Resources -
Why
Social & Emotional Learning? |
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Parents’ hopes
for their children are universal. They want their daughters and sons
to be happy and healthy, to have friends, to be able to handle life’s
challenges, to be good learners, to be good people.
Educators cherish these hopes for children too, and yet we live in a time and
culture where many children come to school with a complex array of social and
emotional needs and with a diminished sense of connection to others. We also
live in a time of war, of sudden violence and uncertainty. In our closely connected
world, this violence does not go unnoticed by our children who often carry a
heavy burden of anxiety with them to the classroom. And parents and educators
share an anxiety about how to prepare children to face a complex and uncertain
future.
Schools are our most powerful catalyst for bringing people together, fostering
understanding, and reinforcing democratic values in our diverse society. As schools
address the challenge of preparing students for the 21st century, for technologies
and circumstances we can only imagine, certain truths remain constant. As human
beings, we need to learn to work with each other, to empathize, collaborate and
communicate. And we need to develop the capacity to form relationships with others
that give our lives meaning, that bring us joy and comfort, that challenge us
to look beyond ourselves and inspire us to create a better society.
In spite of these truths, many schools—faced with the imperatives of standards
and high-stakes testing—feel increasing pressure to focus solely on academics
to the exclusion of social and emotional learning. However, educators are also
learning that if their students are to be successful in school, the latter simply
cannot be ignored. In fact, social and emotional learning is at the heart of
the educational process.
Research over the last decade tells us that “EQ” (emotional intelligence)
is as important as “IQ” for success in life and that intellectual
and social emotional growth are inextricably linked. Students who are anxious,
angry or depressed can’t concentrate on academics. By the same token, children
who learn to empathize with others and to look beyond themselves are more likely
to be interested and engaged in learning about their world. To help children
reach their full potential, schools must provide students with a safe and nurturing
environment where they learn how to recognize and manage their feelings, empathize
with each other, play, work and learn together. |
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