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Many companies have discussed the need for employees to possess interpersonal skills. Employers tell us that while employees come to work with technical training, they often lack ‘soft skills’ like conflict resolution, teamwork, adaptability, and problem-solving. As a school counselor, I have always felt that elementary age is the ideal time to offer explicit instruction on these types of skills, expanding on the work that families are doing at home.
This year, Fairfield Elementary will be using the Second Step® Elementary program that offers an evidence-based approach to teaching lessons in the areas of 1) skills for learning, 2) empathy, 3) emotional management, and 4) problem-solving. Your child’s teacher will hold these lessons in the classroom. An important feature of this program is the school-to-home communications, which offer families information and follow-up activities on the topics. Your child’s teacher will send a letter with a home access link so that you are kept informed about the lessons that your child is receiving.
The following links provide information on the topics and sequence for each elementary grade level.
For more information on what Social Emotional Learning looks like in the school system, please click on this link which uses a variety of sources to explain the need.
