Celebrating National SEL Day

    On Monday, students across our school participated in National SEL Day, dedicating time to deepen their social-emotional learning skills that will serve them well beyond the classroom. Throughout the day, students engaged in activities designed to help them recognize their emotions, practice positive self-talk, and collaborate effectively with their peers.

    During ELA, we read "Catching Thoughts" by Bonnie Clark, a powerful story about a girl who learns to manage her negative thoughts. The book uses the metaphor of catching and releasing thoughts like balloons, teaching children that they have control over which thoughts they hold onto. After reading, 4th graders identified their own negative thoughts, writing them on the left side of a chart. Some thoughts were, "I'm not good at math and "Everyone else understands the assignment except me. I'm not smart like them."

  Through thoughtful discussion, fourth graders transformed "I'm not good at math" into "I can improve at math with practice," and "Everyone else understands the assignment except me. I'm not smart like them" became "Learning something new takes practice. I can ask questions and get help if I need it." Seeing students reframe their thinking in such positive ways was truly amazing, and many shared that they felt calmer and present after releasing some of their negative thought "balloons."

  During SEL, students were given a challenge! Using only 10 spaghetti noodles and 20 marshmallows, they worked in small groups to build the tallest free-standing structure that could support a marshmallow for at least 15 seconds. This activity required patience, communication, and perseverance as structures were falling. I saw students practicing their replacement thoughts in real-time, transforming "This is impossible!" into "Let's try something different."

    Then, during math, students tackled challenging multistep word problems involving various operations including addition, subtraction, multiplication, and fractions. What made this lesson different than usual was our incorporation of regular "feeling check-ins." At random times, I would pause the class and ask students to identify their current emotions and physical feelings. Students reported feeling "frustrated but determined" when stuck on difficult problems, or "proud and excited" when successfully working through challenges.

 These check-ins provided students with an opportunity to develop self-awareness and emotional regulation. Many students noticed connections between their emotions and their ability to solve problems, noticing that taking deep breaths when feeling overwhelmed helped them think more clearly. Others realized that collaborating with classmates not only made the math more manageable, but also created feelings of togetherness and support.

  Fourth graders are developing critical skills that extend far beyond school—they're learning to identify their emotions, transform negative thoughts, and work collaboratively through challenges. These skills will serve them well not only in school but throughout their lives.