Once we’ve recognized (noticed) our feelings, we can try to understand them. This can be more difficult then it sounds, especially at school. Classrooms are busy and emotional resources are stretched thin (1 teacher:26 kids). Understanding takes time and energy, and both can seem like limited resources at school. But there are things we can do to help ourselves and our students increase our capacity for understanding. Here are some tips: Ask Thoughtful Questions & Listen to the Answers Sometimes we need to talk through our feelings in order to understand them. When kids are overwhelmed by their feelings, they may need an adult to scaffold this conversation for them.…
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Recognizing Emotions & Using the Mood Meter for Social Emotional Learning (RULER, part 1)
The RULER method for social emotional learning begins with recognizing emotions. Recognizing emotions simply means noticing the emotional territory we’re in. It doesn’t require us to name the emotion (that comes later), just notice. How Will Recognizing Emotions Help My Students? Recognition is the first step toward healthy expression and regulation. Ignored emotions become exaggerated, painful, and uncontrollable. Noticing a feeling, especially a negative one, can alleviate some of our emotional distress. When students notice they’re feeling a strong emotion they can: Reflect on what they need from themselves or others. Communicate their feelings. Ask for help if they need it. How Can I Help My Students Recognize their Emotions?…
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RULER: An Acronym for Social Emotional Learning + TpT Sale
If you want to spend less time putting out behavioral fires in your classroom, look to social-emotional learning. Outbursts, shutdowns, and fights occur when students don’t have tools for helpful (and appropriate) emotional expression. I recently read Marc Brackett’s Permission to Feel and was inspired to create classroom resources for his RULER acronym. In his book, Brackett points out what most of us already know–school is an emotionally fraught place for students and teachers, and we could all use some help. Today I’m so excited to release my newest TpT product–social emotional activities to fit each letter in the RULER acronym. It’s on sale until Friday, so be sure to…
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How Do You Feel? The Mood Meter + A Vocabulary Challenge
Like I mentioned, I’ve been inspired by Marc Brackett’s book Permission to Feel. In the book he points out that most of us have a pretty puny vocabulary when it comes to emotions. Beyond “sad, glad, mad” we’re lost, and so we usually just stick to “fine.” Brackett suggests several tools for enhancing our emotional vocabulary. The more words we have to describe emotion, the better we become at understanding emotion. One tool is the mood meter: The mood meter is composed of four quadrants. Each quadrant corresponds to high/low energy and pleasantness/unpleasantness: Red: High Energy + Unpleasant Emotions that are fear or anger-related belong in this quadrant. Blue: Low…
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Can Emotional Intelligence Make Me a Better Teacher?
I love the elementary school aesthetic. Primary colors, tempura paint, jewelry made of macaroni “beads”—I love it all. But cheerful decor (and Instagram posts) not withstanding, school isn’t always the safe, uplifting place teachers and students would like it to be. Sometimes, despite everyone’s best intentions, it’s the opposite. Ever witnessed a shouting match unfurl in front of an adorable bulletin board? Yeah, me too. Teachers and students spend a big chunk of their lives at school, and classrooms are the site of a lot of negative emotion. Consider this: According to Gallup, nearly half of teachers report high levels of stress at work. They are tied with nurses for…
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Brainy or Breezy? Four Books to Enjoy this Summer
Summer is the best time to get in some reading, but the question remains–should I focus my reading around professional development, or let my mind wander off campus? Here are four books to satisfy either inclination: Fiction Gilead by Marilynne Robinson will make you feel bright and whole. It’s narrated by the elderly Reverend Ames. Initially, Ames decides to write down his “begats” for his young son, but he is increasingly distracted by current events. His godson Jack has returned to the town of Gilead and his unsettling presence leads the Reverend to reflect on the town’s history and its very personal consequences. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel is a…
