Donna+J

Hi Donna, welcome back to school. Hi yourself. It is so great to see you and nice to be back. How was your summer? Didn’t you take graduate courses? Yes, you are absolutely right I did take “Social Emotion Learning” courses this summer. I am so excited and inspired to incorporate what I am learning into practice this year. The ideas and concepts are so close to my heart and what I have longed to put a name to for awhile. For example, there is data that states that promoting respect, responsibility, and healthy relationships, which are stepping stones to SEL and teaching communication and listening skills, character education, problem solving skills, peer mediation, helps prevent bullying, improves behavior, attendance and academics including increased test scores. As teachers we can provide resources to enable our students to discover, nurture, enhance and recognize students and our own many different talents. The idea is to develop a plan to reach students using SAFE – Sequential, Active, Focused and Explicit activities implementing participation, good character traits, responsibility, and respect, emotional, physical, and mental safety and integrate with all core and encore subjects. Social, Emotional Learning is such a wonderful way to enhance positive, individual, group, school, and community culture. It’s been proven to be successful and blends with all curriculums. The focus is on the qualities that build a successful school community behaviorally, socially, emotionally and academically – the essence of the Whole Child using a humanistic and comprehensive approach. Let’s get together over lunch and I can share some plans I have adapted to use here at DMS. Hopefully you might find them interesting.