黑料传送门

March 11 is National Social Emotional Learning Day. At 黑料传送门, we are deeply invested in training and programming to promote understanding and adoption of social emotional learning research and best practices 鈥� for our students, for our alumni and for each other working in the University and beyond. Research shows us time and again the benefits of SEL, from a happier and healthier workforce to improved student outcomes. In honor of SEL Day approaching, (and because we love to help teachers every chance we get) we have this article for teachers everywhere from Hilary Simon, Senior Manager for Social Emotional Learning at 黑料传送门.

There are so many self-compassion exercises you can integrate into your day, even if it鈥檚 just a one-minute meditation. I know your time is precious, so let鈥檚 jump right in with a few ideas and exercises you can start this week to improve the quality of your day and the day of your fellow teachers.

Here are three strategies to help you immediately with the resources you have on hand: Self Compassion, Building Connections, and Tap Out Buddies.

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We鈥檝e all read about the importance of gratitude, and many of us in the last two years have started gratitude practices and journals or morning meditations. If you haven鈥檛, consider doing so. But what if you are having a bad day, or are tired, or frustrated? I鈥檓 not a fan of toxic positivity.

Reflecting on gratitude broadens perspective, builds resources and enhances resilience. Now connect the two thoughts with the word AND and say it out loud. So, it will sound like this: 鈥淚鈥檓 exhausted today, and it鈥檚 a gorgeous sunny day.鈥澨� By connecting these two polar experiences, we give balanced attention to all aspects of our lives. Over time you can help rewire your brain for improved well-being. (Emmons & McCullough, 2003; Seligman, Steen, Park, & Peterson, 2005; Hill, Allemand, & Roberts, 2013)

As a teacher you are not alone. There are many adults around you in your day who can help.听 Asking for help is not a sign of weakness, it鈥檚 the mark of courage and admirable self-awareness and it boosts resilience.听 Here are a few ways to build those healthy connections, to help you navigate challenges and thrive in your professional and personal life.听听

Get a Mentor Teacher in Your School

It can be super helpful to have a friend who has been teaching longer than you who has been through those first few years of experimental learning. They may be willing to share lessons learned for classroom management and creative problem solving. Most seasoned educators are delighted to support incoming teachers new to their roles by sharing tips and best practices.听

Connect in your Break Room

There are mountains of great ideas about how to connect with your team whether virtual or face-to-face. For your break room consider using a whiteboard or bulletin board as a place to connect with each other. I read a great piece of advice yesterday to 鈥渟pill your bucket鈥� 鈥� share what鈥檚 on your bucket list. You can put up small cards of your various bucket list dream destinations and all guess who belongs with which destination. You鈥檙e likely to find some commonalities that give you more reasons to connect. You could also put up a map with push pins and your names in the places you grew up. You may find out you have someone with a shared history or geography right in your school.听听

Add a Pot-luck Meal to your Staff Development Days

Nothing says love like sharing food and breaking bread together. By each bringing something made from your own home by your hands and sharing it, we build connections and enhance our recipe collections! And after a day of staff training, it鈥檚 a wonderful time to take that last hour and eat, relax, and connect with each other.听听

Make a Phone a Friend List

When you鈥檙e in crisis, it鈥檚 hard to think of who to call. Make yourself a contacts entry in your phone and put who you call for what when you need a three-minute pep talk. Maybe Sally is good for sharing any personal challenges at home, Bob for understanding angst with a job- related challenge and so on. Just put their names and numbers in your contact under Phone a Friend and you鈥檒l be ready to make the most of 3鈥�5-minute leveling connection.听听

The third strategy I鈥檓 offering here is one that requires a prior conversation with your principal or administrator for approval.听 When I was teacher, we had Tap Out Buddies in our school. If I was in my class and felt like I needed an urgent three-minute break from my classroom to self-regulate, I could 鈥渢ap in鈥� a colleague while I stepped out.听Setting up this system takes some advanced prep and boundaries, but it can really help!

It's very important to put some understandings in place on this tap out program. First, use the tap out strategy to model self-regulation skills and prevent things from getting out of control. Notice your warning signs for becoming overwhelmed (tightness in the chest, clenched jaw and fists, loss of focus) and start the process then, rather than letting something fester until you react and explode. Students can sense that tension rising, and they are likely to react in a similar manner.听 Don鈥檛 wait until Tommy throws his monthly temper tantrum to tap out. Never leave your classroom in chaos.听

Second, have something prepared so your buddy who is tapping in has something constructive to do. Your students need some order when you are tapping in or out. Provide clear instructions for the learning activity in progress or consider giving them a reading assignment or reflection exercise so the person being tapped can maintain healthy order in the class.

Third, introduce the process to your students and practice as a class.听 Involving students normalizes emotions, provides opportunity to model critical self-awareness and self-management skills, and familiarizes them with the tap-out experience, so they feel comfortable and confident whenever it eventually happens.听Finally, as mentioned earlier, be sure your plan is organized and in place with your leader鈥檚 approval before texting your Tap Out Buddy. Mine was an administrative assistant who could hop into my classroom a few times a year for a few minutes, and that鈥檚 all it took to get me to a better place for myself and my students.听

You can also access our curated list of free, open SEL resources here in this Learning Community. Thank you and be well!听

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