A challenge that stands out to me from when I first started teaching is when I would patiently wait for my students to finish talking so I could read to them. We would all be sitting in a circle on the floor, criss-cross style, and I would have a book in my hands. Just as I would be able to hold up the cover for everyone to see, someone would start a conversation and just like a ball of yarn unraveling before my eyes, everyone would join in the chatter one-by-one. I had two options: the first was I could raise my voice to a level just above theirs to get their attention or second, I could sit ..read more

This time of year is a season full of abundant joy and busy preparation. It is important that we take time to be present with those we care about both at home and at school. We can create memories together that will last a lifetime, adventures we’ll cherish forever, and love that will always have a place in our hearts. Here are 5 activities that you can do with your students or family to celebrate the holidays: 1. Meals that bring us together No matter what holiday you are celebrating, there is always something special about the food prepared specifically for the day. This year, you can teac ..read more

Social emotional learning (SEL) encompasses five competencies: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, positive relationships, and responsible decision making. One way we can help kids develop these through social emotional skills is through books! Through relatable storytelling and illustrations, kids can begin to recognize their emotions, understand how to build positive relationships, and more. You can use these books to inspire SEL conversation. Kids will be more receptive to the conversation when they are calm rather than when they are feeling overwhelmed by their feelings. The ..read more

One of my favorite movies is A League of Their Own, the story of an American women’s baseball league formed during WWII. When the best player in the league decides to leave the team and tells the manager that baseball “got too hard,” he replies, “It’s supposed to be hard. If it was easy everyone would do it. The hard is what makes it great.” When I think about resilience I think about that quote because resilience is what keeps us moving forward, climbing the mountain, and reaching for the stars when anything and everything else in life pushes back. Resilience is similar to perseverance but ..read more

What is responsible decision making? According to the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), responsible decision making is “the abilities to make caring and constructive choices about personal behavior and social interactions across diverse situations” (CASEL). The other four competencies of social emotional learning (self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship skills) all help one’s ability to make responsible decisions such as with safety concerns and understanding the consequences of certain actions on oneself and others. Responsible dec ..read more

The positive relationships in our lives didn’t happen by accident. We developed relationship skills such as communication and teamwork, that have helped us to then build relationships with people who love us, inspire us, and help us to be better versions of ourselves. These relationships continue to grow by being nurtured with gratitude and empathy. What are relationship skills? The people we walk through life with, whether it be for a few moments or a lifetime, play a significant role in how we learn to build positive relationships. Relationships skills, as one of the core competencies of so ..read more

The holiday season is here and whether you are still enjoying falling leaves or are looking forward to falling snowflakes, it is a perfect time of year to model for our kids and students how to share more kindness with each other. Here are a few acts of kindness for both at home and the classroom that can be used during the holiday season and all year round! 1. Gratitude cards This time of year I find myself especially thankful for my family and friends who have loved, supported, and encouraged me throughout the year. When we sit down and reflect together, we’ll discover all the big things an ..read more

By exploring how our bodies communicate through poses and movements, we learn how emotions affect the body and vice versa. Body language can be defined as the conscious and unconscious movements and postures by which attitudes and feelings are communicated. For example, we know that we experience physiological reactions when we are angry and these reactions are often expressed through our body language. For our students, becoming aware of their body language is an essential step to learning self-management, and being aware of other people’s non verbal social cues will enhance their social-awar ..read more

An important aspect of social emotional learning (SEL) is independence, which includes the ability to manage one’s emotions and complete tasks on their own. Children learn new skills by observing and reproducing others’ behaviors, especially from people they identify as their role models. However, there are times when challenges seem too big and our emotions are overwhelming. Here are 4 ways you can teach your children how to ask for help, both at home and at school. 1. Clarify expectations and instructions  Sometimes children get so excited about a new assignment that they will jump ri ..read more

Summertime is full of possibilities: imagination, curiosity, and friendships help create joyful memories that will last a lifetime. For me, I’ve been coming back to the same beach every year for over twenty years because of the nostalgia and the warmth of old memories with the promise of new ones. When I was growing up, if I wasn’t building sand castles or swimming, I was reading. There is a lot we can learn from books, including important social emotional skills. The books listed below are for kids (and adults) to continue learning and growing this summer. They focus on topics like healthy ha ..read more