Changes in the nature of education.

In the era of Covid so many changes have been forced upon us as educators. Some of these changes have been good and bad, some have been overwhelming. We are all learning to adjust.

As a teacher, I returned to work this past September after a few years' absence. It was astonishing how many things have changed, yes some were from Covid but some were other types of changes. As a reading specialist I realized that our previous way of teaching and assessing reading is slowing gearing towards a more beneficial method. A change I thought was long overdue. And yes technology as a whole has shifted gears, primarily because of Covid. But one of the biggest changes has nothing to do with subject matter or technology, but for the emotional well-being of the students.

Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) has really taken the educational world by storm. Now SEL in general is not a new topic, its origins date back to the early 1980’s. But its growth in popularity has surely flourished. The school district I currently work in requires us to do at least two PD courses, a minimum of 25 hours each, one of the courses must be about SEL. We are not alone, PD workshops revolving around SEL are everywhere.

What makes up a sound SEL program? There are five general components to a sound SEL program:

Self-awareness

Self-management

Responsible decision making

Social awareness

Relationship skills

https://www.panoramaed.com/blog/guide-to-core-sel-competencies

The underlying theory of SEL is to allow students to understand and deal with their emotions and to become more empathetic and self aware. As teachers, we were always taught when students are at their best emotionally and socially, optimal learning has been proven to occur. So, what makes now a good time for SEL to be such an important factor on the minds of so many school districts nationwide?

The pandemic, Covid19, has affected everyone's life in one way or another. The social-emotional happenings of all students were hit hard. The closing of schools, the new virtual learning environment, and the halting of all social events took its toll on our youth. It literally was a shock to their lives. Thirty to forty percent of young people surveyed indicated that, during the pandemic,they have experienced negative effects on their mental health or social-emotional wellbeing. And rates of anxiety and suicide attempts have increased significantly, especially in girls, during the pandemic.

https://crpe.org/how-has-the-pandemic-affected-students-social-emotional-well-being-a-review-of-the-evidence-to-date/#:~:text=Students%20were%20cut%20off%20from,or%20engage%20in%20extracurricular%20activities.

So where does this fit in? How is this significant in the changes in education? Do these changes alter the job of the teacher? SEL education has to be placed as an important aspect of a students education. Curriculums are changing to incorporate SEL needs. This is undoubtedly changing the role of the teacher and the face of education in general.