To help students develop socially and emotionally, adults  must first be able to model stress management and social and emotional learning (SEL) competencies. Yet the evidence suggests that professional development programs for SEL rarely do enough to help educators build up these skills. 

“Studies have consistently found that programs pay little attention to giving teachers the knowledge and skills they need to promote their students’ social and emotional competence and to create positive classroom environments that enhance student success,” says Dr. Kimberly A. Schonert-Reichl, a developmental psychologist and the head of the University of British Columbia’s Social and Emotional Learning Lab. Teaching is a stressful job–now more than ever–and when teachers experience constant stress and are not equipped with the strategies to manage negative emotions, their performance in the classroom declines and students struggle in every respect.

At the Circulus Institute, we’re committed to closing this gap. We create experiences and relationships that drive educators’  learning and well-being.  We celebrate educators around the world who dedicate their careers to creating rich experiences and relationships for young people. We also know that it is unfair to expect educators to be perfect. Inequitable school and justice systems, educators’ own personal struggles, high levels of stress, and low levels of autonomy make it difficult to bring our best selves to work every day, especially during this unprecedented time.