Caring for the Whole Student: Positive Social-Emotional Interactions

In 2022, students face many immense uncertainties - their families’ economic realities, the pressures they face online and in social media - that weigh on all aspects of their life, including their continuous learning within the classroom. The cumulative effect can be hugely detrimental to mental health, especially when teachers, too, struggle with their own concerns around these issues, and they may not know how to support students. Big Thought CEO Byron Sanders found that only “7% of educators felt prepared to address” students' social-emotional interactions. 

The most progressive educational systems dedicate time for making a positive impact on every student’s social and emotional intelligence. A majority of educators support this thinking. The 2020 Educator Confidence Report found that “77 percent of educators [are] concerned about student social emotional wellbeing.”

Furthermore, social-emotional programs have many practical applications.  Social-emotional interactions help students build solid foundations, improve behaviors, make better decisions, improve academic performance, and see others’ points of view.

Whether you’re working in elementary, middle, or high school, let's take a look at how to implement social-emotional interactions for all of the social-emotional learners in your classroom.

• Create a space for emotional transparency. Students dealing with anxiety, stress, anger, or other heightened emotional states need a healthy outlet to express what they’re feeling. In addition to enlisting licensed counselors, educators should strive to make the classroom a safe space that encourages emotional transparency.  

• Encourage collaboration. Collaboration can give students an pathway for productive relationship building. Not only do these kinds of spaces help reduce individual workloads, but they also foster positive cooperation and empathy. Teamwork creates a classroom community for everyone. 

• Incorporate social-emotional strategies into everyday learning. Reinforce traditional academic achievement with social-emotional behaviors. Pause a challenging science lab to gauge how students feel. Or illustrate a difficult calculus equation by encouraging students to discuss the toughest elements. ‍

• Practice self-care. Encourage students to practice self-care activities. That might mean taking a break from scheduled activities to read or talk to friends. Educators can model this behavior through meditation, spiritual self-care, or mindfulness.

Ultimately, students spend most of their year at school. Their personal concerns matter just as much as their classroom ones. Educators have a responsibility to provide holistic care to students, and to engage with them as both pupils and human beings. Cultivating positive social-emotional competencies goes a long way towards greater academic and emotional success. 

Additional Resources:

Do you use Formative? Check out these formatives available in our library:

• Wellness Check - Sample Questions
• Sample Learning Reflection Questions

And for additional resources on social-emotional practices, we’ve prepared the following:

1. Why Social and Emotional Learning Is Essential for Students
2. Collaborative Classrooms Support Social-Emotional Learning
3. Promoting Young Children’s Social and Emotional Health 
4. How to Improve Social and Emotional Wellbeing
5. SEL for Students: Social Awareness and Relationship Skills 
6. What Is the CASEL Framework?
7. Advancing Social and Emotional Learning
8. Why is Social-Emotional Learning Important? 
9. Ensure Supports for Social and Emotional Learning