Consistent and positive relationships with adults are the number one determining factor for student success. It all starts with relationships. If you have that relationship first, and have consistent behavior towards them, they will trust that you will still love them unconditionally after the tough moments. With that said, CAREfrontations are important - they are the point of restorative justice and an opportunity for growth.

Significant learning requires a significant adult relationship. When kids have a relationship with their teacher, they want to learn, because they care about that teacher first. [Example: If a student connects with Mr.Harpe’s humor, they may be more willing to learn from him.]

• Young people spell “trust”, T-I-M-E. Your valuable time produces their trust.

• Behavior is communication, and it is said to be over 90% of our human communications.

• This is why self regulation and self management are so important.

• Kids before Content.

• If students are secondary, then their learning will be too…

• If our staff is secondary, our students will be secondary, and learning will be too.

SEL From a Distance: Tools for each SEL component

SEL 3 Signature Practices Playbook from CASEL

5:1 positive to corrective feedback ratio

• What does this mean and/or look like? Positive feedback (5) can be to the full group. Plan full group positive feedback.

Check ins: daily and/or weekly / Regular Temperature Checks

• • 3 questions: How are you? Do you have everything you need? What do you need?

  • Asking and recognizing feelings = human value

Check in Questions from The Distance Learning Hierarchy / Maslow’s Hierarchy

https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1_Fh_3SenpoVg10jr2HO8I4icy5XJyDSONw3gPEg81OY/edit?usp=sharing

• • Physical Needs: How are you and your family doing? Do you have access to food and necessities? What support can we provide you?

  • Safety Needs: Is your family feeling well (physically and emotionally)? Do you feel safe at home? What do you do to stay active? How can we support you?

  • Love and Belonging: We miss you. What have you been up to? Who have you been keeping in touch with? What’s your favorite way to stay in touch?

  • Esteem: You are doing the best you can/really well/fantastic You are strong and resilient. I’m proud of you.

  • Self-Actualization: What can I do to help you keep up with learning?

Formal SEL Lessons

• • SEL Activities for Teachers and Families from OSPI

• • Grades 3-8: Second Step Lesson

Connection

• • Human connections are important

  • But, also, remember to make connections that re-associate life to the classroom. Students are disconnected to what they are being taught and often disassociate life from the classroom, and it is our job to bring it in!

Modeling

• • Adults must practice from a point of Wellness to model to our students - we need to put our oxygen masks on first - they will watch us to see how we do so! Kids do not listen to what we say, they watch what we model.

  • Share your own struggles with your students and how you deal with them. We need to model that as adults we also deal with challenges and we have coping methods readily available.

    • Lean into your feelings with your students, then kids know it is normal to have those feelings.

    • How do we cope as adults? How do our students cope, and how is it appropriate to cope?

Sensory Tools

• • If students have sensory needs, suggest helpful things such as fidgets, ball chairs or other moveable seating like the wiggle seats, weighted blankets, or other types of helpful movement.

  • If students need assistance with obtaining these items, contact Marin Marks for help.

After the initial panic and confusion, it seems that people are settling in. Zoom classrooms are up and running. Teachers, parents, and students are slowly moving into a rhythm after spending countless hours working out technology kinks, lighting, microphones, curriculum design, and finding space in the house. Those of you with children of your own at home have figured out a way to get them up and running while providing a virtual classroom to the students you are responsible for teaching—all while figuring out how to get groceries, do laundry, disinfect everything, care for elderly parents, pay bills, and get outside for a little exercise.

All of this, with no actual spring break. No rest. No rejuvenation. No space. No ease.

Maybe you feel a little more confident. And in the same nano-second of time that you feel like you are just arriving at “I got this,” there is another feeling snuggling right up to your new-found confidence. It feels something like dread. How am I going to keep doing this? Is this really sustainable?

The answer is no. Probably not in the current iteration. You must allow for flexibility, patience, self-compassion, and change in order to sustain in this new “normal” for as long as it takes.

How do you cultivate those qualities while still orienting to the ever-changing landscape? Here are some tips to the stave off the dread that you may be feeling right now.

2020 Back to School Guide - SEL Playbook from Aperture Education