| By: Kim Gulbrandson A Teacher’s Perspective Second-grade teacher Jennifer Krutina, who has been teaching the Second Step program for seven years, talks about “on the spot” practice, modeling skills, and more. Read More
| By: Allison Schumacher Bullying in Kindergarten? Prevention Means Starting Early by Allison Wedell Schumacher When most of us think of bullying, we think of the stories we’ve seen in the news: high school kids being maligned on social media; middle schoolers shunning or teasing each other. So when we see bullying prevention lessons that begin in kindergarten, we might think, “Overkill! Those sweet little five-year-olds wouldn’t hurt a…Read More
| By: Allison Schumacher Chicago: A First Day of School Like No Other By Allison Wedell Schumacher Making the transition to a new school is never easy. But imagine the challenge of making that transition because your school was actually shut down. Imagine the questions flooding your mind: How will I get to my new school? Will the kids there like me and be nice to me? Will I fit in? Thousands of children and their families in Chicago have been asking these questions and more in the wake of Chicago Public… Read More
| By: Committee for Children Bullying Down, Academics Up with SEL The Second Step program empowers schools to create positive classroom climates where students thrive Every state but one has adopted anti-bullying legislation. By now, many school districts have developed and put into place policies and procedures that outline actions to take against bullying. These policies are necessary in setting the groundwork for promoting a safe, positive climate for…Read More
| By: Kim Gulbrandson Gratitude in the Classroom Gratitude can be contagious. But what does research have to say about it? And how can you bring more of it into your classroom?Read More
| By: Kim Gulbrandson Enhancing Social and Emotional Learning through Art Need some inspiration to get creative with social and emotional learning in your classroom? It’s a great way to extend the learning and add some spark to your curriculum.Read More
| By: Kim Gulbrandson Lighting the Fire for SEL You know those weeks that are so packed with exciting events, they leave you breathless at the end? Last week was one of those for us here at Committee for Children.Read More
| By: Kim Gulbrandson Incorporating Social-Emotional Learning into Academics Here are some time-saving ideas for teaching both academic subjects and social skills in the same lesson!Read More
| By: Kim Gulbrandson District Data on the New Second Step Program for K-5 See how fourth- and fifth-grade students name “feeling” words before and after Second Step lessons.Read More