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Reflect on what questions are still “circling” in your minds.   

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Reflect on three crucial “Points” you wish to remember from the reading or the classes so far.

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reflect on what part of the session or what information was shared “squared” with them. What resonated with things they already knew or believed?

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First, I saw on the RIDE website that social and emotional skills are often a part of a student's IEP. I wasn't aware of this before, but think it's great! Working on skills such as managing emotions, making responsible decisions, and treating others with respect are crucial for a student to be successful in school.

Second, I really liked how in class we talked about the importance of remembering that parents are the experts of their children and we should include them in the decision making process. Sometimes educators think they know better than parents, but including them in the conversation would be very helpful.

Third, the reading reminded me that it is often the school's responsibility to teach relationship skills. The article explains the importance of "getting along with students, teachers, parents, and independent observers" (Durlak, et al. 423). Relationship skills will be applied in schools, but they will also be helpful throughout their entire lives. Employers, partners, and friends seek out people who can get along with others.

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What are some of the biggest differences in teaching SEL in middle school versus high school? I am interested in both age groups and recognize that there are many differences. What topics should I focus on at each level, and what's the best way to approach SEL?

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After completing the reading and hearing my peers share in class, what really resonated with me is the importance of being surrounded by a strong, passionate team of educators. Creating an SEL program at a school wide level requires buy in from administrators, counselors, and teachers. As a counselor, it's crucial to get faculty members excited about SEL and feel confident in teaching lessons. I am really realizing that it takes a village and I am hopeful that my future school will be ready to work together!

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One crucial point which I believe is important to remember and to communicate to others is that SEL standards should be implemented across all grade levels and all areas of academic instruction. SEL skills should not only be taught by the counseling department, but by all members of the school community. In addition, it is crucial to be mindful that SEL is developmental and certain skills may look different at various grade levels. RIDE provides helpful indicators for each standard which describe what proficiency of the standards looks like at different grade levels.

Another point which I find significant when considering the impact of SEL is the statistic we learned in class which stated that “92% of employers say SEL skills are equal to or more important than technical skills.” This shows the value of students developing these skills throughout the k-12 grade spans as it will continue to benefit students throughout adulthood in areas of their lives such as college, the workforce, and personal relationships.

Lastly, I found CASEL’s Schoolwide SEL Walkthrough Protocol to be a useful tool when assessing the implementation of schoolwide SEL instruction. I like how the protocol looks for evidence in both classroom climate and schoolwide systems to show progress of schoolwide SEL implementation. This tool seems like a valuable resource to utilize when measuring the effectiveness of SEL implementation and highlighting areas which need improvement.

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One area which resonated with me is the importance of modeling SEL for students. While teaching students skills and developing their SEL competencies through lessons is essential, it is also vital that SEL is internalized, practiced and promoted by all adults within the school building. Cultivating positive relationships, being culturally responsive, promoting community and collaboration, and fostering a positive and supportive environment are just a few of the ways in which adults in the school community can model behaviors and skills to students.

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As previously stated, it is important for adults to model SEL throughout the entire school building. I am wondering what ways this can be cultivated, especially when there are resistant members of the school community who may not see the value in SEL? What are some specific ways to encourage and develop SEL competencies for adults in the building?

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While reading the resources for this week, the first thing that stuck out to me was the amount of resources that RIDE provides on the SEL page. They provide all the competencies and indicators and what I liked the most was towards the end where they provide samples of how to incorporate SEL into different types of classrooms at different grade levels.

Secondly, in class we discussed the importance of making sure SEL does not seem like a daunting task for teachers to tackle. I think RIDE does a nice job on their website of providing examples and resources for teachers to access. Teachers already have so much on their plates and are likely already incorporating SEL in their classrooms in some way or another.

Finally, the article described how when students lack social emotional skills they lack a connection with school. I think it is important for teachers and schools to use SEL in their classrooms from the time students are in elementary school through high school to ensure that they have exposure and built SEL skills to motivate them for life after high school.

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One aspect of the reading that resonated with me was the correlation between a students lack of connection to education and their SEL exposure and skills. I think this makes sense when you examine how students are treated in schools, if they are experience a negative situation or have had negative interactions with teachers, administration or other students, without getting support or skills to deal with this in a healthy way, then it is clear that the student would likely form a negative view of school and education as a whole. Modeling SEL must begin at the top of the system and filter down in order to be effective.

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One thing that is still circling around my mind is how do SEL instructors collaborate between the grade levels (elementary, middle and high school)? How do they work with each other within the district to ensure that the students are getting the information as they graduate from one level to the other. Also, how would you work with a teacher who is resistant to utilizing SEL skills in their classrooms?

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I liked how the article noted how SEL programs have a universal impact and positively affects students social, emotional and academic skills.

Class discussions reminded me that implementation strategies matter- and the article highlights that as well. Getting other faculty and staff on board can be a hard process, but if successful student outcomes will show progress in all areas SEL supports.

The RIDE website also provides lots of information and I can appreciate that it is easy to navigate. If I were to look through a this part of the website I feel that navigating it is very user friendly full of links and resources perfect for a family/educators looking for resources.

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Something that resonated with me was in the article they mentioned “ultimately, interventions are unlikely to have much practical utility or gain widespread acceptance unless they are effective under real-world conditions.” That to me was just so real because for something to be believed or taken seriously, people need proof as to why it’s good. For SEL to be truly impactful prove that it works- use data to show that this method is beneficial in many real ways.

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Like the others- I also wonder how SEL looks different across age groups, but also how do you keep students engaged in SEL lessons across age groups? I understand how different ages will look different in SEL lessons but I wonder if it can be hard to get/keep students engaged in settings where SEL is brand new.

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A crucial point I found while reading is the importance of understanding every student has different motivations for learning. It is so important to understand how students learn best during elementary and middle school because by high school, there is a high percentage of students that become disengaged with school. If we can tackle this issues earlier, then students can feel more confident as they enter into high school.

A second point is to understand the different important topics of positive social behavior including: positive social behavior, academic performance, and more. There are so many factors to a child’s life and we must do our best to be empathetic towards students and be understanding with all aspects of their life.

A third point is the importance of interventions with students and making sure that there are positive components to programs and inclusive for all.

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So far from what we have read and in class, the first thing I’d like to remember is understanding where parents and guardians are coming from and to never assume their situations. I never want to put a parent or guardian in a position where they feel I am telling them how they should do things. The parents are the experts for their child and I am there to support them to the best of my ability.

A second point is to use my resources. I want to be reliable and knowledgeable. The best way to do that is to use my resources and to continue my education.

Third, it is important to remember that SEL is still not in all schools and I very well may have to advocate for SEL to be incorporated in my school. I will have to be an advocate for SEL and to show the data and significance as to why SEL would benefit my school.

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Something that resonates with me is not being afraid to ask for help. I learned that it will take me approximately 3 years to really get into the groove of school counseling, so I need to give myself grace within that time period. I must be an advocate for myself and be a voice for my school.

I learned that it is a team effort to incorporate SEL into schools and that it will be my job to bring the data, programs and voice to making sure my school has SEL if they do not already.

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Something that resonates with me is knowing that SEL is not going to be in every school and that it will be my job to be an advocate and a voice for my school to incorporate SEL. It will a team effort including all staff members and it will be an important job for me to be organized and efficient along with bringing along programs and information with me to get the process and ideas started.

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I wonder that if I am in a school that does not already have SEL, then what is the reasoning for them not having it already? Have they had the opportunity in the past to incorporate SEL and it has been pushed off? Why have they not started it earlier? Do they not have the staff to start the process of SEL? Do they not have administration supporting them or teachers in agreement to incorporate SEL? There are several factors and many questions to ask a school if there are no SEL implementations.

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One crucial point from the reading was when the article stated how students typically do not learn alone, but rather in collaboration with their teachers, peers, and encouragement from their families. It is crucial that everyone works as a team; students, teachers, administration, families, communities, etc. SEL is the key to collaboration, effective communication, academic achievement, overall well-being, and so much more.

Another point that stuck out to me was how SEL programming incorporates two coordinated sets of educational strategies to enhance school performance and youth development. This involves instruction in processing, integrating, and applying SEL skills developmentally, contextually, and in culturally appropriate ways.

Lastly, there is an increasing recognition that effective implementation influences program outcomes. Problems encountered during implementation of the program can limit the benefits participants will derive from intervention.

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SEL programs are very effective and leads to significant improvement in empathy, stress management, attitudes, and behaviors. The research also shows that including SEL interventions within the school system leads to fewer conduct problems and symptoms of aggression, anxiety, and depression. Although SEL interventions leads to many positive outcomes, it is crucial that it is being implemented in a meaningful way; consistent delivery by those who are well-trained in the area. As explained in the findings of the article, more successful programs are interactive in nature, use coaching and role playing, and employ a set of structured activities to guide youth toward achievement of specific goals.