Educator Perspectives on SEL (Part 2)

Meeting the needs of today’s students is a team effort

With special guest Dr. Randy Russell

In the last few years, the term Social-Emotional Learning has gained much attention from both educators and parents. For some, SEL sounds like just another trendy buzzword in education.

According to CASEL, SEL is “the process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions.” In short, SEL is a broad term to describe many ways to support kids. But its focus on helping students with skills like resiliency, relationships, managing emotions, and building empathy may sound like the job of a parent.

This begs the question: “Should schools be teaching more than academics?”

In Part 2 of this series, we are joined again by a veteran educator and administrator to discuss how education is constantly navigating through an ever-changing world.

Freeman School District superintendent, Dr. Randy Russell, answers the question, “Should schools be teaching beyond reading and writing?” and shares his perspective on what he believes is making a difference for student support.