Social Emotional Learning and Mindfulness at NES

     

     The Social Emotional Learning and Mindfulness program at NES helps students become more skillful with their own emotions and in building positive relationships with others. Neuroscience research has shown that if you don’t have skills to work with your strong emotions and with the emotions of others, it can be very difficult to learn.  When we are upset, the part of our brain (pre-frontal cortex or Wizard Brain) that does our thinking and problem solving doesn’t work very well   Being able to manage our emotions, communicate feelings and needs, and resolve conflicts with others are important skills to develop in school as well as to be successful throughout our lives.

   On a daily basis, students at NES are taught to PAUSE, THINK, and then RESPOND. Our emotional Lizard Brains (Amygdala and Hypothalamus) urge us to react quickly and impulsively.  PAUSING to attend to our emotions helps us make better choices and select thoughtful responses.  Our bodies are continually sending us signals about the emotions inside of us.  When we develop the habit of paying attention to and mindfully noticing what is happening in our bodies, we know when to PAUSE and calm down before we respond.  This means we need to already have the habit of paying attention to our bodies as a regular part of our lives.  We can acquire this new mindfulness habit by taking time each day to turn our attention inwardly to our thoughts, emotions, and sensations. Each day, NES students and staff begin by closing our eyes, taking a few breaths to slow down and then “scanning” their whole body to discover the sensations and feelings before they may overwhelm us.  Developing this Self-Awareness occurs during our Moment to PAWS.

    When we notice something is going on inside of us, we PAUSE or STOP talking, doing, or moving.  We take deep “belly” breaths to activate the part of our nervous system that helps us calm in the face of anxiety or excitement or frustration.  Students are learning to identify and select a variety of coping strategies to help with Self-Regulation of their thoughts, emotions, and behavior before deciding how they will Respond.

    Another goal of Social Emotional Learning and Mindfulness is to develop empathy for others and the courage to Respond compassionately.  When students can understand how other people are feeling, they are more likely to be kind to them.  This also makes it easier to solve problems and resolve the conflicts which are a natural part of life.  

   Humans are born with the ability to empathize with others and relate to them.  But to get the full benefit of this gift, we need to cultivate it so that even when someone makes us mad or hurt, we can remember to ask, “What might that other person be feeling?”   The more comfortable we become with what goes on inside of us, the easier it is to understand others and what they might be experiencing when they do something to upset us.  

  Remember to ask your children what they are learning each week in their BrainWise Social Emotional lesson.  Ask what they notice after taking a Moment to PAWS.  One way these skills can be reinforced at home is by coaching your child to breathe deeply before problem solving when intense emotions crop up.  Follow the order of this brain science approach to social emotional learning with yourself or your children:  (1) Reflect, (2) Regulate, (3) Relate and Reason, (4) then Respond.

** PassageWorks, Institute in Boulder shares this valuable description of Social Emotional Learning and Mindfulness as it trains adults in our work with children.