Data supports the belief that students with strong social/emotional skills do better academically as well as being generally healthier, happier, and more resilient. Here at Swasey we are consistently working to align with the SAU 16 initiative on Social Emotional Learning (SEL). The guidance counselor and school psychologist have been attending lots of conferences regarding how to integrate SEL into our teaching & learning community. Much like Competency-Based Education, integrating SEL is a work in progress.
Mrs. McNally is focusing her time at Swasey specifically teaching social emotional skills. This reinforces the work teachers do daily with Responsive classroom and Open circle. Students who need more support in these areas may meet with her in a group or individually. She uses the Second Step curriculum within the whole group classroom environment to directly teach these social skills.
Guidance has also developed a framework of traits to provide consistency and build school unity. These traits are called the "Hawks 5" and Mrs. McNally will be going into classrooms every month to teach lessons related to each trait.
HAWKS 5
Honesty - I can be myself & admit when I make a mistake
Assertiveness - I can say what I need and what I feel
Work habits - I can be a learner
Kindness - I include others and notice how they feel
Self-Control - I am in charge of my body, my words, my thoughts and actions
Kindergarteners were introduced to the idea of self-control by talking about cars at a stoplight. We talked about what would happen if a car went through a red light. The students were able to say that the car might crash and someone might get hurt. We talked about self-control in our brains being the same as a stoplight. Using self-control helps us to stay safe and helps things run smoothly. We looked at a visual of a stoplight and talked about how self-control means that we "Stop, Opt, and Go." Our bodies often tell us when our behavior should stop -- when we feel angry, our chests get tight, etc. At that point, we need to stop what we are doing. Then we "Opt" this means we think "is this going to make things better or worse?" Then we go and do the thing that will make the situation better. We practiced our self-control by playing the game "red light/green light" and changing up the rules (stopping when we said green, going on red). We talked about how each of us is in control of ourselves, our thoughts, and bodies.
First graders learned that self-control makes us better learners so that we can follow directions, make friends, use our thinking brains, and not get in the way of others learning. We learned and practiced the skill of the "self-check" to go along with the "Stop, Opt, and Go" model. A "self-check" is where students Stop, then ask themselves "is this what I should be doing right now?" Then the students practice "rebooting" themselves before the teacher has to let them know about it.
Third graders talked about self-control using "the size of my problem" monitor. We looked at different problems and decided what level on the "problem thermometer" they might be, and how our reaction should match the size of the problem. We also talked about how many small problems can be "self-solve" by changing our negative thoughts to more positive ones.
Fourth graders brainstormed what they knew about self-control and why it is important. We then read the story "Sparky Hooves" by Pedro Pablo Sacristan. The story tells of a bull who is meant to be in a bullfight. The bull realizes that if he does not rise to the taunts of the matador or the audience even though he is upset and angry, he will be able to live out his life in peace. We discussed afterward how being able to keep your cool when people are trying to upset you takes a great deal of self-control. Students took turns talking about times they showed self-control and shared ideas about how to keep self-control in tricky situations.
Fifth graders enjoyed trying out the "Marshmallow Test" - the famous experiment where children were asked to use self-control to avoid eating a marshmallow. The study found that students who had better self control as children got better grades, managed stress better, had stronger relationships, and were generally happier. The students learned tips for better self-control and set "self-control goals" for themselves.