More is caught than taught
In my doctoral program, my cohort had the opportunity to learn from the author of my graduate school social work practice textbook - Dr. Lawrence Shulman. It was an amazing experience, and so much of what he taught that weekend has informed my practice as a social work and professional development educator. In class he shared that “more is caught than taught,” and this phrase has stayed with me. I took it to mean that how we behave on a regular basis is more important and influential for our students than the words we speak or the lessons we try to impart. I shared this in a professional development session with a wonderful group of teachers last week, and it resonated. How we are with others gives them a blueprint for how they should be with us—as educators, when we approach students in a calm, emotionally regulated, respectful, and compassionate way our students feel cared for, safe, and respected.
One way to operationalize this idea in school settings is through the use of daily SEL practices. The workshop I referenced earlier, titled Small Things Often: Sustainable SEL Practices, focused on several activities that can be utilized on a regular basis and are easy to bake into the structure of any lesson. We covered strategies that build relationships and belonging, emotional regulation and frustration tolerance. After the workshop, a teacher came over to share how the frustration tolerance strategies are exciting to her as a math teacher, as she has observed her students being quick to give up when faced with challenging problems.
I structure my professional development sessions with SEL to model how these practices can be integrated and my favorite tool for this is CASEL’s 3 Signature Practices Playbook. This free resource provides several activities that can be utilized to begin each class with an inclusive welcome, incorporate engaging strategies throughout the lesson, and an optimistic closure. I use the playbook activities throughout my professional development sessions and share what I am doing, often providing time for educators to reflect on the activities and consider if/how they could utilize them in their classrooms.
The beauty of SEL practices is that they don’t require huge shifts—just small, intentional moments that over time build strong relationships and classrooms where students are able to take risks and build skills. What do you want your students to “catch” from you this year?
