After Traumatic Flooding Amid a Pandemic, is Social Emotional Learning Right for Cedar Grove?

Cedar Grove, New Jersey - In March 2020, Cedar Grove students left school for a break that it was hoped would last two weeks, amid a pandemic the likes of which the world had not seen in 102 years. When they returned to the classroom full-time, over a year later, many of them had lost relatives, in some cases more than one, to Covid-19. Others saw their households upended by unemployment and a number were returning to school in dirty clothes because their homes had been flooded by Hurricane Ida. We expect them to show up, we expect them to wear masks, we expect them to get "back to normal" when for many of them it's really not clear what normal is supposed to be anymore. Amid all these other expectations can we expect them to learn, 6 feet apart and wearing masks, without addressing some of what we've all been through as a community?

Some studies suggest that Social Emotional Learning, techniques often employed in a classroom setting, may be the key helping all students and especially those who have experienced trauma.

SEL is the process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions. - (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning)

We reached out to the Cedar Grove BOE candidates to ask this somewhat inevitable question about the path forward in our schools after the past year and a half and how tools like Social Emotional Learning might play a part.

Question: What role do you see Social Emotional Learning playing in our district following many months of the pandemic and recent flooding in the region?

Dawn Daura & Lou Marzullo

Social Emotional Learning (SEL) can play a critical role in helping our children meet the  demands of the classroom. It is next-to-impossible to expect teaching and learning to occur  without attending to our children’s emotions. This is particularly important in thinking about  how to help address the physical and mental set back students might have experienced from the  pandemic and the recent flooding that impacted our community. 

SEL can help build and repair  lost relationships with family and friends resulting from a lack of social meetings. In addition,  SEL can help students make better informed decisions instead of making impulsive choices and  can assist in problem solving, critical thinking and conflict resolutions. In the end, the goal  should be to support students in their development of strong social-emotional skills so that they  can succeed in their academic endeavors.

Nicole DiChiara & Haley Grieco

Social Emotional Learning (SEL) curriculum is a tool that districts have used for many years and has been utilized successfully in Cedar Grove. Now more than ever our children are more vulnerable than ever. With the uncertainty of the pandemic still looming over them as well as weather events occurring with more frequency and destruction, the emotional toll on our children cannot be overlooked. When implemented correctly, SEL is a crucial piece of our student’s wellbeing. The CG School District implements a SEL module that deals solely with the emotional well-being of our students. 

As our children ease back in the classroom full-time, SEL is critical now more than ever to help our children develop and grow their social interaction skills. Additionally, all students should have an outlet for discussion about their lives, their likes, their dislikes, their dreams, and their fears or insecurities. Furthermore, it is crucial that Cedar Grove’s professionally trained counselors are accessible to all of the children to support them in whatever they need.

These are initiatives that we fully support and want expanded as our student body requires. 

(Top image credit: Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash)