BLOGS  >  OCTOBER 15, 2020

Avoiding a Rocky Start with Social and Emotional Learning

BY ROBERTA STARCK

Whether you are teaching virtually, on-site or using a hybrid model, building a layer of social and emotional learning (SEL) into your classroom this year is crucial. SEL stitches threads of self-awareness and mindfulness into the daily interactions with your students and their caregivers. And those connections hold the most promise for a successful school year. Consider SEL as a primary goal for you and your students.

One of the words that has been buzzing around the field of education in recent months is isolation. Students are feeling disconnected and alone in quarantine. While this is impacting all students, special needs students can be the most affected by remote learning. It can be too loud, too stimulating and too hard to filter for these students. I heard that the state of Michigan issued funds for student mental health and provided learning resources for disadvantaged, special education, and ELL students. Recently, NBC television journalist Richard Engel connected with his viewers to explain the anxiety of his special needs son. He tells how therapies vanished with the pandemic.

How do we provide a remedy for isolation that has surfaced for so many? How do we create human touch and face-to-face learning while ensuring we stay safe during this time? Incorporating SEL can help!

Here are some tools and resources to incorporate SEL:

  • Incorporate mindfulness in distance learning. Edutopia shares ways to model mindfulness and create rituals with students regardless of where they are learning.
  • Start your day with a question. Have students write 1-2 goals for today that are achievable. You can even develop class goals and have each student write how they can help the class achieve the goal that week.
  • Use quotes. Have students submit inspiring quotes to you. Throughout the school year, you can read one of the quotes daily and start a discussion around what it means.
  • Have daily-read alouds. Using #ClassroomBookADay is a way to build community across all grades. These daily picture book read-alouds take an average of seven minutes to read. Then, let the students lead a discussion around the theme or meaning of the book.
  • Connect with your peers. Connect with your librarian, music, PE and art teachers and support staff to create a mentoring program for students who are struggling. It builds threads of community relationships and a layer of social and emotional support.
  • Keep the fun! There are still ways to celebrate! Don’t forget to incorporate the “fun stuff” from your classroom like birthdays, spirit week and holidays. You can still use engaging games like trivia and Jeopardy even while in a distance learning environment. Check out Follett’s Pinterest board for more ideas.


A focus on social and emotional learning is not only important for the students. Educators are going through a range of emotions every day as they battle technology, uncertainty of the school year, and feelings of isolation. This article from Edutopia provides some guidance from one educator to another.

You can find more ideas for SEL resources including book lists, classroom libraries and more on Titlewave®.

Roberta Starck
MEd Curriculum & Instruction & MLIS

I’ve been with Follett School Solutions for 13 years and create lists for school libraries all around the globe. My career spans twenty-four years as a teacher and librarian in elementary and middle school. Our Follett team meets weekly and virtually with trade and curriculum publishers so we can keep abreast of all the new print and digital resources coming out!

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