, we all have bad days...and we all need validation and understanding, and this needs to be a part of the learning day.
I feel that I have always considered the importance of the social and emotional well-being of my students. Having the tendency towards empathy, I have always wanted to be someone who would try to help. Further, I have always placed great emphasis and priority on the building of relationships, connection, and positive communication in both my professional and personal lives. Teaching, from my perspective, is grounded in developing relationships with students, and attending to their social and emotional needs along with their academic ones. This is an investment of time and energy that I feel I have to make. From my perspective, we connect by communicating and by sharing who we are, and that builds trust. Trust and sharing lead to positive relationships, which in turn can nurture the seeds of a willingness to engage with learning: engagement is necessary for meaningful learning to take place This cannot happen without relationship, connection, communication, and purposeful attention to the social and emotional needs of our students.