What is Teachers' SEL?

Teaching is hard. The craft itself is hard, relationships with students, families, and colleagues are complicated, and the world of schools is itself an ever-changing maze that often seems impossible to navigate. Not surprisingly, many teachers feel stressed and burned out.

And, of course, teaching is beautiful and rewarding in truly incomparable ways.

Upon watching, listening to and working with many teachers, it becomes evident that for teaching to be sustainable and rewarding, the personal well-being of teachers is a foundational requisite.

This truth foregrounds the importance of SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING (SEL), which schools and scholarship have tended to highlight more in regard to students than to teachers themselves.

The purpose of these web pages is to present an evolving array of information and resources  on teachers’ SEL from a variety of sources and perspectives—from research articles to academic opinion pieces to newspaper articles to blog posts to podcasts and social media testimonials and tutorials.

SEL advances educational equity and excellence through authentic school-family-community partnerships to establish learning environments and experiences that feature trusting and collaborative relationships, rigorous and meaningful curriculum and instruction, and ongoing evaluation. SEL can help address various forms of inequity and empower young people and adults to co-create thriving schools and contribute to safe, healthy, and just communities.

Teacher education programs often highlight the importance of SEL as a tool for students, but glaze over the importance of why teachers should engage in SEL. This equips teachers with skills to manage stress, build positive relationships, and guides teachers on how to create a supportive teaching environment. These skills are crucial in reducing burnout, promoting self-care, and enhancing emotional regulation. SEL also improves student outcomes! Teachers who practice social emotional learning serve as models for students, demonstrating the importance of emotional intelligence, empathy and responsible decision making.