Leadership Letter: A Team Approach to Implementing SEL

After receiving training on the state and district level, I began working with our administrator, Dr. Meghan Cates, and our Early Childhood Liaison Jodie Boyd to find ways of implementing social/emotional learning (SEL) in our school counseling program. In 2019, I was given the opportunity to lead a professional development session for Mooreville Elementary School teachers and support staff on the importance of SEL and meeting the needs of every child holistically.

As we look forward to making SEL a key component of our 2021–22 school year, Mooreville Elementary School chose to come together as a team to learn, grow and implement SEL as a priority in our school.

The first step in creating our approach was to develop our SEL team. The team consisted of a teacher from each grade level, curriculum coach, school counselors, administrators, a teacher from our exceptional needs classes and a teacher from the activity team (physical education, music, art, library).

Our next step was to assess what our staff knew and what they wanted to learn about SEL. Then, we emailed a teacher needs assessment created by the SEL team to each staff member, after which the team reviewed the responses.  We found a mixed understanding of how SEL looks in the classroom and the vital role each staff member plays in teaching children holistically. Many staff members discovered they were already using components of SEL but needed more information and resources.

The school counselors were asked to begin researching and compiling resources for an upcoming training session. Immediately, my co-counselor, Kara, and I found many resources for classroom teachers that could easily be added to their already rigorous teaching practices. As the training grew closer, Kara and I approached Dr. Cates for details concerning professional development. Finally, we decided to bring in a professional presenter who our district had used for a previous professional development on SEL.

With our team in place and training planned, we are looking forward to more collaboration during grade-level meetings where Kara and I will assist teachers in pairing their existing lessons with the new state SEL framework. Kara and I will continue to provide classroom instruction that focuses on the social/emotional needs of our students. This process will be an ongoing learning experience for our entire school. Meeting the needs of our students holistically so they can be successful students and become life-long learners will indeed be a labor of love.

Belinda Tutor is a Magnolia State SCA board member.