This image is not THE reason I so strongly believe in SEL, but for me, this is validation for my strong belief in it.
In one of the alternate programs I worked in, I was very lucky as a teacher in that I had the freedom and opportunity to intensively focus on SEL; academics were secondary to social-emotional needs. When academics were addressed, it was done in a very individualized way based on the student's strengths and interests. I was also very lucky that I had the support of two Child and Youth Mental Health (CYMH) clinicians, who worked collaboratively with, and mentored me. In a perfect world, CYMH clinicians would be available in all schools- kids need them, and teachers don’t have their training; but what a great partnership/team approach it would be. It was a fantastic approach that helped these students, who previously were not attending school, to step through the doors of the school willingly, and willingly invest in the process. It wasn't perfect, but it provided them an opportunity they would not have otherwise had, and most importantly, it connected them with important people they could trust and felt were in their corner. And we saw successes for ALL of the kids- to varying degrees, but nonetheless, there was growth and progress for all. This is where the bus ticket with the “Thanks” written on it in the image above comes in… As a teacher, that bus ticket was the greatest teacher gift I have ever, and probably will ever receive.
I got the, what I will call, ‘thank you card’ from one of my students who was a part of an alternate program I taught. When I met him, he was in grade 8, and always wore his hood up. Our first interaction was me saying “Hi” and him sort of nodding his head, no eye contact. He had been a non-attender since part way through grade 3. His experiences with school, peers, and teachers were bad. He was not going to invest in anyone, as he felt he had been let down so many times, he had no friends, and felt like school could never be different. He also thought he was stupid because he didn’t learn like other kids, and he felt hopeless. He didn’t like teachers. I was a teacher. This was going to be interesting…
About two weeks in, the hood came down. Then he became engaged in conversations with me about his experiences and his feelings. He had a lot of reasons to be feeling the way he did. I really began to realize the immense power that school experiences have on kids. School can be brutal. I often hear, and in fact have said it to my own kids, “Just get through high school, it will get better after that”. This shouldn’t be the case, it should be a positive experience, not torturous. We have to take steps to ensure kids don’t just “get through”, or in fact barely “get through” and for some, not “get through” at all. Anyway, back to my student… To make a long (and many times, difficult) story short, this boy received a ton of social-emotional support, he had many ups and downs, but he became connected to a few key adults at school (me being one of them), he became connected to a few peers, and he became connected to school again. When he” graduated” out of the program at the end of his grade 9 year, he moved on to a inclusive high school and found his own success there. He gave me the bus ticket when he came to say good-bye, and he thanked me for helping him. That moment is etched in my mind- and that is what will always remind me of the power of SEL. If it can make a difference for kids who are the neediest, it can make a difference for every child; because even if they don’t appear to “need” SEL, everyone can benefit from it, we all face struggle in life.
I still carry that bus ticket in my work bag- it carries a lot of meaning for me.
In one of the alternate programs I worked in, I was very lucky as a teacher in that I had the freedom and opportunity to intensively focus on SEL; academics were secondary to social-emotional needs. When academics were addressed, it was done in a very individualized way based on the student's strengths and interests. I was also very lucky that I had the support of two Child and Youth Mental Health (CYMH) clinicians, who worked collaboratively with, and mentored me. In a perfect world, CYMH clinicians would be available in all schools- kids need them, and teachers don’t have their training; but what a great partnership/team approach it would be. It was a fantastic approach that helped these students, who previously were not attending school, to step through the doors of the school willingly, and willingly invest in the process. It wasn't perfect, but it provided them an opportunity they would not have otherwise had, and most importantly, it connected them with important people they could trust and felt were in their corner. And we saw successes for ALL of the kids- to varying degrees, but nonetheless, there was growth and progress for all. This is where the bus ticket with the “Thanks” written on it in the image above comes in… As a teacher, that bus ticket was the greatest teacher gift I have ever, and probably will ever receive.
I got the, what I will call, ‘thank you card’ from one of my students who was a part of an alternate program I taught. When I met him, he was in grade 8, and always wore his hood up. Our first interaction was me saying “Hi” and him sort of nodding his head, no eye contact. He had been a non-attender since part way through grade 3. His experiences with school, peers, and teachers were bad. He was not going to invest in anyone, as he felt he had been let down so many times, he had no friends, and felt like school could never be different. He also thought he was stupid because he didn’t learn like other kids, and he felt hopeless. He didn’t like teachers. I was a teacher. This was going to be interesting…
About two weeks in, the hood came down. Then he became engaged in conversations with me about his experiences and his feelings. He had a lot of reasons to be feeling the way he did. I really began to realize the immense power that school experiences have on kids. School can be brutal. I often hear, and in fact have said it to my own kids, “Just get through high school, it will get better after that”. This shouldn’t be the case, it should be a positive experience, not torturous. We have to take steps to ensure kids don’t just “get through”, or in fact barely “get through” and for some, not “get through” at all. Anyway, back to my student… To make a long (and many times, difficult) story short, this boy received a ton of social-emotional support, he had many ups and downs, but he became connected to a few key adults at school (me being one of them), he became connected to a few peers, and he became connected to school again. When he” graduated” out of the program at the end of his grade 9 year, he moved on to a inclusive high school and found his own success there. He gave me the bus ticket when he came to say good-bye, and he thanked me for helping him. That moment is etched in my mind- and that is what will always remind me of the power of SEL. If it can make a difference for kids who are the neediest, it can make a difference for every child; because even if they don’t appear to “need” SEL, everyone can benefit from it, we all face struggle in life.
I still carry that bus ticket in my work bag- it carries a lot of meaning for me.