Hey! I'm NSFS's intern Abs, and I'm here to make a personal appeal as to why we all need to be tremendously worried about this impact on college campuses and our society writ large.

In the same state that wants to erase LGBTQ from schools, 41% of math textbooks have been rejected, saying they include CRT ideology. Ahh, the sunshine state.

According to GWM Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, it protects students from educators “trying to indoctrinate them with ideology.” Still, maybe they’re just scared for kids to understand the fundamental racism in the United States. So, teachers are limited on how they can frame history… even when it comes to math problems (who are the snowflakes now?)

Critical race theory is “an intellectual approach to looking at U.S. society with the belief that racism is at the core of its laws and institution.” CRT’s most essential efforts are to empower the voices that have been marginalized and to recognize the racism that is embedded within our society and is reproduced and reinforced over time. To combat this, we need a holistic and vigorous approach to education to aid in dismantling institutional racism. The idea is not to teach children that America is racist or “attack” white people but to support anti-racism by embedding Anti-racist thought in today’s children.

We need CRT in classrooms, and you can see that in numbers. For example, 80% of all educators are white, and about one in four teachers are white in classrooms of primarily black and brown students. 

After rejecting 54 of the 132 textbooks submitted, the FL Department of Education released examples of the 'issues' found in these math textbooks, and it's almost laughable. I picked one out that not only attacks CRT but attacks social-emotional learning.

SEL is "the process where children and adults understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions." 

Social-emotional learning is critical. There are five core concepts: relationship skills, self-management, self-awareness, responsible decision-making, and social awareness. But we wouldn't want kids having those qualities.

Conservatives don't. SEL has been added to the conservative hit list (sheep) ever since GWM Chris Rufo labeled it

"A delivery mechanism for radical pedagogies such as critical race theory and gender deconstructionism."

The Child Protection League labels SEL as the latest child protection scheme, AKA allowing children free expression of political beliefs, views, & identities.

The issue with SEL isn't just in Florida. Oklahoma is looking to implicate a total ban on teaching SEL as a concept.

"No public school district, public charter school, or public virtual charter school shall use federal, state, or private funds to promote, purchase, or utilize social-emotional learning concepts for training, instruction, or education of students."

Illinois wants to facilitate teaching SEL by creating guidelines and task forces to develop curriculums. In Indiana, Attorney General Todd Rokita said last year that "SEL programs represent a fundamental shift in the role of teachers from educators to therapists" (that's a stretch.) Idaho, Texas, and Georgia are among the states proposing bans/limitations on SEL. 

So teachers, in light of the Republican hatred of SEL, here are some ways to implement SEL in your own classroom, according to the ASCD. Check out their article for further information about each principle.

ACSD: 6 ways to sustain social-emotional learning in schools

Align social-emotional learning with your classroom vision and mission. 

Ask your students questions about their values, creativity, and goals, and promote collaboration in the classroom. Then, highlight and implement the importance of SEL in strategic plans.

Address and support the critical role of principal leadership.

Push for the system to involve school districts in decisions about curriculum selection, which affect SEL, and provide school leaders with SEL professional development.

Take the time to establish and maintain buy-in.

Do the research and share the data you find using resources like this SEL meta-analysis. You could also start a book club focused on SEL and ask people to share their experiences where SEL was successful. Lastly, connect with students and include them in conversations.

Make it a team effort.

Build a team to implement SEL implementation for group support, conflict resolution, and brainstorming.

Involve new staff and teachers. 

Take the opportunity to establish an onboarding plan and familiarize new hires with SEL implementation. Staff should be continually recruited.

Include resources for families.

Extend SEL from classrooms to homes with resources like the Second Step program.

"Since 1979, Committee for Children has championed the cause of educating the whole child through advocacy, social-emotional learning (SEL), and child safety programs. Today, its programs reach more than 14 million children in more than 70 countries. The Second Step school program is rooted in SEL and helps schools become supportive learning environments, providing educators and families with tools to take an active role."

Additional resources for the classroom:

15+ Benefits of Social-Emotional Learning in the Classroom

What Teachers Can Do Now to Boost Social and Emotional Learning in the Classroom

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