If you aren’t familiar with the acronym SEL, prepare to hear it at every meeting, professional development, and school event for the rest of your teaching career. SEL or social-emotional learning is the researched initiative to incorporate holistic learning in the classroom. SEL leaders like CASEL believe that schools should focus on the whole child to foster better learning environments. Despite the extensive research on the importance and benefits of incorporating SEL In the classroom, it is often minimized to student “check-ins.” 

While wellness checks are useful, SEL Is so much more than that. Social-emotional learning is the “process by which we develop the personal and interpersonal skills necessary to function as healthy productive members of society” (CASEL). I like to think of SEL as how to be a human amongst humans for dummies. It is truly that beneficial. Immersing yourself in SEL adds clarity when navigating personal and interpersonal situations. For example, it wasn’t until I was fully self-aware that teaching became an apparent,  almost obvious career choice I couldn’t fathom how I overlooked. My point is that when applied correctly, social-emotional learning is the instruction manual, framework, and guide to navigating life we all wish we had. 


You may still be wondering, why SEL? Like why is so much energy spent on teaching human skills that most people should just naturally acquire I understand that lane of thought. While people may indeed naturally acquire certain SEL skills throughout a lifetime, the acquisition is subject to individual unpredictable circumstances. A person’s environment, upbringing, parenting, and other life events impact their exposure, development, and timeframe for acquiring certain skills. Therefore, being intentional about teaching social-emotional skills is a path to ensure equitable access for the most amount of people to develop these skills often earlier in life. 


CASEL, the leading authority on SEL developed five core competencies or skills that people should learn. 

  1. Self-awareness 
  2. Self-management 
  3. Responsible Decision Making 
  4. Relationship Skills
  5. Social Awareness 

These competencies are the foundation of Surviving Year One because it was only through continuous application of these skills that I was able to survive my first year of teaching. 


Each month we will explore a different SEL skill and its application to being, doing, and staying well in your first year of teaching!