Most of the time, you need to actively learn to express your needs, understand others, and not dilute your inner voice, as most teenagers do in peer pressure. Though Gen Z and Gen Alpha are getting more opinionated, here is what I experience when emotional learning in a social setup with friends. It's okay to feel pressure when things don't go as you want, But that does not give you the sole freedom to compromise your needs to prioritize others. In the long term, you fail to realize the idea of losing a sense of self, when constantly fulfilling others' expectations. And life is merely above that. Don't just hide your interest, or change opinions to match others, a healthy boundary is what we cherish.

Growing and expanding SEL skills involves daily practice and increasing our understanding. When we focus on our own SEL we are naturally modeling it for others. One of the ways I often model SEL with children is being curious about mistakes. I will gently and with curiosity, notice my mistake out loud and invite ideas for problem solving. This works well with adults to and often brings solutions we would not have noticed.

I have learned that one of the best practices of promoting SEL with my clientele in the past has been open communication and meeting my children where they are at. The phrase “share when helpful, not when it will cause harm” rings so true to me here. I have found kids I work with respect me more for telling my truth and working with them towards better outcomes by also sharing bits of my past where it can be helpful to motivate them that achieving a positive life is possible when having a positive mindset is at work.

An example I've seen here is when a speaker asks for contributions from adult learners during a professional learning opportunity. We all know the people who will share/contribute no matter what, right? I like it when we get multiple perspectives and it's helpful when a facilitator can pull this out of the adults in the room.

One way of establishing a safe and supportive environment is to allow think time before discussions. Provide participants with sticky notes to jot down their ideas then allow for small group conversations or pair and share time for more in depth conversations. Allowing individual thought time is valuable and supports a variety of processing needs.

I take the approach of creating safe spaces. When children feel the need to calm down and want alone time, I have a quiet meditation corner with 5,4,3,2,1 “five senses” and beads on a cleaner for different breathing techniques. This area is set up to be soothing, with pillows and white noises. I have a sensory corner for kids who need to take a break and focus on senses. Different kinds of sensory jars I have made are located in this corner. These include rain stick jars, lava lamp jars, eye spy jars, color jars, baggies of things they can touch and feel. Also, seasonal baskets of things they can search for.

Creating a safe, judgement free zone requires trust and trust requires training. Most adults were not taught SEL skills and have been steeped in toxic behaviors that need to be unlearned to be safe. For example, one of the most pivot skills my EQ @Work program teaches is how to give feedback. When people learn simple concepts like putting a problem in front of the parties instead of between them — a lightbulb goes off and people realize they’ve been doing it wrong their whole lives. The coolest thing about SEL is that it isn’t difficult to learn but it must be taught.

You listen, understand and make it relevant to their context. Practical application speaks volumes - introduce the subject by demonstrating how it can solve a problem. Otherwise, when we use words like 'Socioemotional Learning', we run the risk of further alienating the subject.

I have seen that storytelling is a great way for people to understand and share one's authentic self. Pairing in teams helps team members connect fully with the topic and each other.

Agree. Brené Brown made a short video about the difference between empathy and sympathy that’s cute and funny. People really love watching the video and have a breakthrough immediately. Taking people through recall experiences is one of my most powerful tools but the most powerful is experiential with horses!

We train all our students and employees on the Melody Wilding method of accepting criticism/feedback. You take a sheet of paper and break it down into 4 columns: 1. The actual feedback - as verbatim as possible 2. Your emotional response to the feedback - This is where you rant and vent any emotion you feel about critical feedback. 3. What is right about the feedback - Are there any points that were true that could benefit you in the long run? Things you can take away (isolate the feedback from the person) 4. Action Items - How do you implement useful feedback? What are the CTAs as SMART goals? This method empowers you to respond positively to negative feedback, find the good in it, and fortify your confidence as a result.

I love celebrating diversity. We all come from different backgrounds in life, different walks. None of us are the same. Whether it be culturally, or whether it comes to behavior or disability. All of this needs to celebrated AND understood by children in classrooms. I feel as if it is us, as teachers, who need to be actively engaging students with books and activities to celebrate these differences.

At Zoy, we've ingrained the value of continuous improvement into our culture to promote social and emotional learning. We encourage our team to set personal and professional goals aligned with SEL principles, fostering self-awareness and growth. Regular check-ins and feedback sessions help us monitor progress and adapt strategies. Moreover, we've created a mentorship program where seasoned employees guide newcomers, sharing their experiences and insights. This collaborative approach not only enhances our SEL skills but also strengthens our sense of community and support.

Often when seeking to improve in an area we set expectations that are too high or not sustainable. Having the desire and motivation to improve in social emotional learning is valuable and helpful to our overall wellness. By focusing on small improvements that can be made overtime we increase our success. Yes it is fun and exciting to see growth. Achieving this long term by creating small changes and monitor their effectiveness. Remember to give a new strategy a few weeks to see if it’s working. It takes time for our mind and body to learn new ways of being. Equally important is knowing that what works for one person may not be the right fit for you. Cheering you on as you grow in your social emotional learning.