Check out the article by Pam Moore that features tips for parents from Confident Parents, Confident Kids’ author, Jennifer Miller in The Washington Post today. It also features the important work of CASEL – the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning in defining social and emotional competencies and supporting schools in integrating these core life skills. Here’s how it begins…
Schools are Teaching Kids Empathy and Self-Control. It Helps at Home Too…
“More Goldfish!” my 5-year-old demands.
I summon all my patience. “Can you try that again?”
“I’m hungry!”
I take a long blink. “Honey? Can you—”
Her face is still beet red, but her body has relaxed. She takes a deep breath, then slowly blows the air through her pursed lips. This is the “birthday cake” breathing she learned in kindergarten.
“Mom, can I please have more Goldfish?”
My daughter attends public school in Boulder, Colo., where her teacher is one of a handful of educators integrating social and emotional learning (SEL) into the classroom. But the Boulder Valley School District (BVSD) board recently approved a grant to fund the investigation of SEL Competencies, with the goal of creating a systemwide approach to SEL. That means more kids will be learning how to understand and manage their emotions, set goals, build healthy relationships, make good decisions and have empathy, according to the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning. Read the full article.
