The Foundation of Social-Emotional Learning
/Anyone involved with schools—teachers, students, families, administrators, support
staff—felt the tear in the fabric of education when COVID-19 disrAnyone involved with schools—teachers, students, families, administrators, support
staff—felt the tear in the fabric of education when COVID-19 disrupted our lives. No one
was ready for this cosmic disconnect, and as we ease away from the pandemic, we are
seeing devastating losses both in academics and social skills. C4C mentors are
supporting teachers to keep children on task with academics, but also, importantly, our
mentors are filling a gap in social-emotional learning (SEL).
I recently visited a program in Providence where our mentors spend time with students.
Thoughtful and innovative educators, after noticing that many students who are
struggling with academics are also suffering with a variety of mental health issues—from
self-harming and feelings of helplessness and worthlessness to depression and
anxiety—created a voluntary Saturday school to lift students academically and
emotionally. Our mentors help the kids feel more connected and more positive in their
relationships, which makes it easier for the students to learn and tackle their academics.
The students connect with the college-age mentors who are not far removed from the
younger students and whose diversity reflects the student populations in the schools
they serve.
Every time I see our mentors in the schools, I’m proud of the work they are doing. The
stories of the children, though, are heartbreaking. In our Massachusetts and Rhode
Island programs, we hear about the difficulties vulnerable students face. One student, a
foster child, can often be found crying quietly at school because of feelings of isolation.
This child has little money to join extracurricular activities and also struggles with how
to deal with body odor, making it difficult to make friends. The student doesn’t seem to
have the adult network to help navigate the world.
This is where our mentors can gently help with social-emotional learning. They listen.
They guide. They reinforce ideas of persistence, resilience, curiosity, empathy, self-
worth, problem-solving, and community building. This is crucial. Not surprisingly, the
Covid-19 pandemic often hit children in communities struggling hardest with poverty.
Not only did their schools close, taking away safe havens and access to food and health
programs, but the pandemic distanced and sickened their families and teachers at high
rates, adding levels of fear and uncertainty to their lives already fraught with challenges.
Sadly, this important part of learning, growing up, and becoming a positive force in
society has become a political football in many places in the larger debate of what should
be taught in school. Anyone who has ever watched a child wonder if they fit in or
whether they should even try, if they have a future or whether they even want one,
understands that SEL shouldn’t be co-opted by politics. It’s the soft tissue that holds
everything together. Although it can sometimes seem difficult to define, which allows for
misunderstanding and misrepresentation, SEL is a critical part of creating better-
adjusted students as we try to knit back connections lost in the last few years. A recent
EdWeek research survey found that nearly half of the educators polled said the
academic learning gap consumes their time, leaving little for them to help their students
with social-emotional learning. Simultaneously, many are reporting an alarming and
rising rate of mental health and behavior problems.
There is no doubt that students have slipped drastically in math, science, language skills,
and other academics. But they are also suffering from falling behind in social-emotional
learning, and without this base, catching up in the academic arena is all the harder. If
you’re desperately lonely, consumed with anxiety, or thinking of self-harm as a way to
make sense of the world, it’s difficult to concentrate on a book report or the
multiplication tables.upted our lives. No one
was ready for this cosmic disconnect, and as we ease away from the pandemic, we are
seeing devastating losses both in academics and social skills. C4C mentors are
supporting teachers to keep children on task with academics, but also, importantly, our
mentors are filling a gap in social-emotional learning (SEL).
I recently visited a program in Providence where our mentors spend time with students.
Thoughtful and innovative educators, after noticing that many students who are
struggling with academics are also suffering with a variety of mental health issues—from
self-harming and feelings of helplessness and worthlessness to depression and
anxiety—created a voluntary Saturday school to lift students academically and
emotionally. Our mentors help the kids feel more connected and more positive in their
relationships, which makes it easier for the students to learn and tackle their academics.
The students connect with the college-age mentors who are not far removed from the
younger students and whose diversity reflects the student populations in the schools
they serve.
Every time I see our mentors in the schools, I’m proud of the work they are doing. The
stories of the children, though, are heartbreaking. In our Massachusetts and Rhode
Island programs, we hear about the difficulties vulnerable students face. One student, a
foster child, can often be found crying quietly at school because of feelings of isolation.
This child has little money to join extracurricular activities and also struggles with how
to deal with body odor, making it difficult to make friends. The student doesn’t seem to
have the adult network to help navigate the world.
This is where our mentors can gently help with social-emotional learning. They listen.
They guide. They reinforce ideas of persistence, resilience, curiosity, empathy, self-
worth, problem-solving, and community building. This is crucial. Not surprisingly, the
Covid-19 pandemic often hit children in communities struggling hardest with poverty.
Not only did their schools close, taking away safe havens and access to food and health
programs, but the pandemic distanced and sickened their families and teachers at high
rates, adding levels of fear and uncertainty to their lives already fraught with challenges.
Sadly, this important part of learning, growing up, and becoming a positive force in
society has become a political football in many places in the larger debate of what should
be taught in school. Anyone who has ever watched a child wonder if they fit in or
whether they should even try, if they have a future or whether they even want one,
understands that SEL shouldn’t be co-opted by politics. It’s the soft tissue that holds
everything together. Although it can sometimes seem difficult to define, which allows for
misunderstanding and misrepresentation, SEL is a critical part of creating better-
adjusted students as we try to knit back connections lost in the last few years. A recent
EdWeek research survey found that nearly half of the educators polled said the
academic learning gap consumes their time, leaving little for them to help their students
with social-emotional learning. Simultaneously, many are reporting an alarming and
rising rate of mental health and behavior problems.
There is no doubt that students have slipped drastically in math, science, language skills,
and other academics. But they are also suffering from falling behind in social-emotional
learning, and without this base, catching up in the academic arena is all the harder. If
you’re desperately lonely, consumed with anxiety, or thinking of self-harm as a way to
make sense of the world, it’s difficult to concentrate on a book report or the
multiplication tables.