The climate check: kids are capable—and tired
“Young people already have greatness in them.” I hear that from teachers, parents, and youth leaders every week. I also hear a quieter chorus: “They’re tired.” “They’re stressed.” “They’re bored.” Recent surveys of over 22,000 high school students echo those emotions. When the climate skews toward exhaustion, attention and motivation leak.
The work ahead isn’t to push harder; it’s to feel smarter—naming what’s present and responding with wisdom.
Treat SEL as infrastructure, not an add‐on
Decades of guidance from CASEL (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning) show that social and emotional learning moves best when it’s systemic—schoolwide, districtwide, and aligned with policy. When leaders frame SEL as strategy, two outcomes follow:
- Consistency: practices survive staffing shifts.
- Investment: a documented 11:1 return on investment suggests SEL is wise for budgets, not just hearts.
That ratio isn’t a magic wand, and methods matter—but it’s a strong signal: nurturing emotions strengthens the outcomes communities value.
Start with adult wellbeing to change student outcomes
Programs endure when they begin with adults. Adult SEL is not indulgence; it’s a prerequisite. Educators and caregivers need community, shared language, and tools for regulation. When adults steady themselves, students feel it—immediately and measurably.
You can’t cultivate calm, curiosity, or courage in kids if the adults are running on fumes.
Emotional intelligence travels: global momentum, local impact
Networks like Six Seconds and others have spent 25+ years advancing EQ, reaching 10+ million people across 150+ countries. Employers keep naming resilience, collaboration, and social influence as must‐have skills. Teaching a fifth grader to navigate frustration or a ninth grader to name boredom and choose engagement builds tomorrow’s teammates—and today’s kinder neighbors.
Make it local with stories and simple tools
Data persuades, but stories stick. Story-based curricula like Free the Mind Co’s Freeing Freddie blend movement, gratitude, and empathy so children want to revisit the lessons. Families gain a shared language for the car ride and the dinner table. In after‐school programs and detention centers, simple archetypes—think bird styles for strengths—make SEL memorable and adaptable. Not every SEL moment happens at 10:15 a.m. in Room 204.
A simple starting loop you can run this month
- Step 1: Voice. Ask three students and three adults, “How are we feeling most days?” Post their words. Let them guide priorities.
- Step 2: System. Pull a CASEL guide into your planning or join a state initiative. Make one policy or schedule tweak that protects SEL time.
- Step 3: Support. Launch an adult SEL cohort to practice regulation, reflection, and repair.
- Step 4: Iterate. Pilot. Measure. Iterate. This mirrors the translational loop many districts (and Yale teams) champion: research informs practice; practice sharpens research.
Name the friction, claim the openings
Challenges? Funding, time, resistance. Opportunities? Policy windows, community partnerships, global playbooks you can localize tomorrow. Hold both truths.
Today’s affirmation: I steady myself so I can steady our kids.
Today’s challenge: choose one climate shift for this week and one system step for this month.
The promise we keep
This isn’t about perfect programs. It’s about a shared promise: that the emotional climate our kids swim in will help them breathe—and that we will build it together, classroom by classroom, policy by policy, story by story.
This is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional advice. Consult a qualified expert for personal guidance.