Social Emotional Learning (SEL) is an important kind of learning that goes on in elementary school. Helping students to develop a sense of self; regulation of his or her own emotions, thoughts, and behaviors; an awareness of others' perspectives and appreciation of other other people's experiences; communication and relationship building skills; and the ability to analyze situations, evaluate possibilities, and problem solve  is what SEL is all about. Most of the school guidance programs and lessons cover SEL. Teachers incorporate these skills into class meetings and lessons as well. For more information on the importance of SEL in the lives of children, check out resources at The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), which created the image above.

Mountain Brook Schools formerly adopted curriculums last school year through the work of parent representatives, elementary school counselors, and administrators from each of our elementary schools.  The choices considered were available to the community at the board of education for review. After careful consideration of all the issues and concerns from the community, the committee selected Second Step curriculum and Core Essentials to use in the elementary schools.

Staff and faculty work through development of SEL activities on a regular basis. We read professional literature on the topic, attend conferences and workshops on this, and collaborate and consult with each other regularly on activities designed to help students' grow personally, inter-personally, emotionally, and as they contribute to developing our school community.

The following list of books has been compiled by our Speech and Language Pathologist and our Counselor Laura Witcher and are available to all professional staff to use with students. Some books are better for whole class lessons and others are better for meeting small group or individual needs as determined by the educator working with that child or children. Books are regularly added to our collections and shared with our professional staff. These are resources for use as needed with children.