Listen to Renée read this article aloud.

“Productive struggle” is a popular phrase at Carroll. We speak it often. It’s the undercurrent in all that we do. Because of their learning differences, our students are accustomed to struggling in the classroom. What we make possible is the “productive” part. Our educators cultivate a learning environment in which struggle leads to growth, not defeat.

But here’s the most important take-away: Kids can’t engage in productive struggle unless teaching is emotionally sound.

What do I mean? If we’re not connecting with our students — and if they’re not connecting with one another — if we’re not forming authentic relationships with them, listening to them, understanding them, and elevating their voices, productive struggle is not possible.

In order to push our students, we must hold them at the same time.

This is why social emotional learning (SEL) is the bedrock of a Carroll education. 

Here are some of the SEL skills we work on:

Confidence 

Self-advocacy

Independence

Managing stressors 

Exposure to discomfort

Group work/collaboration

Communication 

Relationship-building 

Problem-solving

Here are three different ways we nurture these SEL skills:

1) Curriculum

SEL skills are woven throughout our curriculum in: 

• The principles of Orton-Gillingham and our approach to literacy, which focuses on the whole child.
• Our use of Responsive Classroom techniques, which build a sense of trust, community, and collaboration in the classroom. 
• Our use of restorative circles that help students to effectively communicate, problem solve, and resolve conflict if it arises. 

2) Counselors: Our seven full-time counselors work collaboratively with parents as well as with teachers in the classroom, helping kids learn strategies to manage their emotions and stressors — like attentional challenges and anxiety, common to students with dyslexia — so they can be more available for learning. 

3) Teacher Training: We invest heavily in SEL skills training for all our teachers. This year, Carroll educators are engaged in a robust, evidence-based Responsive Classroom training. What’s more, consulting psychologist Dr. Alex Hirshberg regularly partners with our counselors and teachers to provide additional training and support.  

At the heart of our approach to building SEL skills is the critical importance of relationships — forming them, maintaining them, nurturing them, and healing them. Strong relationships allow for deeper, more durable learning.

Here’s a peek at SEL work in action, in each division:

Lower School

Learning is grounded in clear community/classroom expectations, which students help to define, as well as four key concepts: empathy, respect, inclusion, and kindness. Positive, specific feedback is abundant, and when students struggle emotionally, they are encouraged to identify their “zones of regulation” to help them more effectively articulate what they need.

Middle School

SEL skills are embedded throughout the school day and specific skills are co-taught with counselors in small groups, covering topics like healthy relationships and bullying prevention. Advisory, affinity spaces, and homerooms provide opportunities for students to enhance relationship and communication skills by developing and engaging in community agreements.

Upper School

Relationship-building work continues in school as well as out, through service work. Self-advocacy skills are especially reinforced to prepare for the transition to high school — we want students to be able to independently acknowledge their learning differences and ask for what they need with confidence.

Yes, our students may struggle in certain learning areas, but what they possess in spades is emotional intelligence. They are deeply feeling kids because they get it. Many have been on the receiving end of unkind behavior or hurtful remarks at prior schools. At Carroll, they are compassionate, accepting, and patient with one another. With some help naming their feelings and channeling them in the right direction, what they are poised to contribute to the world is pretty amazing.

Check out Carroll’s recent webinar with Dr. Hirshberg on building resilience in kids, and how SEL skills play a role.