Our Present Pursuits: "R-Time:" A Path To Social-Emotional Education "Veteran Edition"

12/6/2017

Please make sure that you are on the correct blog.  This is for faculty and staff with five years or more at an early college.

One of our signature elements at Cross Creek is "R-Time." As a reminder, "R-Time" was deliberately created as the place in the school day for social-emotional learning (SEL). Indeed, the first twenty minutes of every day is devoted to R-Time in which character development, social skill building, and cultivation of a college-ready mindset occurs. The rationale for this daily dive into the affective domain is based on the premise that we must develop the whole student for him or her to be successful at college, career, and life!

It has been mentioned and lamented that many of our students who enter as ninth graders are not ready for the rigors of the early college program and that the stressors of performance here can be detrimental to some. For the adults at the school, the challenge is and always has been on how we can meet students’ academic, social, and emotional needs so that all students are college ready. These are the very reasons why we include R-Time, why we support AVID, and why we have a Cross Creek in the first place.

The designator "R-Time" refers to the five "Rs" of the Cross Creek Mission Statement: The Mission of Cross Creek Early College High School is to provide a smaller academic environment that fosters growth and success to prepare students for their future by developing relationships, responsibility, and respect through relevant and rigorous coursework.

Over the years, R-Time has been adapted to changing conditions of staff numbers, the complexity of program management, and student needs. An example of one adaption to the R-Time line-up was Friday Club Day. The rationale to include Club Day during R-Time was to allow every student to have a sense of belonging to a peer group. While it may seem to be extra work for faculty, most teachers acknowledge the benefits outweigh the work. Research suggests that when a school inserts SEL education with fidelity, achievement will grow.

It is not surprising that, at times, faculty and staff may question the overall benefits of the R-Time (SEL) program, especially during times of testing, deadlines, and other pull factors. Much like anything else, a program is only as good as those who implement it. While many teachers have conducted the book studies numerous times and have a sense of "repeat fatigue," students are learning the material with fresh perspective and a teacher's enthusiasm (or lack thereof) may make the difference.

The overall intent of SEL, much like the AVID program, is to insert moments within the content classes to double-down on the concepts of R-Time. For example, content teachers can refer to “putting first things first,” a clear connection to the Covey book. Reference to R-Time during content classes only help to reinforce ideas that are introduced and it is the expectation that teachers do so with intention.

We know that Cross Creek is not a traditional high school and that R-Time is not “homeroom.” If teachers are treating it as such, they miss the point of why Cross Creek exists. The program is intended to provide the necessary supports to allow students to navigate the college experience so that they are not only college eligible, but college-ready. R-Time is one of the supports.

There are four parts to this assignment and all parts are due by Monday January 8, 2018 by the end of the school day:

1. Read the above introduction and the article “Integrating SEL Education into High Schools” by
    clicking on the first button to the right. Keep the readings in mind when answering the
    questions.

2. Watch the Goleman interview video by clicking the button on the right; keep the video in
mind when answering the questions.

3. Answer questions on the blog forum by clicking on comments below. Brevity is key, but if
    you need, comment on your comment to answer all questions.

            1. On a scale of 1-5, 5 being most important, rate the importance of including SEL
                education at the early college high school.

            2. Comment on the above introduction in regards to your perspective of R-Time at Cross
                Creek. What one idea in the introduction struck you as important? Why?

3. After reading the article, “Integrating SEL Ed into High Schools,” how does our R-
Time meet the needs of our student population? How critical is teacher buy-in to
teaching SEL for the program’s overall impact?

4. “SEL works best for students who need it most” was quoted in the video. Using data
provided by Daniel Goleman** in the interview and your experiences at Cross Creek,
in a paragraph or two, create a compelling argument to those new to the early college
or outsiders on the benefits of SEL (R-Time) at Cross Creek.

4. Respond to two of your “Veteran” colleagues. Your responses need to be thoughtful and
    complete.

All parts of this assignment are due by Monday January 8, 2018 by the end of the school day.

As always, if you need any clarification, please do not hesitate to contact me.

**Daniel Goleman is an internationally known psychologist who lectures frequently to professional groups, business audiences, and on college campuses. As a science journalist Goleman reported on the brain and behavioral sciences for The New York Times for many years.

29 Comments

Kelley Hasapis

12/7/2017 11:07:15 am

1. On a scale of 1-5, I rate the importance of R-Time (SEL eduation) a 3. I think it definitely has the potential to offer our students a great deal. It is a time to build realtionships and talk about non-academic issues that are facing our students.

2. The part of the intro that stood out to me was the section that discussed teachers having "repeat fatigue." I admit that I suffer from this, and I need to remind myself that it is new information for students. I need to try to approach it with fresh eyes every year.

3. Teacher buy-in is critical to teaching SEL. If I don't believe in what I am teaching my students, why should I expect my students to be enthusiastic?. The reference that academic and socio-emotional learning was intertwined in some of the schools' DNA stood out to me because it made me realize that that is not the case in our school. We need to work hard to have it intergrated into all facets of our school day. When we have a seemless flow of these ideas, then the students will benefit from it tremendously.

4. To convince my colleagues, I would first begin by pointing out that our students come to us in a "broken" form. By that I mean that they have come from poorly performing schools that have failed them in many areas: year-long substitute teachers, poor scores, violence, and non parental involvement are all common place in our schools. Even though we may think that we are only teaching our subject matter, that is far from the truth. We must not only address academic concerns, but emotional ones as well. We are dealing with the WHOLE child and when we work on this, we will see success in many areas. Students need to know that the Cross Creek FAMILY cares about them.

Alison Thetford link

12/17/2017 07:19:58 am

Thank you Ms. Hasapis for your submittal. I am so glad you picked up on the idea of "Repeat Fatigue." Believe it or not, I have had colleagues (no longer here, btw) tell me that "R-Time is a waste of "my time" and "I ignore the curriculum because the students don't pay attention," and "We should get rid of R-Time and go back to homeroom." I believe that all of these statements were born because of "repeat fatigue." How do we fix it? There have been many proposals- One was that R-Time teachers stay, for the most part, with their group-thus- book study may be repeated every 2nd year. not every year. R-Time teachers would get to know students even better in year two and be more attuned to what his/her group needs to focus on in the lessons. In my opinion, the best way to defeat "repeat fatigue" is to (1) acknowledge it exists and (2) consider new approaches to R-Time.

Which leads me to the statistics of why we have SEL Ed (R-Time) in the first place:

“Research shows that SEL can have a positive impact on school climate and promote a host of academic, social, and emotional benefits for students. Durlak, Weissberg et al.’s recent meta-analysis of 213 rigorous studies of SEL in schools indicates that students receiving quality SEL instruction demonstrated:

**better academic performance: achievement scores an average of 11 percentile points higher than students who did not receive SEL instruction;

**improved attitudes and behaviors: greater motivation to learn, deeper commitment to school, increased time devoted to schoolwork, and better classroom behavior;

**fewer negative behaviors: decreased disruptive class behavior, noncompliance, aggression, delinquent acts, and disciplinary referrals; and

**reduced emotional distress: fewer reports of student depression, anxiety, stress, and social withdrawal.”

(http://www.casel.org/social-and-emotional-learning/outcomes/)

Rod Hosking

1/5/2018 12:33:52 pm

I do definitely agree that it is imperative for teachers to have passion for what they teach. This is necessary for success. How that passion is delivered and prepared for are equally important. I found your reference to fatigue interesting though wonder if support from the county and/or state to ensure teachers have adequate planning time and resources might not also enable the passion and preparation mentioned as well as possibly reduce the fatigue.

1/8/2018 08:11:26 am

Right on, Mr. Hosking! The greatest advocates for our profession are teachers who live the day-to-day ins and outs of teaching. How can teachers promote the needs of the profession outside the obvious "circle of control?" Is "preaching to the choir" about the challenges/problems within the school level the best methodology?
How can teacher-leaders become a force for change?

Kenny Huffman

12/15/2017 07:24:44 am

1. Rate the importance of including SEL
education at the early college high school.

I imagine SEL rates around a 2-3 here. As the staff continue to get pared away by budget cuts, the workload does not diminish. Instead there are fewer hands to do the same/larger workload. Invariably, SEL finds itself lower on the priority list when administration/faculty have to make preparation choices.

2. What one idea in the introduction struck you as
important? Why?

"A program is only as good as those who implement it." Is it really that simple? This is a poorly-thought out cliche that does not take into account the many factors that affect a program. Does the program have adequate resources? Adequate manpower? Adequate support from above? Too many times overzealous bystanders imply that teachers aren't working hard enough to implement the flavor of the month effectively. The view must be pretty nice from the cheap seats. . .

3. How does our R-Time meet the needs of our student
population? How critical is teacher buy-in to
teaching SEL for the program’s overall impact?

Ideally, the students are picking up some things to think about as they navigate their way to adulthood. Teacher buy-in is just as important as administrative commitment to resource acquisition, or district commitment to adequate staffing.

4. Create a compelling argument to those new to the
early college or outsiders on the benefits of SEL (R-Time)
at Cross Creek.

I think it is best to look at the benefits of SEL through a long lens. In other words, the benefits are cumulative over an entire high school career. Our most successful transformations occur on a 4 year scale, rather than per semester. If a student/family chooses Cross Creek because they are preparing for professional life, this program is going to provide them with the tools they need to attain that goal. In summary, if a family chooses this school with a goal in mind (avoiding a poor school is not a goal) we will most assuredly move the student academically, socially, and emotionally toward the realization of that goal. . .

1/5/2018 12:38:02 pm

I really liked how you examined the benefits of SEL techniques not in a vacuum but rather in the effectiveness it has after a longer period of time. I also agree wholeheartedly that the stresses and unrealistic expectations of educators today definitely can have a detrimental effect on teacher buy-in in ANY program.

K. R. McGinnis

1/8/2018 08:24:33 am

I think you hit the nail on the head regarding question 1 - no matter how much value we see in it (and I think most everyone here does), the situation is a matter of doing more work with fewer people and the dilution of things is the inevitable outcome. It's not for a lack of trying to understanding, but simply there are only so many hands to do so many things.

1/8/2018 12:06:39 pm

Hi Mr. McGinnis- when we developed the concept of R-Time we realized it had to be included in the regular school day. If R-Time classes have grown in size adjustments can be made, but as you say, most everyone sees the value in R-Time (or at very least, the premise).... good points!

Jennison Shields

1/8/2018 10:45:37 am

I also agree that R-time/SEL must be looked at over a long period of time to see the benefits. There have been many students over the years at Cross Creek who benefitted from R-time. The change may not have been evident until Senior year, or after graduation, but it did sink in.

1/8/2018 12:03:02 pm

Couldn't agree more with your assessment. Sometimes all the work pays off long after we see them in the 9th and 10th grades. How many times have former students said they didn't get the purpose until after they graduated! (But at least they got it!)

P. Patric

1/8/2018 05:27:18 pm

I agree Ms. Shields it is a process that takes time. Hopefully, those benefits go well beyond high school.

12/17/2017 07:03:53 am

Thank you for your response, Mr. Huffman.

It is a shame that our district and state leaders in education seem to ignore the overwhelming evidences that SEL education at all ages and grades make a difference. It is rare for schools or districts to include a meaningful SEL segment within the school day-whether it's because of the reasons you mentioned or other factors. Including SEL ed for our underclassmen may be one of the many reasons why CC is as successful as it is-
and teachers are at the very heart of that success.

“Research shows that SEL can have a positive impact on school climate and promote a host of academic, social, and emotional benefits for students. Durlak, Weissberg et al.’s recent meta-analysis of 213 rigorous studies of SEL in schools indicates that students receiving quality SEL instruction demonstrated:

*better academic performance: achievement scores an average of 11 percentile points higher than students who did not receive SEL instruction;

*improved attitudes and behaviors: greater motivation to learn, deeper commitment to school, increased time devoted to schoolwork, and better classroom behavior;

*fewer negative behaviors: decreased disruptive class behavior, noncompliance, aggression, delinquent acts, and disciplinary referrals; and

*reduced emotional distress: fewer reports of student depression, anxiety, stress, and social withdrawal.”

(http://www.casel.org/social-and-emotional-learning/outcomes/)

1/5/2018 12:26:37 pm

1. On a scale of 1-5, 5 being most important, rate the importance of including SEL education at the early college high school.
I
Theoretically, I would say it is definitely a 5, but as in so many cases when the realities of money, time, resources, expectations, testing and performance, etc.. are averaged into the equation, theory and reality often have very little in common. Realistically speaking(or writing in this case) I would give it a dubious 3 in the educational landscape at present. I am primarily referencing the landscape OUTSIDE of the classroom.

2. Comment on the above introduction in regards to your perspective of R-Time at Cross Creek. What one idea in the introduction struck you as important? Why?

My approach to R-Time has been the same over the years. I try to be very positive and passionate with what we are doing. It might be one of the books or it might be something else. I actually like the premise of R-Time but do believe that outside factors whittle away at what can be done effectively. I have had much success linking club day students with the after-school club activities. Club Day can have lots of benefits for students becoming part of something here at the school. It works mostly for me as an after-school activity though. Although I know the introduction's goal is to stress the importance of R-Time as a means to improve the SEL level for all students, I do not think that teacher buy-in or teacher enthusiasm are always the main reasons for its lack of effectiveness. Those aforementioned "outside factors" play a crucial role in this and pretty much everything that goes on in education. If those factors continue to go unchecked and the teacher continues to be the sole source for the efficacy of something - improvement will never take place. This is what I found important in the introduction. my personal evaluation is an added bonus.

3. After reading the article, “Integrating SEL Ed into High Schools,” how does our R- Time meet the needs of our student population? How critical is teacher buy-in to teaching SEL for the program’s overall impact?

I think our R-Time does a particularly good job creating a friendly atmosphere where students can share ideas and discussions. Our students come from all over the county and this allows them to see each other in something that is not a regular class. Naturally, every teacher has to buy into the program. It is indeed critical especially in a non-traditional high school setting.

4. “SEL works best for students who need it most” was quoted in the video. Using data provided by Daniel Goleman** in the interview and your experiences at Cross Creek, in a paragraph or two, create a compelling argument to those new to the early college or outsiders on the benefits of SEL (R-Time) at Cross Creek.

R-Time is an opportunity for students and teachers to gather every day and share thoughts and ideas, collaboratively work together in the completion of group-based projects, and experience learning about such things as character development, life-lessons inside and outside of school, and college readiness techniques designed to enhance, support, and ultimately fortify each student's journey at the early college and the university in a caring environment. Through these practices, students will improve socially and academically.

Milagros Rivera

1/7/2018 07:48:37 pm

I am in agreement with your view of how R-Time allows us to come together to share thoughts and ideas and to discuss issues but we do it in a respectful manner. R-Time allows us the opportunity to have meaningful discussions. We do so in a supportive way and our intent is to teach our students that we can disagree with each other without being offensive. We may not see results at this time but all we can do is plant the seeds and hope for the best. Character development is a life long process and perhaps we are the changing force in their lifes helping them make the right choices.

1/8/2018 07:51:23 am

Great points! To be sure, there are other factors that prevent an effective SEL program in high school. Scale is one problem, for sure. Thankfully, Cross Creek is a small school that allows more personal attention: R-Time is but one way we do it. R-time is about building relationships with our students so that trust is present- no matter if it's for correction or praise. As you ably described when the passion comes through, students know it and will follow you anywhere. That's one of the differences between a traditional high school and this early college.

Milagros Rivera link

1/6/2018 09:43:38 pm

1. On a scale 1-5, how important is including SEL education at the early college high school? I would give it a rate of 3 because I believe that this is primarily the job of parents and a family concern. Many children come to us without any kind of social emotional training and perhaps we can exert some kind of possitive influence and teach them to make the right choices so they can become productive individuals and succeed in their college life.
In our discussions of the varied topics covered in R-Time, we can make a difference in helping these children see situations from many points of view. It's all right to disagree.

2. In your introduction the point that you made "a program is only as good as those who implement it" made sense in a certain way. Some times I encountered resistance when we had to read our assigned book but during the readings we engaged in many meaninful discussions. I also think that Club Day is beneficial to SEL because it brings students to another location and they tend to interact differently. At this age is important for children to have some sense of belonging to a peer group.

3. After reading the article, I believe that R-Time meets some of the needs of our student population. R-Time supports student / teacher relationships. We stay with the same group of students the whole school year which enable us to get to know them better. On the other hand, some students are not easy to approach.
In addition, we are successful in conducting grade level meetings. We keep our students aware of coming events.

How critical is teacher buy-in to teaching SEL for the programs
overall impact? Is important to certain degree when we truly care for a cause because we are more passionate when we delivered instruction. Students can see when you are being truthful and honest in telling them the correct thing to do in a given situation and/or when you are not. I fully agree that social and emotional factors affect academic engagement, achievement and educational attainment in the adolecent years. According to the article, it is very important for all teachers to hop on board and teach SEL because there is a correlation between teacher participation and an increase in academic achievement.

4. “SEL works best for students who need it most” was quoted in the video. Using data provided by Daniel Goleman** in the interview and your experiences at Cross Creek, in a paragraph or two, create a compelling argument to those new to the early college or outsiders on the benefits of SEL (R-Time) at Cross Creek.
Integrating SEL in high schools is a great tool to educate our youth and make them aware of the consecuences of making bad choices. As educators, we need to discuss the evils of drugs, bullying, unwanted teen pregnacies and violence. Everyday we are witnessing multiple cases of violence and killings. We can teach social skills that perhaps are not being taught at home. Children can make choices that will prepare them for a better life. They need to learn to manage their anger, to work together even if they disagree, to respect their differences and to stay motivated. Teaching SEL during R-Time
can be the tool to make our world a safer place.

1/8/2018 07:04:09 am

I noticed your reference regarding parent and family roles in values education. It seems that education systems have just decided to assume that no value clarification instruction is happening in the home. That is a telling statement about the citizens we create and serve. . .

1/8/2018 08:26:57 am

I liked that you said "Teaching SEL during R-Time
can be the tool to make our world a safer place." I would even take it a step further - I would simply say a "better" place instead of a safer place. Being able to look inward and be introspective is not easy, but if we can make that skill more available to students, we create better people and better citizens.

1/8/2018 12:11:44 pm

Student self-awareness as well as responsibilities are important lessons for young people. While the intent of R-Time is to focus on college ready skills (like handling stress or deadlines) sometimes students use SEL education to improve personal relationships.

Jane Merritt

1/9/2018 07:43:09 am

I agree that the students benefit by having the same teacher all year, allowing you to really get to know them. I also agree that it is important for all teachers to hop on board with teaching SEL.

Patsy Patrick

1/7/2018 07:13:50 pm

1. On a scale of 1-5, 5 being most important, rate the importance of including SEL
education at the early college high school.
I rate the importance of including SEL as a 5 at the early college high school or any school for that matter. I think it goes back to the saying “people don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care”. RTIME provides a platform or opportunity for SEL.

2. Comment on the above introduction in regards to your perspective of R-Time at Cross
Creek. What one idea in the introduction struck you as important? Why?
The one idea that struck me as important is “repeat fatigue”. If this occurs in RTIME then it is also possible to occur in the content areas as well. Most teachers are teaching the same lesson 2 or 3 periods a day only to different students. Does “repeat fatigue” take place here as well? From my perspective RTIME should be a time when teachers don’t feel the pressure of preparing students for a test or grading an assignment. We provide materials that have proven research of their benefit to helping students. (7 Habits, 55 Essentials, 6 Most Important Decisions). As stated RTIME supports the social-emotional learning our students need to succeed in high school and college.

3. After reading the article, “Integrating SEL Ed into High Schools,” how does our R-
Time meet the needs of our student population? How critical is teacher buy-in to
teaching SEL for the program’s overall impact?
I think Cross Creek does a good job meeting the needs of our freshmen and sophomores. The junior and senior classes are more of a challenge to meet the SEL. So our impact has to be early and consistent during RTIME. A habit is defined as an acquired behavior pattern regularly followed until it has become almost involuntary. Cross Creek has to intentionally make SEL part of our language every day in every class not just RTIME so teacher buy-in is essential. Our attitude and enthusiasm should be contagious as well as professional.

4. “SEL works best for students who need it most” was quoted in the video. Using data
provided by Daniel Goleman** in the interview and your experiences at Cross Creek,
in a paragraph or two, create a compelling argument to those new to the early college
or outsiders on the benefits of SEL (R-Time) at Cross Creek.
Cross Creek has students from 17 county middle schools and (2) from Ft. Bragg; bringing this population together it is imperative that we create a community of acceptance, what better way than SEL.
Goleman stated that employers are not just looking for those candidates who are bright with technical skills, but also those who are motivated, know how to get along, cooperate, a team player, relate well, and take initiative.
Compared to traditional schools who have 30+ just for homeroom we are very very fortunate to have 12-13 students per RTIME period to mold those plastic brains with repeated experiences that become habit as we prepare our students for college, career, and life.

1/8/2018 10:50:29 am

I agree that the upperclassmen are more of a challenge, but believe the work we do with 9th an 10th graders is helping. I also agree that teachers must be enthusiastic, but professional, to make the program work.

1/8/2018 12:16:29 pm

Great points and it made me think about the freedom our students enjoy. Some students handle it very well and others fall apart, in spite of R-Time in 9th and 10th grades. This is why C-PAC (as draconian and seemingly counter to our overall philosophy) is critical. Actions (or lack of actions) do have consequences. Many students have bounced back from a semester of idleness because of C-PAC.

1/9/2018 07:40:17 am

I agree with Ms. Patrick and Ms. Shields that the Juniors and Seniors are more of a challenge due the vast differences in all of their schedules. I think the students often use the strategies they have learned here at CCECHS in the 9th and 10th grade year and apply them to their college classes. Most often our students are more successful then their peers (1st time traditional college students) in the college classes.

1/8/2018 07:31:41 am

1. On a scale of 1-5, 5 being most important, rate the importance of including SEL education at the early college high school.

4 – I was initially split on this because I was going to give a lower score, but the more I thought about the issue, the more I looked at the notion of emotional support being the driving factor behind many students’ levels of success. Anecdotally, I’ve observed the difference in when I tell a student that I believe in him/her and that I have faith in them to do well and when it’s just a content/quiz/test process. Sure, your high flyers and self-starters will do well, but they are usually the exception to most rules. It’s those ones in the middle or lower portion of the grade that need the support. And I get that it’s more than just simply telling a child that you believe in them. It shows that you feel that child has value and isn’t just a random kid in a classroom or a data point on some spreadsheet of testing data. That matters and it goes a long way. One of the sophomores made a presentation for me of “Memories from Class” and one of the things in there was a selection of often used quotes in class. “I Believe in you” and “You can do it” both were remembered and put into the presentation. It has power and meaning. And maybe the child doesn’t have the most supportive home or is lacking in those emotional needs. It is one of those situations where you never know how something you say or do can have a lasting effect.

2. Comment on the above introduction in regards to your perspective of R-Time at Cross Creek. What one idea in the introduction struck you as important? Why?

The mentions of Club Day and “repeat fatigue” stuck out to me. Re: Clubs – I do like that we made them a more regular occurrence simply because A: it does create a sense of community in a school where community is somewhat lacking due to pulling from every district, and B: It greatly helps break up the sometimes tedious nature of the book studies.
As for the “repeat fatigue,” I know I have experienced it because I find the texts somewhat…elementary. But I also realize that the actual content of the text is immaterial if you are engaging with the students and text simultaneously. It’s a prime opportunity to share personal stories and teach life lessons and those will always be different. It doesn’t matter that the core text is the same, it’s the discussion that matters.

3. After reading the article, “Integrating SEL Ed into High Schools,” how does our R-Time meet the needs of our student population? How critical is teacher buy-in to teaching SEL for the program’s overall impact?

Functionally, R-Time meets the needs of many of our students because it provides them an opportunity to think about their lives and the lives of others outside of the traditional signal/response type thinking in the classroom. If a student reads a story, they think about characters and their lives in an academic way. R-Time allows the students to think about themselves and their needs and their lives instead of what some fictitious character from someone’s imagination did and said. As for buy-in, it is always important to have buy-in with the content we teach. Students can always tell when we are teaching something we don’t love inside and out. I make no bones about having a less-than-positive view of Romeo and Juliet, but I don’t let certain things show about that. I can express that I dislike something but also appreciate something’s importance. And that becomes a lesson in and of itself – you can like something that isn’t objectively “good” or dislike something that is qualitatively “good.” Regardless, it is essential to have some buy in no matter what. You get what you give and if you give half an effort, you’ll get half effort in return.

4. “SEL works best for students who need it most” was quoted in the video. Using data provided by Daniel Goleman** in the interview and your experiences at Cross Creek, in a paragraph or two, create a compelling argument to those new to the early college or outsiders on the benefits of SEL (R-Time) at Cross Creek.

Simply put – R-Time elevates the discussion, ironically, by bringing it down to a very human, basic level. Students are given the opportunity to reflect on their lives – the choices they make, the actions they take, the people they choose to associate with – and provide some degree of autonomy and grow as a person. The students who want to get more from R-Time will because they see what we are doing with it. Like I said with the “buy-in” in the previous point – you get what you give. And the students who “need” the emotional learning are more likely to engage with soft skills and affecti

1/8/2018 07:33:41 am

Final sentence was cut off because of the word limit...

And the students who “need” the emotional learning are more likely to engage with soft skills and affective teaching because they recognize the deficiency in their lives without knowing that there even is a deficiency.

1/8/2018 10:38:26 am

1. I would rate SEL a 3. While I believe that SEL has the potential to make a big impact for students, I think there are many factors that determine the actual effectiveness in high school. School/class size, appropriate lessons/materials and teacher buy in are critical components of SEL.

2. Club Day stuck out for me. Though it is not formal SEL, I believe students still benefit from Club Day. In addition to feeling part of a group, students get to form new relationships and often participate in community service activities.

3. 10th grade R-Time meets our students needs with the "6 Most Important Decisions" book by Covey. I think the book does a pretty good job discussing many nonacademic issues our students deal with. Teacher buy-in is absolutely critical for R-Time to work. Teachers need to be enthusiastic about the material to have any chance of buy-in from students.

4. SEL/R-Time is a program that enhances academics. Over time, students learn how to deal with emotions and setbacks, work with others, and control impulses. SEL also has the potential to help close the achievement gap and raise standardized test scores. If we only educate them in subject knowledge we are not educating the whole child. Society as a whole will benefit form teaching SEL, as it helps students become better decision makers.

P Patrick

1/8/2018 05:58:21 pm

Ms. Shield,
I agree that both of Covey's books are great resources for launching SEL. I believe enthusiasm can be contagious for peers and especially the learner.

1/9/2018 06:11:13 am

1. On a scale of 1-5, 5 being most important, rate the importance of including SEL education at the early college high school. I believe it is about a 4, it is very important for the students to know their teachers care about them.

2. Comment on the above introduction in regards to your perspective of R-Time at Cross Creek. What one idea in the introduction struck you as important? Why? The idea that struck out to me was R-time is when character development, social skill building, and cultivation of a college-ready mindset occurs. So many of our students need to be taught good character development. So they make the right decisions outside of school.

3. After reading the article, “Integrating SEL Ed into High Schools,” how does our R-Time meet the needs of our student population? How critical is teacher buy-in to teaching SEL for the program’s overall impact? It is extremely important for teacher buy in SEL if students feel that their teacher doesn't care about the information they are teaching them why should they. In addition for a program to be successful all participants must buy in.

4. “SEL works best for students who need it most” was quoted in the video. Using data provided by Daniel Goleman** in the interview and your experiences at Cross Creek, in a paragraph or two, create a compelling argument to those new to the early college or outsiders on the benefits of SEL (R-Time) at Cross Creek.

So many of our students do not receive support at home. During R-time students work on character building, learning soft skills, and getting in the mindset of ready for college. This is not a curriculum they will be tested on, but this will benefit them in and out of the classroom.

November/December 2017

Our Present Pursuits: "R-Time:" A Path To Social-Emotional Education "Veteran Edition"

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