Updated: Oct 6, 2020
When I received the email about ECOOCamp yesterday, I was surprised that both my presentations, BOBs: Sure Things in Unsure Times and The Mentoree: A Supportive Mentorship Community, were categorized under SEL and Wellness. When I took the time to really think about it, though, I came to realize how perfect that is. All of my work promotes skill, autonomy, community and connection which, in turn, promotes social emotional learning and wellness.
I had used the term SEL a few times before I took a deeper dive. Lynn Thomas led a Circle Conversation on the topic for Conversations to Build Capacity, and it got me thinking about how much I actually understood Social Emotional Learning. According to a variety of sources, Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) is the process of developing the self-awareness, self-control, and interpersonal skills that are essential transferable skills for learning and life. These are perfect categories to describe so much of the work I do in the classroom and beyond. While I prefer the term Self Reg and the related approach and competencies more than I like self-control, self-awareness and interpersonal skills are my jam. I have often used the term selfward to describe the journey that my projects take people on to inquire about something, but thanks to ECOO, I will begin to actually use SEL to describe my work.
I was elated to get the news that both of the proposals were accepted at ECOO. The timing this could not be better. At mine, I will share why BOBs help create space for SEL and promote wellness for the class community and the individual. They are such powerful projects that I love to share, but it was truly incredible to see that they weren't lost in translation from school to home. In fact, they were so powerful that I got up the chutzpah to assert that they were "sure things in unsure times". That is not something I say without deep thought and data. For us at The Mentoree, we've been working all summer, and Christine , Teri and I have a lot to share. While we will be informing our community of Mentors, Mentees and more first, we will be able to present on the initiatives that we have developed and how we have evolved over the summer to better understand ourselves and prepare for the year of supportive mentorship ahead. While we believe that teachers at any and every stage of their career deserve the mentors they need, this is certainly a year when support, well being and social emotional health will be at the forefront.
At first, I was hoping that the presentation would be categorized under Fall Pivot because they both provide the framework for handling change. The Building Outside the Blocks projects give meaning to working from home, whether during regular school (hard to use that term with out pause) or during remote learning. Students can use the edtech tools of their choosing to share their work, and there is something for everyone in these personalizing projects. The Mentoree offers a variety of supportive mentorship, and the self direction of the mentee is what drives the experience. While we need to be flexible and ever-ready to pivot, there is no learning without first addressing the social emotional needs of learners, at any age. As such, I want to thank ECOO Camp Ontario for this wonderful opportunity to share and support teachers so they can support their students and themselves.
Looking forward to seeing you all soon!