Social Emotional Learning

The mental health of our students should be of the utmost priority for our district. It is the responsibility of our school system to protect our students, and that extends beyond just their physical safety.  Our students are grappling with the complexities of growing up in the 21st century, surrounded by the internet and issues such as cyber-bullying. Therefore, we must begin to implement social emotional learning within our schools. Social emotional learning allows our students to gather necessary to succeed academically. These skills center around developing our students’ understanding of their goals, emotions, and experiences. The power of social emotional learning lies in its ability to not only provide the tools for academic success and coping with stress, but also the ability to confront the issues students face in modern society. Our district must expand the use of social emotional learning, providing students with the opportunity to understand the importance of their mental health. The stress of academics, extracurriculars, and personal issues can be overwhelming, and by providing social emotional learning curriculum to our students we can help them cope with these stressors. Through both online and in-class resources, we can redefine what a traditional education looks like, incorporating the emotional and “soft” skills our students need to succeed. By implementing social emotional learning fully into our schools, we can ensure that our schools help truly develop our students, both in their knowledge of curriculum and in their understanding of their own well-being and health.