Fourth-grade teacher Emily Stamp helps students identify their emotions and teaches strategies they can use to manage them to become productive learners at Mount Vernon’s Washington Elementary School .
Stamps teaches that no emotion is bad and helps children find words to label their emotions and get back to school. In her classroom, her students can practice breathing techniques, play with play dough, and take breaks to regain focus. “We have to strategize for ourselves to get to a place where we can be productive and present,” Stamp said.
Such learning, which occurs in nearly every classroom in Iowa, is the subject of a new bill in the Iowa Legislature, House File 85, that would require the Iowa Department of Education to The framework, which requires the elimination of academic instruction, was adopted from the state of Iowa. The Center for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning grew out of an idea from the Yale Child Learning Center and launched in 1994 as a national collaborative research facility.
The bill would require parental consent before students can complete surveys that include topics such as political or religious affiliation, sexual behavior, family relationships, and mental health issues. Parents can now opt out of these surveys.
According to the Iowa Department of Education, social and emotional learning refers to “helping children and adults understand and manage their emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel emotions, and show empathy.” It is the process of acquiring and effectively applying the necessary knowledge, attitudes, and skills.” Establish and maintain positive relationships with others and make responsible decisions. ”
The bill was introduced by Iowa Sen. Sandy Salmon (R-Janesville), who said social-emotional learning conflicts with many families’ religious and political beliefs.
Salmon said in the newsletter that social-emotional learning includes critical race theory, the theory that race is a social construct and that racism is built into legal systems and policies. . A new Iowa law was signed last year that bans teaching “confrontational concepts” such as critical race theory.
Educators say critical race theory has no place in the K-12 education system.
The bill is part of a larger effort by conservatives across the country to ban social-emotional learning. Last year, the Florida Department of Education made several changes, including references to critical race theory and the addition of social-emotional learning in math textbooks and other “woke content,” according to a Florida Department of Education news release. Textbooks containing prohibited content were rejected.
“If some legislators want to focus on this, my polite response to them is to never come back to the district and talk about bullying or the mental health of a student or that student not behaving respectfully. “Don’t complain about it like you used to,” said Mount Vernon Community School District Superintendent Greg Battenhorst.
“We are committed to helping them grow socially, emotionally, and academically. It is unacceptable to us to take away the ability of a school district to do that work with our children because it suits a political purpose.” “It’s a crime,” he said.
At Washington Elementary School in Mount Vernon, teachers are working with the Grant Wood Area Education Agency and the state Department of Education for the second year to pilot a curriculum called SEE-KS, which stands for Social Emotional Engagement – Knowledge and Skills. is welcoming.
Mount Vernon schools introduced a social-emotional learning curriculum called “Leader in Me” in middle and high schools this year. This curriculum is used in many other eastern Iowa schools and teaches students life skills such as self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making.
Maggie Hartzler, director of clinical services at Tanager Place, which provides mental health treatment to children and families, said there are misconceptions about what social-emotional learning is. Incorporating social and emotional learning “is critical to children’s development, relationships, and overall health,” Hartzler says. This helps students develop a language for labeling their emotions and dealing with them in safe and healthy ways.
An example Hartzler gave of what social-emotional learning looks like in the classroom is when a teacher reads a book to students and asks, “How did that character feel when that event happened?” What do you think?” is the question to be asked.
In a presentation to Linmar Community School District this week, counselors talked about how social-emotional learning helps students with depression, anxiety, family issues, thoughts of suicide or self-harm, bullying and other trauma. He talked about what he could do.
Ninth grade students at Linmar College are taking a curriculum class called “Signs of Suicide.” Students can learn about warning signs and depression and tell a trusted adult if they or a friend is exhibiting these symptoms.
Another program at Linmar is 9th Grade Connection, which launched during the 2021-22 school year. High school freshmen meet weekly with teachers and small groups of other students to discuss life, mental health, academics, and plans after high school. This program aims to enhance positive relationships between staff and students.
Social-emotional learning is also part of private school education. At Xavier High School in Cedar Rapids, the school’s mission statement includes “developing well-rounded people in a Catholic environment,” Principal Angela Olson said.
Olson said social-emotional learning is not defined the way lawmakers proposed the bill. It’s “making sure our students have what they need to function well and function,” she said.
College Community School District Superintendent Doug Wheeler also said he was perplexed by the bill. “We’re doing what our communities and businesses are asking us to do. We’re trying to live up to the skills that our students have been told they need to have for years,” he said. Told.
During the 2021-22 school year, Cedar Rapids Community School District implemented a social-emotional curriculum in all four high schools for the first time. This curriculum, called “Habit Leadership,” teaches students how to identify and manage their emotions. It also aims to teach college and career readiness.
The social-emotional learning curriculum was already being used in Cedar Rapids elementary and middle schools.
During the same school year, Mount Vernon educators began professional learning on how to more effectively incorporate social-emotional learning into the classroom.
“Regardless of what happens with the various laws, we are going to do what schools have always done,” Battenhorst said. “We find ways to support our children, love them and strive for them. Even if people throw obstacles for us, that’s what we’ve dedicated our lives to.” Because that’s what happened.”
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On Monday at Washington Elementary School in Mount Vernon, fourth-grader Mika Vonbehren paused to think about her emotions in a hypothetical situation. At Washington Elementary School, teachers are in the second year of piloting a curriculum called SEE-KS (for Social Emotional Engagement – Knowledge and Skills) with the Grant Wood Area Education Agency and the state Department of Education. There is. (Jeff Stelfox/The Gazette)
Fourth-grade teacher Emily Stamp listened to students share their experiences and describe their emotions during a class Monday at Washington Elementary School in Mount Vernon. (Jeff Stelfox/The Gazette)
Fourth-grade student Jack Hawker speaks with his teacher Emily Stamp during reading time Monday at Washington Elementary School in Mount Vernon, Iowa. (Jeff Stelfox/The Gazette)