“When educating the minds of our youth, we must not forget to educate their hearts” - Dalai Lama
There’s a lot of talk these days about SEL and social-emotional learning.
With SEL, students learn to manage their own emotions and behaviors, have empathy and show care and concern for others, solve problems effectively, make responsible decisions, and maintain healthy relationships.
Students are self-aware of what’s happening inside them and are aware of their emotions, which helps them deal with strong emotions and impulsive behaviors. It helps them stop, take a breath, and think about a situation before acting. Students learn to identify others’ emotions and perspectives, which helps them empathize and show compassion, no matter who they are and how old they are. It’s not difficult to imagine how this is important in the classroom — and in life!
Research shows that social-emotional learning makes a difference. Students who participate in SEL do better academically and have improved attitudes and behaviors. Harvestians are encouraged to collaborate with their peers through varied learning engagements and peer interactions. Collaborative work enables students to interact with different age groups, express their ideas, be empathetic towards each other and be responsible. Simply put, by participating in social-emotional learning, students learn the skills to succeed in every facet of school and the rest of their lives.