In the age of COVID-19 and years ahead – the number 1 focus of every educator in the country should be social emotional learning and school based support for student mental health.
Shifting focus to school based mental health supports
Consider the following:
- Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among adolescents ages 10-24 (CDC, 2013).
- Adolescent mortality is a devastating public health issue because the majority of these causes of death are, by definition, preventable.
- Research shows roughly 1 in 5 students in grades K-12 will have a mental health issue.
- Additionally, an increased incidence of bullying and acts of school-based violence means many states and counties are required by law, grant, or mandate to teach students social emotional skills (perseverance, self awareness, etc.) and integrate social emotional learning practices into their student safety and support plans.
Positive mental health = positive academic success
Teaching practices such as cooperative learning and project-based learning promote SEL. These strategies can be seamlessly incorporated into academic curriculums such as language arts, math, social studies, or health.
The integration of social emotional learning teaching practices into standard school and district curriculums has proven benefits for students across the board. These include improvements in academic achievement, overall life satisfaction, and global indicators of psychological well being.
Having the healthiest mind possible makes it easier to learn. The act of teaching and learning itself is an emotional relationship and experience, and emotional needs must be met in order for learning to take place.
Laying the foundation for future success
Social emotional learning includes domains that make up the building blocks of psychological well-being. These domains include traits such as emotional regulation, self-control, and empathy – the key indicators of a child’s overall level of mental wellness and ability to positively cope with negative experiences.
A healthy social emotional environment is the foundation of a school that proactively meets their student needs by supporting their ability to learn and thrive in traditional academics through developing these skills.
We know that people (children especially) need a diverse set of resources to draw upon when navigating the complexities of life or stressful events.
The time for social emotional learning and smashing the stigma surrounding school based mental health for our nation’s youth is now.
Be a rebel leader. Join the SEL movement.
Have a resource you want to share with our national community of CoVitality champions? Taking the charge with SEL and student wellness support in your school or district? Or – just want to get in touch to chat about our shared passion to support the next generation’s flourishing wellbeing? Let’s talk! info@covitality.com
