Daily Temperature Checks: Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)

Understanding our students' emotions and feelings is crucial in today's teaching environment. It's clear from current research that Social Emotional Learning (SEL) programs are not just a "nice-to-have" but an integral component of contemporary education. Beyond enhancing academic performance, SEL programs directly contribute to improved interpersonal skills, a reduction in behavioral challenges, and overall better student well-being.

Regardless of where you're teaching, be it a conventional classroom or over digital platforms like Zoom, tuning into our students' emotional states is indispensable. Those regular moments when we check in with them, asking "How are you feeling today?", provide us with valuable insights. It goes beyond just grades and test scores. It's our way of telling them, "Your emotions matter, and we're here to listen."

To aid in this process, I'd like to introduce a straightforward yet effective tool: a collection of 90 slides crafted for daily emotional check-ins. These aren’t mere slides; think of them as the start of meaningful conversations, as thermometers for the day's mood, and as channels for students to share their innermost feelings.

And the practical aspect? It's straightforward. If you're teaching online, students can simply type out their responses in the chat. In a face-to-face scenario? A student can just raise fingers indicating their emotional state. It’s a method that's swift and tells you the pulse of your class in a jiffy.

In a nutshell, these slides aren’t just another resource. They’re connectors, bridges to deeper understanding. By weaving them into your daily lessons, you're subtly, yet powerfully, communicating that their emotional health is just as paramount as their academic achievements. In the realm of 21st-century education, such affirmation is priceless.