Schools should teach social emotional learning, not ban it

I have watched with interest over the past several years as the words “social emotional learning” have gone from trendy buzzwords, to a strong and organized community of practice, to words now under attack.

Recently, the Florida Department of Education rejected mathematics textbooks in part because of “the unsolicited addition of Social Emotional Learning (SEL).” Indiana’s Attorney General released a statement that said in part, “SEL programs represent a fundamental shift in the role of teachers from educators to therapists and expand the reach of government into domains of the family.”

That quote contains two nuggets of truth: We do ask more of teachers every year, and families should take responsibility for many social-emotional learning lessons. But the simple fact is that, in 2022, teachers can’t simply stick to those three Rs (reading, writing and ‘rithmetic) because of behaviors that prevent them from teaching. Those behaviors have only been exacerbated by the social isolation and disruption caused by the pandemic. Just check the news or ask a teacher. Schools are always in a position of having to respond to our changing society. Decades ago, I saw the writing on the wall about social emotional learning. Too many people at my workplace would quit or were fired because they couldn’t handle themselves and others. Their actions were simply a result of poor social-emotional skills. Today’s jobs, more than ever, require more of those skills.

In a work setting, we can agree the answer to problems isn’t to fight, walk off the job or shut down and be unable to work for the rest of the day. But in the presence of strong emotions, these choices are exactly what our body wants us to do. We all need the skills to calm down and, once calm, to problem-solve effectively. That’s one major element of social-emotional learning.

I love to promote employees from within, whether in the past at my business or at my nonprofit now. I promote people who show responsibility, grit, leadership and flexibility. Of course, simple ability to do the job matters, but when I weigh candidates with similar skill levels, the tie-breaker for me is social-emotional skill. Most managers — regardless of the job particulars, regardless of the skill set involved — hire because of SEL skills.

SEL gets some flak for its focus on diverse perspectives and understanding those perspectives. But knowing how to work with people who are different — in their background, their politics or simply their perspective — is an essential skill in the modern world. My business was bought by a company from Sweden. I have sourced materials from South America. I have worked with IT professionals in India — the list goes on. My job is to help clients be successful based on their goals, not on what I think their goals should be. As a 60-yearold, I’ve implemented ideas generated by 20-year-olds because I could evaluate their ideas on merit, not the people they came from. Because I understand and respect different people, I’ve been able to work with them. The employee and employer of tomorrow needs to be able to do this, too.

The truth is, parents, teachers and employers have been reinforcing and requiring SEL skills for decades, even if we haven’t called them SEL skills. As a parent, I call them life skills. As an employer, I call them workforce readiness skills. As an education nonprofit leader, I call them social and emotional skills. The label is less important than understanding what they are: a person’s core foundation, something we all need in order to build a safe and successful life.

Social-emotional skills are not innate. They must be taught and practiced, just like reading and writing. Some parents, families and teachers are more effective at teaching SEL. If these skills are so essential to the workforce of tomorrow, why shouldn’t we give kids lots of opportunities to practice in the classroom?

Jan Helson is a philanthropist, entrepreneur and businesswoman. She co-founded Global Game Changers Children’s Education Initiative, Inc. (GGC) in 2013. The 501(c)(3) nonprofit now provides social-emotional learning (SEL) and character and leadership development curricula that teaches students to overcome apathy, feel empathy and foster a sustainable connection to service.