6 Reasons Teachers Don’t Feel Equipped to Teach SEL

   We are currently learning our fourth SEL program in the past five years. Need to stay focused instead of constantly changing.

   I do believe that we are equipped. Teachers have been doing this long before it had a name. In some cases, using a prescribed curriculum is actually more limiting for those teachers who have found effective ways to do SEL in their classrooms.

   We have a curriculum that nobody likes or uses, but admin keeps pushing it. We’ve never had proper training and are more worried about teaching the core subject standards.

   We are not equipped to teach those skills because we have too many parents who are not meeting THEIR responsibilities.

   Kids are exposed to cellphones, social media, technology, [and] TV from a very young age. Their poor behavior choices have been influenced by what they have seen and have become addicted to thinking is “normal” [or] “popular.” They lack compassion, empathy, a conscience, focus, manners.

   At this point, teachers are expected to teach EVERYTHING—it is overwhelming because it is very difficult to teach students how to overcome and relearn negative behaviors that are reinforced at home.

   Am I equipped to make sure these skills fit into every student’s everyday life, their values? Can I appeal to every single one of their needs and lifestyles? We have a curriculum for student athletes, but what about those who don’t play sports?

   There are some who are equipped, however, we have not had a districtwide rollout with PD and follow-ups. Because it has been fragmented, so has the implementation.

   This has not been a part of the teacher training prior to recently. So, veteran teachers need more training than those coming out of college now, in my opinion.

   I am equipped since I am a school counselor. I believe some teachers are equipped to teach these lessons but many push back because it is not in their expertise.

   Teachers struggle to find the time to teach the skills or the ability/confidence/tools to be able to integrate it into their instruction.

   Takes time to do this stuff. We simply do not have enough of it, and what we are required to do ends up coming off as “canned” and gets little teacher or student buy-in.

   Our curriculum and classroom expectations are constantly changing so it is much harder to find time to incorporate time to teach social-emotional skills. There is also no program or training provided to support teachers with this difficult subject.

   Some [of these skills] are part of what we do in social studies (example: conflict management). So we know how to do that but others we have no training or tools for. We also don’t have time set aside (no homeroom or advisory, for example) and our state standards are so big that covering required material is almost impossible as is. Any SEL we do is more of a one-off than ongoing support for students.

   Teaching these skills is part of my commitment to developmentally-based education. However, not every teacher is on board or capable—many just want to teach their subject.

   We have resources through [our] current curriculum, and we have so much available online now, the resources are limitless.

   I have had training and have seen the value in it. When you invest time on this, it is not wasted. It actually helps with the academic learning.

   Yes, most of our teachers are equipped. We have support from other staff and administration to fill any gaps that teachers cannot or are not equipped to handle.

   Yes. Most of our skills are taught during teachable moments, not taught separately.

   Yes, we model the behavior(s).