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
Benefits of Schoolwide SEL
A schoolwide SEL curriculum is great for every classroom and Empowering Education is here to help you implement the program that works best for your students and teachers.
#LearningNeverStops
How has Empowering Education ensured that #LearningNeverStops? Check out our SEL response to the new learning environment we are all navigating.
How can read-alouds teach social-emotional learning?
Use read-alouds to teach kids social-emotional learning and positive affirmations. Try a mindfulness activity like reading Munchy and Jumpy Tales!
Self-Reflection as a Coping Skill
Teach self-reflection for students by using the “roses and thorns” exercise. This is one way to help students practice gratitude and reflect on their challenging days.
Supporting Parents during COVID-19
What support do parents need while their children are learning from home? During this unprecedented time of uncertainty and unpredictability, I...
SEL Book Review: Small Things by Mel Tregonning
In the no-words graphic novel, Small Things, Tregonning tells the story of a boy realizing he is not alone struggling with his adolescent feelings. The boy learns the importance of naming his feelings and like so many social and emotional learning ideas is a skill that speaks to adults as much as children.
Mindfulness in the Classroom Articles
A Mindful Approach to New Year’s Resolutions
As the days begin to grow longer and we welcome the next calendar year, many are looking toward 2019 with a familiar mixture of hope, trepidation,...
School-Based Mindfulness – Examining the Evidence
The past several decades have seen a marked increase in the use of mindfulness-based interventions to promote psychological health and well-being....
Social-emotional Learning for Teachers Integral to Developing “Deep Practices”
“Educational institutions are full of divisive structures, of course, but blaming them for our brokenness perpetuates the myth that the outer...
Mindfulness in Schools: Finding Analog Rhythm in a Digital World
Life moves in a series of rhythms. In each day there is a natural rhythm to the rising and setting of the sun, and in each year there is a rhythm to...
Mindful Teaching Tips – Responding to Disruptions
So, you’re ready to teach mindfulness? You’ve seen the research, watched the videos, and heard the TED talks. You’ve got your chime, your teaching...
Mindfulness in the Classroom: Be As The Water
Let’s keep this simple shall we? The Law of Parsimony, as borrowed from scientific theory (think Occam’s Razor), states that the simplest...
Trauma-Informed Teaching Articles
Trauma Informed Teaching Part 3 of 4: Adverse Childhood Experiences
“Remember: Everyone in the classroom has a story that leads to misbehavior or defiance. Nine times out of ten, the story behind the misbehavior won’t make you angry. It will break your heart.” —Annette Breaux
6 Trauma-Informed Mindful Teaching Practices
These 6 teaching tips are simple ways that you can leverage your own mindfulness – your awareness of your internal state and the environment around you – to improve your relationship with your students and enhance your teaching practice.
Trauma Informed Teaching Part 2 of 4: The Fight-or-Flight Response
Teachers and parents are often by perplexed explosive outbursts, emotional volatility, and temper tantrums that seem out of proportion to the actual event. It is important to remember, however, that children (and adults) who have experienced traumatic events are not necessarily responding to events in the present moment.
Trauma Informed Teaching Part 1 of 4: Defining Trauma
Despite the prevalence of trauma, it is a term (along with mindfulness) that is frequently misused or misunderstood in both therapeutic and educational sectors. A deeper exploration of these terms reveals why trauma is one of the most costly and deadly public health concern our society is facing; and how mindfulness is one of the most viable solutions we have.