Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1400485
A S A T E A C H E R , you constantly check in on y our stud ent s to se e how th e y a re . Yo u're a l w ay s t h e re t o s u p p o r t them, and if they're struggling you help find assistance for them. It's all part of social-emotional learning (SEL). But you need SEL, too. New research f r o m th e Ya l e C e n t e r f o r E m o t i o n a l Intelligence and the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learn- ing (CASEL) shows that teachers are more anxious and overwhelmed since the pan- demic and in need of SEL more than ever. For you to best support students, you must feel supported as well. And not just by individuals, but within a structured system that permeates a school's culture. We found a few CTA members who have benefited from such a system. ese positive school environments that offer SEL for staff might inspire other districts to formalize programs where educators feel valued, cared about and supported. From the video "Focus on Adult SEL" at PBS Learning Media's resources for California educators (pbslearningmedia.org). STOCKTON: Educators thriving " W E A R E N O T here to learn how to teach like a champion, check for understanding, monitor students' progress or learn new pedagogical skills. We are here for our well-being and to build connections with each other. This is not professional development. It's personal development," Tyler Hes- ter tells his class. Welcome to an introductory session of Educators Thriving (ET ), a unique program in Stockton that has become a support network for educators in this Central Valley community. It started in 2019 when the district brought in Hester, then a Harvard doctoral student, to share his research-based personal development pro- gram to support early-career teachers. The Stockton Teachers Association (STA) received a grant from CTA to make the program free and expand it to include veteran teachers. Hester had surveyed educators and his program addressed the five "pitfalls" that were leading them to burnout: feeling overwhelmed, personal neglect, unexpected challenges, isolation, and having a fixed mindset. In 2020, Hester became a creative writing and leadership teacher at Chavez High School and an STA member. Then the coronavirus hit. What started as a teacher support program during nornal times became a lifeline for STA mem- bers coping with stress and anxiety in unprecedented times. "Unlike most programs, it focuses on the educator," says Delores Hastings, a third grade teacher at Marshall Elementary School. "It SEL Educators need social-emotional learning as well as their students By Sherry Posnick-Goodwin for You, Too 23 A U G U S T / S E P T E M B E R 2 0 21 BACK TO SCHOOL