SEL Blog
Articles about Social and Emotional Learning (SEL), Mindfulness in the Classroom, and Trauma-Informed Teaching
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SEL and Racial Equity
SEL teaches children the lessons they need to understand and practice racial equity. Social emotional learning starts with bringing an end to racism and injustice. But how do we have these tough conversations with young people?
Funding Sources for SEL
You’re a school administrator, you’re already stretched thin. You may want to implement social-emotional learning, but you don’t have the money! Here are some creative ways you can fund your SEL program.
Benefits of Mindfulness for Children
What is mindfulness? And how can practicing mindfulness benefit areas of a child’s life such as in the classroom or socializing with friends? Check out the benefits of practicing mindfulness in the classroom for more details.
Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Articles
Teaching SEL Online
Teaching SEL Online: how you can use these 6 tips for bringing the classroom to your students.
Daily SEL
How to Teach Social-Emotional Learning Everyday Interested in teaching an SEL curriculum daily? Below is our plan for how any teacher could...
Empowering Education & Conflict Resolution
How does Empowering Education teach conflict resolution? Of all themes that Empowering Education covers, conflict resolution is high on the list....
The Man Behind Empowering Education
Check out our recent interview with Andy Wilfong, Empowering Education’s founder, on the future of SEL. Andy gives insight on advocating for SEL in schools for over two decades and his personal connection to SEL.
Interoception: A Classroom Activity for Emotional Management
We’ve provided a classroom activity that’s helpful for talking about mindfulness and emotional management with your students! Classrooms should be a space for kids to learn how to manage their emotional responses.
I Statements for Kids
Try incorporating these I statements for kids to effectively communicate thoughts, feelings and emotions.
Mindfulness in the Classroom Articles
Activities for Kids During Social Distancing
4 COVID-Friendly Games (And Printable Online Alternatives) For Kids As more experts recommend social distancing in classrooms, parents wonder what...
Student New Year’s Resolutions in the Classroom
You’ve probably made some New Year’s resolutions -- and you probably didn’t keep them! Our students also struggle to set and achieve goals but...
Five Tips to Reduce Winter Break Anxiety for Students
Teachers are almost always excited about an upcoming vacation, but as we approach the winter break, your students may also be experience excitement...
Classroom Gratitude Challenge
Gratitude in the Classroom With Thanksgiving coming up, it’s a good time to practice some gratitude. Research on gratitude has shown that regular...
Self-Care For Teachers
Self-Care For Teachers by Anne Brunette, LCSW, Psychotherapist Caring For Yourself So You Can Care For Others You became a teacher because you want...
Mindfulness & Silence Lesson
Notes from the Field: A Silent Lesson in Mindfulness from High Tech Elementary Empowering Education recently observed a lesson in mindful silence at...
Trauma-Informed Teaching Articles
SEL and Racial Equity
SEL teaches children the lessons they need to understand racial equity. Social emotional learning starts with bringing an end to racism and injustice. But how do we have these tough conversations with young people? We compiled a list of resources, books, and activities to help adults and kids talk about race.
Teacher Tips for Online Learning
Create a virtual classroom from home: how you can build an online class using these 6 distance learning tips.
Talking to Kids about the Coronavirus: 4 Tips
As coronavirus continues to affect each of us, we would like to provide resources and tips in response to student questions regarding the virus and school closures, in addition to providing activities that students can do at home to stay engaged.
Tips for the Trauma Informed Educator: Stress & Trauma as Resilience Factors
Being a trauma-informed educator does not mean that we need to protect our students from all possible stressors and difficult experiences, rather, it means we have a deeper understanding of our students’ emotional states and we work to empower them to respond effectively to challenges and stressors….If we as parents and educators remove all stress from a child’s life we are robbing them of their richest opportunities for growth.
5 Ways to Support Children (& Ourselves) in the Wake of Tragedy
When students feel unsafe they don’t learn. So, how can we support students in the face of such global tension? Is there anything that we can do as educators and parents to create a sense of safety?
Absolutely. The same principles for effective treatment and prevention of trauma hold true here. Here are five practices to support your students (and yourself) following a tragic event.
Trauma Informed Teaching Part 4 of 4: The Mindfulness Solution
The simple practice of turning your attention to the present moment – your breath, the sounds you hear, the sensations you feel – can actually physically change the structure of your brain and counteract the effects of stress and trauma in less than 8 weeks. Studies are now revealing that mindfulness-based therapy is more effective than anti-depressants and cognitive behavioral therapy combined in treating PTSD. Even better, the results are permanent as long as participants continue to practice mindfulness in their daily lives