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Be Good to Your SEL

 by Sharilee Griffiths, Director, and Meagan Waite, Assistant Director - My Discovery Destination!

No, that is not a typo in the title. SEL is actually an acronym that stands for social-emotional learning. According to National University, “Social emotional learning (SEL) is a methodology that helps students of all ages to better comprehend their emotions, to feel those emotions fully, and demonstrate empathy for others” (https://bit.ly/3M9Qs1M). And, it is important because it increases kindness and empathy while reducing depression and stress among students (https://edut.to/3IMjQct). 

SEL is an integral part of human development. It is the process through which all children and adults develop the knowledge, skills, self-awareness, attitudes and personal well-being to acquire and apply the emotional competencies that help them thrive. It helps young people to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions. It covers everything from building confidence and managing emotions to making friends and understanding ethical decision-making skills.

SEL activities also give kids the tools they need to deal with challenging situations, cope with new environments, develop a growth mindset and forge positive relationships with their peers and beyond. 

I recently spoke with a friend of mine who is an educator; she has taught elementary school, been a teacher mentor, and is now an elementary school principal. She shared a disturbing fact with me–most teachers do not have time to teach curriculum because they are spending most of their days teaching SEL. While SEL is important to a school setting, students function best when these important coping skills are taught at home.

My Discovery Destination! can help!

The second Friday in March every year (this year March 11th) is SEL day, an annual event to “showcase, promote, advocate, and support SEL in school and communities across the world” (https://selday.org/). Only for the month of March the Celebrate #SELday Discovery Hunt (game code “SEL”) housed on the Goosechase App will be available to families for FREE. 

Come celebrate SEL Day with us.

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