Emma Stewart

It’s feeling a tad murky. I have had some great conversations that are helping me to approach a new SEL role from a different perspective and yet, the seas aren’t clear. I struggle to “think outside the box” and I realize that to envision a role that does not exist requires me to do just that. Enter you lovely people! What is missing between the role of a social worker and that of the assistant-head who deals primarily with behavioural issues? What does the school need (all stakeholders) to best support the emotional wellbeing of our students?

Colour outside the lines, think big idea and please help me to swim out of the goop!

*Sidebar – we are using #TheThirdPath as the platform to build our ideas with the primary focus on the foundational four conditions: safety, regulation, belonging and positivity.

Image by Arek Socha from Pixabay

This year, I have been gifted the opportunity to do something so outside my realm of expertise. TBH, I may not even have a realm of expertise but I feel I’m pretty darn good at teaching French to children with LDs. This new bit is a passion, something that I feel sits deep in me and that doesn’t need a lot of work to bring to the surface. Having said that, I feel like a complete imposter!

I am researching what student wellbeing looks like and trying to describe the HOW of building connected relationships. It’s really tricky to articulate this grey area but I feel strongly that it is the backbone to delivering the curriculum. When asked how I run my classroom, I struggle to pinpoint the aspects outside of the norm (get them talking, keep them talking, praise the baby steps…) and often respond with “I just do what I do, I dunno…”

I am using this year to look deeply at what is happening at our school from both the students’ and the teachers’ point of view. I hope to be able to put in writing pointers for educators to help them reflect and shift their approach so that relationships are the priority.

What’s happening at your school? How do you reach out to your students? How do you let each one feel that they are worth your time and effort? How do monitor yourself when triggered by a student/situation or particular behaviour?  I’d love your thoughts, suggestions, and ideas!

AND…GO!