Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) for Everyone!

    "One day . . . or day one.”   Anonymous Cherokee Month of the Harvest Moon ( du n inv di)   SEL:   #2 Social Awareness In the olden days of the early 1990’s, I did not have a computer in my home to google skunks, so there is no Technology in Education listing for this Blog. In my small Montana town, a skunk got under the deck and sprayed right under my cedarwood closet and bedroom. This was not funny! I had to go to work the next day at school. Every article of clothing I owned was in that room.   We acted fast. All tree branches, fencing, deck posts, and makeshift clotheslines held hangers of clothing, bedding, towels--anything that was exposed to our odoriferous visitor. Our back yard looked like a laundry. I sprayed products on the clothes I had to wear the next day. I got to school early and opened all of the windows. Students often expected strange behavior from substitute teachers, so the stink was well and good with them. One kid tu...

"One day . . . or day one.” Anonymous   Cherokee Month of the Harvest Moon ( du n inv di)     SEL :     #4 Relationship Skills                     Digital Learner:   #4 Creative Communicator   When working with autistic children, picture cards are available to communicate if they cannot speak. I was a guest teacher one day, and a boy kept showing me a picture of fried chicken. I finally figured out this was the lunch menu. Many children respond to music so, I sang that lunch menu 52 times! “We’ve got mashed potatoes, peaches and peas. Fried chicken and a roll!” Having been in musical theater for years, I sang and sang many versions of that menu. He went to lunch a happy boy! It is required by law that assistive technology--whether the mouse, special keyboards, ear phones, pencils, slanted boards, tablets, etc.--are made available to benefit spec...