SEL is not a pill. But it is brushing your teeth. SEL is not reactive, but rather proactive and preventative in nature. Think about using a simple daily mindful practice every single day in your classroom in the same exact way you think about brushing your teeth before you leave for work. It’s just something you do quickly every day because you know it is good for you. Now imagine listening to your favorite song, or watching your favorite cartoon clip in a small video as a positive mental state creator; a preventative practice.
Databased is about using the five senses and things we already do, in alignment with intention and organization, to transform to way it feels to learn.
DataBasedSEL is a quick, fun, easy, and simple way to install mindful practices into your educational space in a culturally responsive and gradual fashion.
( Don’t worry, I really mean that, it’s not just a buzz word thing )
Social Emotional Learning is not a pill, but it is brushing your teeth.
What?
Time and time again I have had conversations with school leaders and teachers who seem to think SEL is something you can just give, or a magic wand you can wave in front of the student body to fix the ailments of the youth of America. So, as I like to say to them, SEL is not a pill. It is not a quick fix. It is not an easy fast thing you can just give a kid when they melt down. SEL is not something that can be used in a reactive fashion when everything is going wrong and there is no where else to turn.
What I mean, is that brushing your teeth for the first time, will not cure your cavity.
MTSS | SEL Improvement
Is organization a hobby? Well for me it is. I love to organize pens, journals, craft supplies, clothing and accessories, kitchen cabinets, and the furniture in a room but above all else, I LOVE organizing classrooms, schools, and school systems.
Studying the use of a multi-tiered system of improvement in schools validated my beliefs about how to lead the process of academic and personal growth in addition to my beliefs regarding systems of power and control within school operations.
Authentic methods of distributed leadership are necessary for sustainable operation of modern American schools. Power need not come from titles, but from the reality of taking action, and celebrating the magnificence of a shifted state of being.
do the thing you say you are going to do
Teaching SEL in school always and forever will begin with modeling the prosocial behavior we would like others to replicate. When teachers, or school leaders leave promises unfulfilled, even as simple as not following through with an extra recess we are modeling that it is an acceptable practice to speak outside of our behavior.
Teaching SEL always and forever will begin with doing the things we say we are going to do. Let me guide you on how to simplify the process of using data to do just that.
