Paul

There is ongoing pressure among students, teachers and parents to have students academically excel. Of lately, we measure this success through assessments with words such as "proficient" and "advanced". Although we are giving academic assessments, we as a society do not always measure excellence and achievement in only academic prowess. In real world applications, success can be categorized by contributions that a individual makes as a productive member to society. What schools often overlook when they see less impressive standardized testing scores, is the importance of teaching students interpersonal and intrapersonal skills that lead to the academic success rates. A curriculum that is enriched in SEL provides the foundational skills a student needs to succeed by teaching self awareness, emotional soundness and social knowledge that have been proven to increase student academic achievement. By understanding and identifying the needs of the students in more than an academic means, we are instructing on a whole child approach and ensuring the success of well rounded human beings.