Social and Emotional Learning: Stop Walking on Eggshells

Intended Audience: Principals, Vice Principals, Department Heads, Admissions Teams, Faculty

Dates:TBD

85 percent of teens fear not being accepted for who they are, 2/3 of teens report anxiety about their futures and careers, and 70% of mental health problems have their onset during childhood/adolescence (The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health | CAMH). Schools, clearly, are a place for these challenges to be tackled, and yet IN schools…good people who can absolutely help are afraid to help for fear of qualifications and certifications they lack.

Luke Coles was Founding Principal of a private school in Toronto, Canada, that opened with just 11 full-time students and 20 part-time students in 2011. By 2021, the school was 200-strong in full-time students, and over 600 students attended night school and/or summer school annually. Over that decade, new societal priorities presented globally, and for each, the school sought to be clear on how it defined itself. Prospective families today want to know what a school does and says about DEI (diversity/equity/inclusion); Youth Mental Health/Wellness; Environmental Stewardship. This course will present ideas on how school leaders can be clear and progressive on how they tackle social and emotional learning. It will clarify how school leaders can empower their teachers to feel confident In responding to questions and being attuned to their students. With only a few crystal clear guidelines, what we can and cannot say/promise/offer to students can be known, and we can be freed to both support and refer with confidence and compassion.