The Social and Emotional Challenges of COVID School

You are in the beginnings of one of the most uncertain and challenging school years. The social and emotional challenges are immense, and sometimes an outside voice can be just what it takes to refresh your strength and hope. That’s why I offered a free mini-keynote in a recent email to the first five people who responded to this question.

The top two topics educators were interested in were
(1) Social and Emotional Well-being for Educators and Students
(2) Work-Life ​​​​​Balance

If you’re like most educators, you are experiencing overwhelming stress and possibly anxiety. I know that educators know how to do hard things, but wow…this is just hard.

A few strategies could be helpful.

That’s why I offered to pop into a few faculty meetings for free to offer strategies, inspiration, and encouragement.

Supporting educators is one of my top priorities, and I thought this would be fun and helpful for you!

The top two topics most of you were interested in were Social and Emotional Well-being for Educators and Students and Work-Life Balance. I’m super passionate about both of these topics.

Educators serve in one of the most noble, sacred professions, but we don’t always get the support and help we need on the backend.

Many of us feel lost in the fray and unable to jump off the rat race wheel of life. Becoming “good at life” is a challenge in and of itself.

I see it all of the time. Educators put in countless hours, preparing virtual, remote, online, and hybrid lessons for their students. And let’s be honest, you were in an overwhelming profession before COVID! But I believe wholeheartedly in Social and Emotional Learning and Well-being, which is why I’ve studied it for the last twenty years as a happiness coach.

According to CASAL (The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning ), “Social and emotional learning (SEL) is the process through which children and adults understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions.”

I also know the following about you, our educators. According to the latest research,

• 75% of teachers and 84% of school leaders report high levels of stress.
• 85% of teachers reported that work-life imbalance was affecting their ability to teach.

And when it comes to our students and their well-being, we know:

• Approximately 20 % of adolescents have a diagnosable mental health disorder. R.C. Kessler, Archives of General Psychiatry.
• 40% of students in the U.S. have been exposed to some form of traumatic stressor.

Lastly, a meta-analysis covering three decades of research, around that social-emotional learning interventions increased students’ academic performance by 11 percentile points compared to those that did not participate in SEL programs.

Which is why I’m on a mission to bring this well-being piece to educators and their students. It’s why The Science of Happiness is my #1 keynote that I deliver across the country. It’s also why I created The Happy Academy. I’m determined to root for teachers and help them reclaim their joy and well-being inside the classroom, across the computer screen, and in their home life too.

I am rooting for you!

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