The kids aren’t alright: We must ensure that our students are emotionally nourished

Every day nearly 3 million teachers report to work to teach the future of America. For many, this work is a calling and a privilege, but the conditions of their workplace are worsening and becoming more challenging. Why? Politics are hampering teachers’ abilities to help children succeed.   

The wake of the COVID-19 pandemic has had a tremendous psychological impact on our children. The National Center for Education Statistics reports more than half of all schools reported increased data on fighting and threats between students. More than half of schools reported increased disruptions because of student misconduct. Verbal abuse and disrespect in classrooms from students is up. Nearly 80 percent of public schools need more support for mental health.   

Students are experiencing previously unseen levels of anxiety, depression and behavioral health challenges, as well as gaps in their grasp of important concepts, facts and knowledge critical for future success. Teachers and school districts can help with this, if we can stop playing politics.  

Young children need social-emotional competencies such as getting along with one another, working collaboratively to solve problems, and how to effectively deal with interpersonal conflict and failure. As a former teacher in public schools and former superintendent in Connecticut, I know these skills don’t come naturally—they are learned. And they form the basis of social-emotional learning (SEL), critical and powerful skills that are essential to young people’s ability to succeed not just in school, but also in the workplace, at home and in their communities.

Students who lack these competencies cannot learn to their potential. While the focus on academic remediation from lost learning rightfully has been front and center, we know that this loss cannot be recovered while students are under emotional duress or in a mental health crisis. Just as in the 1960s when public schools began feeding breakfast to hungry students so they could learn more effectively, today we must ensure that our students are emotionally nourished to promote success.

Unfortunately, “social emotional learning” has become a tool that is being unnecessarily wielded by politicians. A 2017 study found that SEL helped “pre-kindergarten students improve executive function, better regulate their emotions and hone social skills.” Other studies have shown that learning these skills can help historically underserved populations. 

The reason social-emotional competencies are questioned is because some individuals do not understand, or do not want to understand, what SEL means and how it is taught. Parents have every right to be concerned about what their children are learning. Likewise, teachers seeking to build student competencies understand that they cannot reach kids who are an emotional mess.

We cannot assume that children know how to recognize what their emotions are, let alone how to work with them safely and skillfully. Without direct SEL instruction, children may move through adolescence and into adulthood avoiding their emotions. This can result in maladaptive behaviors such as addiction, overworking, overeating, anger and isolation.

Lacking these healthy tools, children grow up unable to solve problems or interact effectively with peers. They may struggle to succeed at school, in the workplace and in their personal and professional relationships. Exploring these critical lessons in humanity and personal growth is especially important in this era where standardized testing, pandemic-driven isolation and pervasive achievement gaps have allowed schools and communities to lose sight of the whole child, sacrificing emotional and social growth for manufactured metrics.

It is incredibly naive and disingenuous to blame SEL for the disintegration of societal norms and behaviors. It’s quite the opposite, actually—SEL is democracy in practice. It’s not dogmatic and gives our children space and resources for learning about themselves and the world around them. This includes setting and achieving positive goals, feeling and showing empathy for others and establishing and maintaining positive relationships.

SEL is our North Star, the foundation upon which relationships and the ability to survive and flourish in society is based. It helps teach us how to relate to one another and to prosper as individuals, a society and a nation. Strong leadership comes from equally strong and emotionally healthy individuals well versed in human behavior, compassion and open minds. We must reject the overt politicization of SEL and do what’s best for our kids. Our country is counting on it.  

David Title, Ed.D., is Associate Clinical Professor, chair of Department of Educational and Literacy Leadership, and director of the Ed.D. program focused on Social, Emotional and Academic Learning in the Isabelle Farrington College of Education & Human Development at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Conn.