– It’s rather unfortunate that teachers are on the front lines with regards to providing to support to children developing mental disorders
–> Training in SEL can help teachers proactively prevent situations prone to producing mental disorder, intervene on behalf of children at significant risk, and as a side bonus, improve grades across the board, too!
–> More training!

– Shifting demand from memory- and analysis-based skills to social skills, adaptability and flexibility drives home the need for educational reform to account for this
–> Getting As in school no longer has the significance and practical importance it used to have – while high grades form entry slips into post-secondary education, educators must also address the need to help children develop strong social skills and self-regulatory practices to prepare them to cope with the stresses and challenges of entering the workforce

• What’s the point of getting straight As if the student still cannot find a way to effectively employ their abilities on a path of their choosing? Worse yet, for that same student to not even know how to choose a career path because they’re so focused on consuming and regurgitating information…

– If every province strives to create good citizens of upstanding moral character, what infrastructures and programs do they have in place to achieve this goal?
–> Do they hope to encourage the growth of character through emphasis on academics?
–> Much of kids’ social learning occurs outside of the classroom, but within the school context; and some teachers include a “hidden curriculum” of sorts…

• The problem with hidden curricula is that they’re hidden! Make it overt and practiced, just like academics!
• Social learning occurring outside the classroom remain outside the control of educators; we have serious issues with mental health and bullying, but due to the current system, educators are playing a largely reactionary role
  • Even though there are programs in place that advocate prosocial behaviour, anti-bullying, as well as mental health education, they do not address the reality that these programs do not take place enough in the classroom, where children are most receptive to learning
  • Educators should emphasize and take advantage of the high degree of control they exercise over their classroom environments to provide a safe, secure, welcoming, and compassionate place in which to learn and develop these essential skills