Final Thoughts

Helping Children Grow From the Inside Out

Social and emotional learning is not an extra part of education. It is woven into relationships, learning, behavior, decision-making, communication, and children's ability to feel successful at school.

Development begins long before a child enters our classroom. Prenatal experiences, early relationships, family experiences, temperament, culture, and later environments can all contribute to a child's development.

As educators, we may not be able to change what happened before a child entered our classroom, but we can influence what happens while they are with us.

We can create predictable routines.

We can model calm responses.

We can teach the words children need to describe their feelings.

We can help students repair relationships after mistakes.

We can listen.

Most importantly, we can remind children through our everyday actions that they belong and that learning how to manage emotions and relationships is something we practice together.

When schools and families work as partners, children receive consistent opportunities to develop the social and emotional skills they will carry far beyond the classroom.