Social emotional learning - or, SEL. It's basically the academic term for emotional intelligence and coping skills.
If you have kids, your school district is probably talking about it.
Why? Because as we return to the (real) classroom, teachers have to balance stress relief and emotional support with the academics we've been missing out on for 6+ months.
If all the right pieces fall into place (we're getting there - we think.) we'll pull together a diverse group of educators and SEL experts to talk about why social emotional learning is so critical (especially now), how to integrate it with the academic side, and how yoga (along with other activities) help.
I'm developing an email content marketing campaign that teases quick SEL tips through relatable stories to nudge readers toward a (future) event landing page.
This is just one email in what will (eventually) be a series.
Ah, what a time for stress, right?
It seems that on the school side, at least, it’s pulling us in two different directions.
Take my two friends and fellow parents Robyn and Eileen, for instance...the other day we were chatting over Zoom about the imminent return to in-person learning.
Or more or less, debating what that should look like. And things got…well, let’s just say passionate (Okay heated. It was heated).
Now mind you, all three of us have had our kids on remote for 6 months, so for Eileen it was a full court press on the academic side.
Robyn’s been all about the social emotional learning piece since September – cause, you know, there’s still that worldwide pandemic and all the stress and shakeups that come with it.
Watching them go at it (they’re still friends, don’t worry) was like viewing one of those ‘peanut butter or chocolate?’ candy bar commercials - on an endless loop.
I just wanted to reach through my screen and shake the both of them (because clearly I haven’t mastered the ‘raise hand’ feature yet).
Because they were both right.
And the answer, (like a delicious Reese’s bar) is delivering the best of both worlds – the academic AND social emotional.
The harder question is ‘how?’ Which brings me to the point behind my little ramble…
Two people are tossed into a seemingly impossible situation by mere circumstance and forced to make it work.
One is your typical Type A personality - super focused, practical, and efficient.
The other is sensitive and intuitive - think yoga mats, stress balls, and mindful meditation.
It’s a bit rocky at first, but you know by the end of the movie they’ll realize they need each other and ultimately prevail.
That’s kind of what it’s like when we take the taskmaster in us and give them a few minutes to breathe.
Reflect.
Get that emotional load off their chest.
Because it’s there, like it or not, and when we’re saddled with toxic stress, we can’t focus, memorize, or think…and that’s when nothing gets done.
But as you can imagine, walking that line is a bit of an art form.
I decided to offer this opportunity because I’m sending my kids back to school soon, and I had questions as to how we’re going to strike this all-important balance.
I suspected I wasn’t alone.
When I told Eileen and Robyn about the idea, they told a bunch of their friends, who then told a bunch of their friends.
At this rate, we’ll have a village – which is perfect, because that’s what this is gonna take.
Cromwell Superintendent of Schools Dr. Enza Macri has a whole curriculum designed to make the SEL and academic pieces work seamlessly together, and she’s super excited to share it.
It’s based off the renowned research of best-selling author and Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence Director Dr. Mark Brackett...and if we take his advice, we all have a part to play.
In his bestselling book, "Permission to Feel", Brackett puts it this way:
“Where there is an emotionally skilled parent, there are children who have a greater ability to identify and regulate their emotions.”
So if you’re:
…you don’t want to miss this panel. Registration is free, and it opens March 1 – get the details here.
All the Best,
Jeannine