Caring for Each Other with Social Emotional Learning

Funded Jan 31, 2022

Thank you for your generous support of my classroom. With the supplies from this project, we were able to find moments of joy and enhance the practice of care with our first grade family. There were tools for learning the basics like reading and math, and for taking care of emotional needs of six- and seven-year-olds.

Every box that arrived in the office brought cries of delight from the students

The first to come out of the box were the paint markers. We used them to dot models of big numbers and mark the number of sounds in words. They quickly became a favorite and were even voted in to celebrate "Paint Day". The Magna-Tiles kept the creativity going on inclement weather days when we were stuck inside. A few got to practice patience and sharing when they needed it most. The many, many books widened the world for us when discussing traditions across the year or ways even the young can change their world. The current favorites are Jabari Tries and Remember to Dream Ebere. They have a permanent place on the shelf while others are rotated in and out.

There was one box that I held on to for the "just right" time. First grade is a magical and wonderful year. We see a lot of "firsts" like a lost tooth or reading a sentence in a book without any help. It can also be hard with everyone applying what they've learned in their brief life experiences to fights with friends or disagreements in line. We had a particularly hard week this spring. Many tears were shed and mean words said. It did not matter how many times we problem-solved or went back to SEL lessons. The class family needed to repair the hurt and have a physical reminder of what it takes to do that. We sat down and discussed what traits a good friend has and how they might take care of others when they've hurt them. We put those intentions into strands of yarn and bowls of beads, then twisted them into friendship bracelets. The first graders wore their bracelets with pride. Now it only takes a tap of the wrist for them to remember "Oh yeah, I AM a good friend." We may still have disagreements and teary-eyed days but we also have a strong class family.

Thank you doesn't quite seem like enough to say, but I truly appreciate the generosity that allowed me to have the year I did with my first graders.”

With gratitude,

Ms. Madrigal