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 solely ...

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. This post o...

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 they explicitly tell t...

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 Social...

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 cla...

Recently, I revisited my favorite spot for acupuncture, a place that always feels like a reset button for my mind and body. During my conversation with the doctor, I shared something I’d been reflecting on: after a trip to Hawaii, I experienced an in...

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 experie...

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 I...

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 four agreements that I ...

We all know that trust is a cornerstone of any healthy relationship. Yet, how often do we intentionally talk about it—especially with students?

We want to trust our students to:

• treat one another with respect and dignity,

• act responsibly when ...

In the first season of the SELinEDU podcast, we had the great pleasure of interviewing Jodi Friedman. As an assistant principal and equity leader, Jodi’s work as an anti-racist leader includes co-creating the Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Facilita...

One of my kiddos is writing his essay for the Common App for colleges.

He came out of his bedroom to tell me that the app recommended that they not end with "...and they all lived happily ever after."

I laughed and said, "Learning doesn't always en...