Social and Emotional Learning Workshop at St. Stephen’s Teaches Educators Better Ways to Nurture Students

11/6/2024

St. Stephen’s recently hosted a two-day Social and Emotional Learning training workshop presented by co-directors and co-founders Rush Sabiston Frank and Janice Toben at the Institute for Social and Emotional Learning (IFSEL).

The workshop, attended by dozens of K-12 educators, administrators, counselors and advisors from The Kinkaid School, the Hidalgo Independent School District, Magellan International School, St. Andrew's Episcopal School, Episcopal High School, Rawson Saunders School and Fort Worth Country Day, offered learning opportunities for how to build classroom practices and schoolwide systems that nurture the social and emotional health of all members of the community. The integration of SEL into the classroom was a central theme of this workshop – challenging educators to deepen their practices to better the everyday lives of their students.

“I think our teenagers, pre-teens and young kids really have a world that is very complex, and they are sorting through and managing and developing skills as they go,” says St. Stephen's Middle School Counselor Tania Gil. “I think it's really important that in this time where they are getting so much information from social media and also balancing friendships—that we are able to help them slow down and think through many different aspects, learn how to dialog, learn how to listen to others, learn how to manage their own sense of self, to then be able to really figure out how to navigate this current time, challenges and exciting opportunities that they face.”

Attendees received an evidence-based overview of the importance of SEL practices for all school areas including advisory, athletics, boarding and Chapel. The overview includes SEL competencies targeting self-awareness, self-regulation, social awareness, relationship skills and responsible decision-making. Each helps students build empathy, avoid conflict and advocate for themselves.

“I have always found that self-awareness is the starting point to building empathy, connection and activism. Understanding our humanity—the flawed quality of being human, embracing our vulnerability in change, and protecting our idealism through challenge, allows us to be kinder and braver friends, allies and citizens,” said Gil.

In addition to the two-day workshop, IFSEL provided an open training session for St. Stephen’s faculty and staff funded in part through the Brooke Howe Laws Endowment for Professional Development. Annually, the Endowment invites dynamic programming to campus including speakers and training on adolescent social and emotional health and character development. The session, according to the IFSEL website is a “corner-stone practice” for advisory which “supports restorative practices, healing, and practical problem-solving - and as such is a meaningful and authentic way to active SEL for adolescents.”

“It’s clear that nurturing students’ social-emotional lives leads to better educational outcomes. This training’s skills and strategies increase our ability to foster a more connected and critical thinking community. IFSEL’s training will help us do SEL better,” says John Dugan, St. Stephen's co-director of Health Services, Counseling.

This first successful partnership between IFSEL, the Brooke Howe Laws Endowment for Professional Development and St. Stephen’s sets the stage for continued relationship building around this topic and more inclusive SEL at our school. IFSEL Co-Founder and Co-Director Rush Sabiston Frank noted, “The staff at St. Stephen's was incredibly supportive and the stunning beauty and calm of the campus helped set the stage for a wonderful conference.”

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