Honestly, I've bought most of the SEL materials and curriculum for the class. I was provided an SEL curriculum that had a cassette tape 🫠 so I purchased the Little Spot of Emotion curriculum for the class.

I teach Grade 5 at an elementary school and one thing we do to support SEL in the classroom is to have a classroom meeting at the beginning of each day. This is a time that if students are having issues it is. a safe place for them to talk it out with me and their classmates. It was a bit of a struggle at the beginning of the year to gain trust around all of us. However, by putting in the time at the beginning of the year, like with everything else, it has now paid off and the meetings are very productive especially if we have issues where not everyone is seeing eye to eye. By having these meetings it saves time throughout the day without any other issues coming up about it and if it happens later it takes away from their day to day learning experience. I do not like drama and this takes away from the day to day. This is also a time when the school adjustment counselor can come in and do a lesson for the kids or just check in

Most of the materials that I get for SEL during these meetings where I do provide lessons as well, come from me or the school adjustment counselor. The school does not pay for it. We have to find and pay for the resources.

The school district has bought some resources from the Social Thinking Curriculum and the Zones of Regulation Curriculum. All other SEL materials and curriculum are teacher created, come from the school guidance counselors or SEL related children's books from the school library.

I added a short SEL block to my week to try to address student needs. On Friday afternoons at the end of the day we take whatever time is left (usually 20-30 minutes) and read a book/do an activity. I mainly use the "Spot" curriculum by Diane Alber for these lessons. I have purchased her books and learning resources for use in my classroom.

I also take time at the start of the year to teach them about some basic regulation strategies like taking walks or using our calm down space before emotions get too high.

My district purchases a few programs that teachers implement in their Advisory small groups throughout the school year. These are met with mostly applause, but some students find them not helpful, cooperative. I mostly have purchased/developed the SEL activities for my classroom and daily basis. There are PDs that are offered that are focused on SEL, too.

Our school is in a tricky spot right now. Our adjustment counselor moved onto a new school a couple months ago, which means that our SEL lessons ceased when she left. Actually, for Kindergarten, the lessons were put on hiatus months ago (I think it was December). Paired with a teacher's strike earlier in the school year, I think my students had a total of three SEL lessons with our adjustment counselor this year. It's a huge bummer.

Luckily, last summer, my district offered us a free training in TRAILS, which is the SEL curriculum used by our adjustment counselors. I took part in the 2.5 hour professional development and am trained in delivering the TRAILS curriculum. It's incredibly simple and there aren't a ton of lessons for Kindergarten, but it's nice to have the training. To be honest, though, I haven't had time to incorporate the lessons into our daily schedule. I've been trying to build up my SEL classroom library, which is part of why I am taking this course! Those books come out of my own pocket, but we do have a few books in our school library that I've used for lessons.

I have some great supports from the district. I use TRAILS curriculum as a framework for lessons I do in the classrooms. Each year when I order supplies, I focus on literature that I can use to complement my SEL activities. In addition to my picture books, I also get materials related to Social Thinking to have additional resources to help students with social skills. Super flex books are really fun and engaging for the students.

I am the Wellness teacher for 3rd-5th graders so I see all of our students in those grades once a week. I am the only Wellness teach in the school and I do not have a curriculum to follow so I have been generating the lesson myself with help from our school counselor and Teachers Pay Teachers.

One activity I have done with the classes (that they love and ask to do every week) is a game called Hot Seat. The point of the activity is to help with communication skills and emphasize the importance choosing our words carefully. I split the class into three teams. Each team selects one person to be in the "hot seat" for the first round and we rotate through until every student has had a chance. The person in the hot seat sits with their back to the Smart Board. I flash a picture on the screen along with a list of taboo words that the team can not say. The team tries to give clues to the person in the hot seat to get them to guess what the picture shows. The trick is that the team can only use two words (no sounds and no body language or movements) to give the clues. The team must work together to decide on the two words that they think will be most helpful for the person in the hot seat.

Because it is a competition for points, the teams generally get very excited so this also gives them a chance to practice trying to remain calm and regulate their emotions even under competitive circumstances. They usually need lots of reminders :)

At the beginning of the school year, I introduce the idea that while we all come from our own families, our classroom is also a family that is built on kindness, respect, and support for one another. As part of this foundation, we use the RULER curriculum to build students’ emotional awareness. We start by understanding that our emotions matter, and together we create a classroom charter, outlining how we want to feel at school and identify ways we can create those feelings. 

Throughout the year, my students enter the classroom by plotting their emotions on a mood meter, giving me an opportunity to connect with students individually, offer them support when needed, and help them navigate their feelings. I find this an invaluable tool in my classroom to help students regulate their emotions, build relationships, and create a caring classroom environment.

Our students feel safe and cared for when the adults around them invested in their interests. We do many acts of daily living, communication and OT/PT activities and we have a classroom device that we all use to communicate with our students. The communication device is a district owned device and the students love it when we communicate with our device and they can respond on theirs. Apart from that, al other resources like the Zones of Regulation and SEL materials are teacher created and put in a shared drive so teachers across the district can use the materials in there.

My school district uses CASEL for curriculum. Our Team chair also wrote a grant to purchase sensory tools and materials to add to my office/classroom to help students self-regulate.

I am a third grade classroom teacher with 18 students. In my school, all classroom teachers are required to begin the day with a Morning Meeting. This is typically a fifteen minute block of time, and I find that is the perfect opportunity to teach daily SEL lessons. At this time, we do not have an SEL curriculum, so I have needed to develop my own lessons. Since COVID, I create a Google Slide Deck each week that contains my lesson presentations for the day. This means that anything I want to present to my students during the SEL lessons is on my Smart Board, and my students are usually seated beneath it on my carpet. I choose a theme for each week. This might be a time-sensitive topic that my students really need at that time or it could be another topic related to SEL. For example, our school-wide expectations are to be safe, be kind, and be responsible. At the very beginning of the year, we spent a week completing a classroom matrix that addressed these skills and what they would look like in different parts of the building. Something I find helpful when introducing a topic at the start of the week is to begin by defining the theme. If we're learning about being responsible, I might start with slide that defines it in simple, child-friendly language. We would then watch a very quick video to solidify student understanding. The next day's meeting would begin with a review and then contain some role play or maybe an activity with various scenarios for students to discuss.

My school also created an SEL Curriculum Committee two years back to research a program that we could use school-wide. As a result, we will all be using the Second Step program next year. We've been told that all classroom teachers will be dedicating a specific number of minutes each week to teaching the lessons in this program and this will fall outside of our morning meetings. I'm excited about the program and have been told by those who piloted it that the lessons are very simple to teach. It will be nice to have something on hand, so I no longer need to make my own lessons.

I'm a 2nd grade teacher in a general ed classroom in Malden, Massachusetts. Some things that I already institute in my classroom routine to address SEL are:

• Intentionally start the school year with two main principles: (1) Everyone makes mistakes and that's okay, and (2) that telling the truth is paramount over everything else in my classroom. To "teach" this lesson, I take away any easers and pencils that my students have on the first day of school and I pass out pencils without erasers. This simple pencil swap helps the students to learn and get comfortable with making mistakes, crossing them out, and moving on, as well as encourages the students to begin to problem-solve independently. As for "always telling the truth," it's an amnesty policy that remains for the entire school year. Starting the year with these principles helps me build trust amongst my students as well as creates a comfortable place for everyone inside the classroom, which, in turn, fosters an environment of openness and safety for all students that lasts the whole year.

• As a daily SEL practice, I host a "Morning Meeting" during which my students meet me at the class rug for reflecting on previous days of the week, preparing for the day ahead, sharing ideas, celebrating one another, and building community.

• Specific SEL aligned read-alouds with related activities.

• Mindfulness journaling (a personal journal that students keep in their desk and use during appropriate times throughout the day)

My district/school has intentional SEL time "built-in" to our daily schedules. That being said, the time that has been carved out for this SEL block was created by taking away our transition times between classes and I must admit that the "SEL time" is often the first to gets "cut out" or changed in the event schedule changes. We also have not been provided with an SEL curriculum and not many SEL related items are purchased for us without our asking. However, I have been able to choose what kind of items I'd like end of year budget to be allocated towards for my classroom specifically, which (this past year) I allocated to provide flexible seating and noise-cancelling headphones in my classroom.

Overall, I do address SEL in the classroom, but I'm really looking forward to learning how to better my integration and prioritization of SEL practices, especially during those days and times of the year that it seems like I have "no time to fit-in" a whole lesson.

I'm a sixth grade teacher in Merrimac, MA, at a 3-6 school.

What is the simplest thing I do in my classroom to address SEL?

It's pretty simple, but I work hard to cultivate a classroom community for each of my classes (we rotate subjects). From the jump I clearly define to them what a supportive classroom community means to me: a place where students feel comfortable taking risks in the classroom because they know they will have the support of myself and their classmates. I do this candidly and likely differently than any of the teachers they have had before: it's not the goal, it's the expectation. Anything less is unacceptable. I don't know... it works. It also involves candid discussions with those students that step out of line, and some tough love for those that need a push to step out of their comfort zone. In the end it's pretty successful.

My school/district is great when it comes to emphasizing SEL. My sixth grade team uses a "Wellness Wednesday" Google Form in which students fill out each week to report on how they are doing, and maybe if they need to talk to someone about school or anything else. And our counselors are amazing! They run monthly SEL lessons with all students and are always willing to meet if a kid needs that additional support.

Currently, I am a Play and Learn Group Facilitator for children and their caregivers aged birth-age 5. Every so often I try to choose books that would foster SEL. Books that help children become aware of feelings and situations that evoke different feelings and ways to problem solve and how to deal with those feelings. I run a movement group and read books like Good Morning Yoga, which teaches children how to breathe in and breathe out while they do yoga poses. I also discuss that these activities would be a good way to deal with big feelings and encourage taking breaths to calm down. I have also had kids make stress balls from balloons and rice and shown them how to use it when they have big feelings and need help to calm down.

I also include many stories from different cultures and representations to help people feel welcome, as it is a family element where the parent/caregiver is present.

I am a fourth grade teacher in a general education classroom. One way I like to promote Social-Emotional Learning in my classroom is by combining SEL-focused books, mindfulness practices, and community circles. For example, I’ll read aloud stories that focus on emotions, friendship, perseverance, or empathy. We talk about the challenges the characters face and the lessons they learn. I also try to have community circles. In this circle, each student shares their thoughts, feelings, and insights in a safe and supportive space. Throughout the day I like to do some mindfulness and breathing exercises together, like deep breathing or guided meditation, to help everyone calm their minds and reflect. I’ve found that this combination helps my students not only become more aware of their emotions and develop empathy, but also feel more connected to each other and our classroom community.

Our school district supports SEL through a combination of SEL language, modeling strategies, and explicit skill teaching. Students learn to identify and manage emotions, solve problems, stay optimistic, and set goals. We use Merrell’s Strong Kids program, which covers key topics like emotional strength, understanding emotions, stress management, and goal-setting. Additionally, we integrate restorative justice practices, including daily community circles to build relationships and empathy. These efforts work together to foster social-emotional growth and create a supportive, empathetic school community.

I teach high school students. The simplest thing I do in my classroom that addresses SEL is that I set forth with the goal of creating a safe and welcoming environment by having specific routines and expectations for my class. These expectations and routines for the different parts of the class, allows the students to know what to do and how to do different activities throughout the day. I use a visual reference sheet for these expectations and routines, so that if a student forgets, they can reference this, or I can reference this. I also check-in with students on a 1-1 basis when someone comes in or has a moment.

My school does a few things to help SEL. 1) On Wednesdays, we offer an extra help session/ enrichment. Students are able to choose what teacher they spend this time with that would best support them. 2) We have a smartpass system to allows students walk breaks when necessary. 3) There are staff members who are designated for students with higher needs. They often push into classes, so that the students have the opportunity in a mainstream classroom.

During Parent Information Night each year, I always say to the parents- anyone can learn how to read, write and do math! The hardest thing for the kiddos to learn, practice and maintain is the Social and Emotional skills you need to have to be part of a classroom community. The kiddos need to be explicitly taught these skills. Teaching these skills and using these skills,  builds a safe community within your classroom for all kiddos to learn. 

Each day, before morning meeting, they have builder buckets on their group table. The kiddos talk and build together before the day begins. This helps to foster friendships, communication skills and is a nice easy start to the day.  Then our morning meeting is next.  The kiddos sit on the rug in a circle and I invite them over while a song is playing. A different song each day, and they enjoy singing them. Then we greet each other going around the circle and elbow to elbow to the person next to you, then we do a  share and then we play a  game. We have a different game each day. The games teach them to wait, take turns, be patient, work with each other and they learn how to win and lose nicely. They enjoy doing this before our daily message and calendar. Fun way to begin. 

One thing I like to do during a learning time is to  “pick sticks”, I pick two- for partners. This way, they learn to work with one another.

 When a conflict arises, I always stop in the moment. I listen to both sides with them so they hear each other. Then we work to solve it, if they cannot figure it out themselves. Always talking about strategies to use. I feel something I give them that most grown-ups don’t is a polite way to stand up for themselves. Example: If a kiddo writes on a friend’s paper, and that child says “I’m sorry”. When the first child says: “That’s ok”. I tell them no, you can say: “That’s not ok, please don’t do that again.” 

Another little thing I teach them is, each time we go to a “special” (gym, art, music, computers, library) - I have them greet the teacher. We work on lots of greetings. I stand at the doorway each morning and greet them 1 by 1 as they come in. 

I read lots of picture books, do lessons and practice skills on SEL.  We use the terms: warm fuzzy or cold prickly. 

As a high school teacher, the most important thing that I can do to help students in the area of SEL is to create and environment that is safe and welcoming for all students. At the beginning of class each week I will set aside time for any of the students to share what has been going on with them. I try to encourage all students to utilize their "voice" and recognize that they all have something worthy to say. We often work in groups and I will choose the groups at random so that the students will be with other students that they may not know. We talk about how we act in these settings and what are the expectations for talking and listening. The hope is that over time the students meet each other and recognize that there are other students just like them and they can learn from and help each other in their journey through Physics class. These are skills that will be needed throughout life as well.

This year my school has focused on the "One Trusted Adult" for our professional development. The main tenets of this program is that all students should be able to find one adult in the building who they can go to for guidance, advice, or when they just need help. This person can help the student recognize when they need to be better engaged in class, can celebrate their successes, and support them in their failures. This is a major boost to the students SEL if they know that there are people who will support them in the building and they are not in it alone.

In the classroom, I incorporate SEL through read aloud stories. I have SEL books in my classroom library. During morning meeting, we will talk about feelings and expressing ourselves. If my students are having a tough time they can take a break with a calming toy. We will then have conversations about what I can do to help them.

I teach 2nd Grade and have found that the most important thing is setting my students up for success at the beginning of the year by creating a safe and welcoming learning environment.  One way I do this is by having daily community circles.  Another way to incorporate SEL skills is by using mindfulness techniques.  At the beginning of the year we read the book Alphabreaths and practice a new breathing technique each day.  I’ve also found great meditation guides and mindful breathing on GoNoodle that my kids love!  I make sure that students have a space in my room where they can take a minute to reset.  In this area there are fidgets, weighted lap dogs, finger mazes and a timer (sand and water, not digital). One last thing that I incorporate into my practice is read-alouds. Our PTO has done a great job of providing us with books that we have asked for that teach specific competencies.

Our school uses the Strong Kids program and we have developed a strong PBIS program.  Our school mascot is the Husky so we have incorporated this into daily routines as well.  In second grade we have a Husky of the Week.  Throughout the week this student is given different responsibilities and on Friday each classmate writes a letter to the Husky.  It is something all students look forward to being as they love to receive kind notes from their friends.  We also have developed a school wide brain break called the “Husky Hike”.  Throughout the building there are photos of Huskies that students must find.  They are tasked with finding 6 husky paws around the building.  We also add to this throughout the year by posting letters so students have to unscramble a word (Husky, Friends, Kind, Care etc.).

Our school counselor is amazing!  She always makes herself available and offers a lunch bunch for students to participate in. 

Our district recently implemented Wayfinder district wide. I am glad the district adopted a curriculum that is prek-12. Hopefully the program will be successful since it goes all the way from foundational skills in the lower grades to purpose driven lessons at the high school level. Hopefully the curriculum will be in place long enough to see tangible results. 

While my district is great in a lot of senses, I am newer to the district and still trying to find out resources. This is my 2nd year in the district and I am utilizing resources as much as I can, but often feel it is never enough. I have found our guidance counselors are good, but seem spread really thin. I wish there were more people to help with these students when there are times I need more support and people are not available or they have bigger problems they are dealing with. I understand some students may not seem like they are a top priority, but I still wish they could be addressed more and helped more since I am alone all day in the classroom and need more support.

In addition to social skills instruction and support, I also include flexible seating, instruction on executive functions, mindfulness and growth mindset. Kids have access to a quiet corner, breaks, fidgets, lap blankets, and I use lighting and music throughout the day to provide a calming environment. I use collaborative problem solving to help my students work through struggles.

Our district uses the Strong Kids program and PBIS. I help on the PBIS team for my school.