“Despite the age range of my students, I always begin and end each session with SEL techniques. I show them the “Fist 5” at the end of the session which gives me a window as to where they feel individually in respect to their level of understanding on the material that we covered that day. All these techniques tend to put students at ease and helps to develop a relationship between myself and them. Further, it provides the foundation for every session whereby each student is willing to participate and learn.
One of my 4th grade students has difficulty with her studies which requires me to instruct her in a different way and pace from others. ”
- Dr. Williams, Tutor, Arlington
“When I met D, grade 3, we were having difficulty getting him calm and focused. He would demonstrate stress responses, guess instead of try, and ask to go home. We practiced positive self talk to replace negative speech, breathing techniques to achieve calmness, and implemented consistent classroom expectations to remove ambiguity and confusion. D now finishes homework every day and has improved academically.”
- Adrian Orizaba, Tutor, Anaheim Elementary School District
“One of the stories that is memorable to me is with one of my 5th graders. I have been working with her since February and she continues to build more confidence in each session. My student speaks Spanish as well as English. There was a time she struggled with using English during class. One of the SEL Check-ins I used was "What makes you proud?". She said "Teaching my tutor Spanish". This really made me extremely happy knowing that she is teaching me as much as I am teaching her! Now each session, she gives me a couple of words to learn and we talk about them. There are times that I may not know how to say the word properly and we laugh. This to me is SEL. From the beginning to now, my students are changing. They are more engaged in the lessons. They are asking questions. They really enjoy the SEL-Check-ins and the games at the end of sessions.”
- Rachel Cahoon, Tutor, Arlington, TX
“I identified Y.'s unique needs rather quickly and began to apply SEL strategies to help him be successful. Y is a dual-language (English and Arabic) student with focus issues. We used an ice breaker by starting each session with an Arabic word so I am learning too, and he is teaching me! At the end of each session, we tied the lesson back to his future goal to become a police officer & the importance of reading comprehension for each step to achieve this goal. We talk about the importance of being bilingual & the different barriers for ELLs”
- Judie Henderson, in San Juan USD