054: From Conflict to Connection: The Transformative Impact of Social Emotional Learning in the Classroom responsible decision-making self-management Jul 27, 2023

There were mere weeks left in the school year, and in a rare moment of quiet, I checked emails before the class returned from lunch. Before long, I heard the bustle of students coming back into the building, and three of my Grade 3 boys hurtled...

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053: Empowerment: Defining an Essential SEL Term c a s e l empowerment s e l words May 25, 2023

Lately, I’ve been thinking about impactful social emotional learning skills considered essential in human growth and development for a productive, healthy life - terms like respect, accountability, and empowerment. These terms are not listed...

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052: A Lesson in Responding, Not Reacting behavior c a s e l developmental relationships leadership May 11, 2023

One of the things I'm most proud of during my teaching career occurred while I worked in the district was the opportunity to co-create a student leadership organization with two of my very dear friends. 

I served six years as a high school...

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051: The SEL Knowing-Doing Gap adult sel relationship skills self-management Apr 20, 2023

A few weeks ago, I was having a coaching conversation with some fabulous high school counselors. One of the things we discussed is how to make social emotional learning skill development very explicit for students.

In this case, I don’t mean...

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050: Blog Series: Four Ways to Infuse SEL - Instructional Practices Feb 22, 2023

Our third entry point or approach for infusing SEL into everything we say, think, and do are in our instructional practices. For example, every teacher I’ve ever worked with has leveraged group work or group discussion in their classroom....

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049: Blog Series: Four Ways to Infuse SEL - Social Interactions Jan 26, 2023

When working with educators on infusing SEL, many often tell me, “I already do this.” What they mean, more specifically, is that they infuse social emotional learning via their SOCIAL INTERACTIONS with students. 

When asked if...

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048: Blog Series: Four Ways to Infuse SEL - Physical Environment Jan 19, 2023

When I was a classroom teacher and had heard of social emotional learning, my original thought was that it was all about relationships with students. The more I investigated the research, specifically from CASEL, the Collaborative for Academic...

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047: Time to Revisit Co-create Commitments for Optimal Learning Dec 29, 2022

As educators, we know that when there is an extended break from the classroom, it is wise to spend time the first day back re-acclimating to our class routines, norms, and each other. It is also helpful as this may be when new students enter your...

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046: You Don't Expect Flowers to Bloom All Year, Do You? rejuvenation Dec 19, 2022

This past weekend, I revisited my favorite location for an acupuncture treatment. During the conversation with the doctor, I mentioned that I had visited Hawaii. In the months since I had last been there, for “whatever” reason, I was...

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045: To Do Or Not To Do: Poverty Simulations poverty privilege racism Dec 15, 2022

In October, I facilitated a session on Reaching Students Who Are Experiencing Poverty in Illinois. We discussed how poverty impacts the brain and learning. We explored ways teachers can foster positive relationships with families and students...

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044: Mental Health, Trevor Noah, and Ye behavior mental health responsible decision-making speech Dec 08, 2022

Three days ago, one of my teenage boys asked me if I had heard that Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) was a guest on InfoWars. This far-right-wing political site espouses conspiracy theories and promotes non-factual news.

I had not known this, but...

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043: Speaking Your Truth epistemology perspective truth words Nov 03, 2022

Last week, I worked with educators in Illinois on “Reaching and Teaching Students Experiencing Poverty.”  As with every session related to topics that ask participants to share and reflect on their own experiences, I explained...

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