Social Emotional Learning at Deer Hill School

     At Deer Hill School we have been making a concerted effort to strengthen our school culture through the integration of social emotional learning (SEL) skills with our daily academic curriculum and routines.  As a faculty, we have been studying the work of the Collaboration for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) to learn more about the skills related to social emotional well-being so that we can have a shared understanding around the topic.  The term “social emotional learning” can mean many things to different people, and so developing a common language around the subject is a necessary first step if we are going to strengthen our school culture.  At Deer Hill School, when talking about social emotional learning, we use the CASEL skills framework:

     For decades schools have devoted varying degrees of emphasis on the skills and conditions associated with social emotional wellness.  In my time in education, we have taught “values clarification” and “character education,” usually as enrichment classes separate from the academic curriculum.  Sometimes we limited these skill sets to be solely within the purview of the Adjustment Counselor.  Or the parents.  However, good teachers have always understood that these skills must be embedded in the academic curriculum and in the daily life of the classroom – they are too important to be relegated to the margins of education and it would be a mistake to squander our opportunity to strengthen students’ abilities in these areas.

     Not only do we attend to the social emotional well-being of our students because it is the right thing to do, but research has consistently shown that social-emotional learning and academic achievement are related.  When students demonstrate healthy self-awareness, they are able to utilize strategies for learning that are most helpful for them.  When they are successful in self-management, they can minimize the distractions brought on by stress and control impulses that have an adverse effect on learning and attention.  When students have strong relationship skills they improve their ability to work successfully in groups – a necessary condition of learning and working in the 21^st century.  When they are socially aware, they develop the strengths of empathy and multiple perspective taking.  Responsible decision-making is vital for students to be successful in every domain of their life, including their own personal safety.

     Throughout the year you will hear and read about the methods through which we promote social emotional learning on a daily basis through our academic curriculum, our classroom and schoolwide routines, our enrichment program, and our special occasion assemblies and ceremonies.  Because we believe in a growth mindset as opposed to a fixed mindset (that is, with purposeful teaching and effective effort, all students can strengthen their aptitude for learning) we believe that we have the ability and the responsibility to improve upon the social emotional wellness of all of our students.  If you are interested in learning more about CASEL and the framework with which we and other schools are working, check out the link at http://www.casel.org/.  You will also find our schoolwide goal and supporting objectives and activities in this area in our 2017-2018 School Improvement Plan.

     As always, please feel free to contact me about this topic or any other aspect of your child’s learning experience at Deer Hill School!