Teacher SEL: Programs, Possibilities, and Contexts

Since stress and anxiety accompany many teachers’ work settings and arise from a variety of sources, we look for ways to reduce that stress. Mindfulness programs provide one source of relief for work related stress and, for some, an avenue for self and other exploration. Here we describe some aspects of those programs and encourage those so inclined to seek out such experiences.

The Center for Courage and Renewal’s programs for teachers encourage reflection on the social and emotional dimensions of teaching. In this module we focus on Center’s “Leading Together” program, one that encourages trust and communication within a school’s adult community.

Echoing Mark Edmundson (Why Read?) and other writers on the prominent role of the humanities in a liberal arts education, we argue for and elaborate the role of narrative and the humanities in teacher education and teacher professional development. In this module we show how narrative -- film, fiction, and other similar “texts”-- can be used to explore more fully one’s humanity in teaching, offer insights into the role of teacher, and come to a richer and fuller understanding of one’s students.

This module examines the importance of understanding that students’ rich offstage lives affect at every turn their lives within the classroom and school. A set of readings explores the “ghosts” in parents’ and teachers’ pasts and how those biographical experiences affect parent-teacher-student interactions. Another reading poignantly details the devastating impact for an immigrant child of being unknown --by both her teacher and her classmates. And a third reading delineates how a teacher’s/parent’s faith affects their understanding of public schooling and their zeal for reform.