Social Emotional Learning, as I mentioned last week, is being incorporated into the curricula in most schools, public and private. Its purpose is to focus on the formation of the “whole child,” – certainly a key concept in Catholic education. It is important for children to feel valued, respected, and safe, and students with strong social emotional skills tend to achieve a higher academic performance. The main components of SEL are to help children develop 1.) Self Awareness (recognize emotions) 2.) Self-Management (regulate emotions) 3.) Social Awareness (take the perspective of and empathize with others 4.) Relationship Skills (among them are to communicate clearly, listen, cooperate) and 5.) Responsible Decision Making (make choices about personal behavior).
While the pedagogy might be “new and improved,” the concept certainly is not. As Catholic Christians, we know that because of original sin, we tend to place ourselves in the center, rather than placing God and others first. Evil exists in the world, and the evil one tempts each of us to turn away from God. He does this in the form of Seven Deadly Sins (AKA the Cardinal Sins), which were first introduced by St. Gregory the Great around 600 A.D. They include: Lust (strong passion or longing), Gluttony (doing things in excess – eating, drinking), Greed (pursuit of material goods), Sloth (laziness or failure to act and utilize one’s talents), Wrath (anger), Envy (jealousy), and Pride (excessive view of oneself without regard for others). As bad as they may seem, they are totally and completely forgivable by God.
We are typically only challenged by a few of these sins, thank goodness, and we work to overcome them throughout our entire life. Fortunately, the Holy Spirit gives us gifts and virtues to combat the evil that tries to penetrate us. Kindness is a cure for envy, Temperance cures gluttony, Charity overcomes greed, Chastity offsets lust, Humility cures pride, Diligence overcomes sloth, and Patience tempers wrath.
So what has this to do with Social Emotional Learning? Children (and adults) need to first recognize the emotions they are experiencing (typically in school we see sloth, wrath, pride, and envy), and know that everyone is tempted in some way. Once children can name the emotion and describe the feelings that go along with it, they can begin to regulate their responses. Being socially aware of how their responses affect others and learning key strategies or skills to “get down from the ledge” is the next part of the process. They then can identify possible optional choices when confronted by these feelings the next time. If children know that the emotions they are experiencing are normal and part of everyone’s spiritual growth process, it may not be as scary or confusing. I encourage you to share with your children some of your own temptations and how you manage your feelings. Of course some days we do better than others. The important thing is that we always must get back up and try again. What we are all seeking is the gift of a new heart, but we cannot achieve this goal on our own. It is God alone who gives us a new heart and helps us to walk in His ways. As we conclude the half-way point in our Lenten Journey, let us all ask God to “Change Our Hearts.”
Deo Gratias,
Kathy
