Teacher Leadership Exploration: 
SEL & Responsive Classroom

Safe Environment

Several articles I have read mention the importance of having a safe learning environment for not only students, but school staff as well. Teachers are unable to teach if they do not feel safe in their environment, resulting in students feeling unsafe as well, and potentially escalating behaviors. When teachers do not have the emotional resources needed to overcome the challenges of teaching, they are left to “burn-out” (Sandilos & Schwartz, 2020). Due to this burnout and lack of SEL resources, the teachers then interact with students negatively and in return, students react with more disruptions and problem behaviors (Sandilos & Schwartz, 2020).

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Furthermore, the school needs to present itself as a safe, inclusive environment. Students should not have to walk into school and feel threatened. It has been proven that adding metal detectors, security guards, and threats of failure do not improve student engagement or motivation to learn (Darling-Hammond, 2019). The four dimensions to creating a safer school environment for students to feel belonging include: teachers and school leaders creating strong long-term relationships with students, teachers providing SEL strategies that directly meet the needs of students, school leaders paying attention to the SEL needs of teachers, and teachers helping students become more socially aware and responsible (Darling-Hammond, 2019).

Daily SEL

Many researchers suggest that SEL can be taught daily in any subject area. For instance, using Responsive Classroom strategies as part of your classroom management system can integrate SEL without even realizing it. The students will then pick up on these skills and begin using them on a daily basis, potentially without knowing that they are using skills from an SEL program. Students being able to independently use these skills on a daily basis have shown an increase in student focus during academic lessons, as well as an increase in teacher ability to instruct without interruptions (Bouffard, 2014). 

In addition, teachers do not have to just focus on teaching their subject area. It is necessary for teachers to build relationships with students to make them feel safe within the classroom environment. When teachers listen to students’ needs and ask about their interests, students are more willing to participate and feel confidence as they learn (Dresser, 2013).

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When teachers are trained to use SEL and Responsive Classroom techniques on a daily basis, there is no question as to whether or not the students are getting the SEL support they truly need. Students coming from schools that use SEL on a daily basis have shown long-term academic and career success, as well as an increased ability to handle stressful situations (Gayl, 2018).