As teenagers, emotions can be overwhelming and I appreciate that the school is mindful enough to address that by providing us with social emotional learning lessons (SEL) during Cconnections periods. I understand that incorporating these lessons is an attempt to teach students how to handle difficult or stressful situations,but the lessons are falling flat and not resonating with students. A change in approach is needed.
Although teachers are trained on a regular basis on how to address and teach SEL lessons, they are not professional psychologists and in some cases may not be equipped to handle certain situations, especially if they are heavy or interpersonal topics. There are times that the coverage of sensitive topics aren’t meant to be addressed in student teacher relationships.
I’ve seen teachers visibly uncomfortable talking about SEL lessons and they should not be expected to provide coverage on topics they do not feel secure in teaching. In some cases, teachers are learning alongside the kids. Instead, these lessons really should be taught by mental health professionals. If students receive the information from trained professionals, they are more likely to take these lessons seriously.
Another issue is time. SEL lessons are only taught a few times a month, for 20-30 minutes, so emotional awareness and regulation can be difficult to cover in its entirety and often only scratches the surface. Some techniques and concepts can go beyond the time that we are provided with because of their varied teachings or limited time. SEL learning would have more positive results if it was taught in a health class, like wellness.
SEL lessons hold the potential to be extremely valuable to students and provide them with life lessons. In order for SEL lessons to have worth, it needs to be handled and taught with care and professionalism by introducing a professional insight to the teachings. Staples has the means to integrate SEL lessons into the Health Curriculum, that would allow for students to grasp the importance and material that the school is providing us with. In doing so, SEL would be of a higher value and would allow all students to understand the importance of its teachings.
Mitch Lyons • Feb 12, 2025 at 1:49 pm
With respect, SEL is a way of life, embedding its teachings in every aspect of our lives. Of course. there are circumstances that should be referred to medical professionals, but no one says that SEL is a panacea.
Your points are well-thought out but are missing one key element – SEL teaches in an explicit way to respect and treat other people to build long-lasting relationships, to learn how to create safe and supportive environments, to understand how to focus, how to give maximum effort to what you care about, how to communicate with others. how to think critically, how to be inclusive with an open heart to others and so much more. It is to be applied universally because we all need to stop and think before acting.
I refer you to SEL4C dot org as a group that mirrors the Social Emotional Learning Alliance for Massachusetts (SEL4MA dot org) that I founded in 2010 and is part of a national umbrella group, SEL4US dot org, where 26 states gather to discuss SEL and learn from each other.
This is offered with respect.