Challenging current trend in today's education -Social and Emotional learning

 The trend in today's educational world that I feel I will most struggle with as a teacher is social and emotional learning. Social and emotional learning has a direct impact on student's mental health. In my opinion social and emotional learning is like an umbrella. There are many different causes under the mental health umbrella. Children can suffer from genetic disorders that cause mental health issues. Some of the genetic disorders are bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, ADHD, Autism, and major depression disorders. All types of abuse can cause mental health issues as well. Physical abuse, sexual abuse, drug abuse, emotional abuse, verbal abuse and neglect can all cause mental health issues in today's students. There are also chromosomal disorders, such as Down syndrome, Turner syndrome, and Klinefelter syndrome just to name a few. Traumatic life experiences such as the loss of a loved one, poverty, major health issues, and being bullied can also cause social and emotional issues. There is so much more that could be added to this. It's really overwhelming how much mental illness is out there.

Social and emotional learning is significant in today's educational landscape, because it affects academic performance. Students struggling with any type of mental health are not going to perform as well as possible. It can also affect a students' behavior if not treated. Many students struggling with mental health will not attend school on a regular basis.  Students struggling with mental health that are not properly treated may not have a successful school experience.

Personally, I feel that social and emotional learning would be a struggle for me as a teacher because of the mental load teachers already carry. Teachers have so much that they deal with on a daily basis. Students' behaviors, emotional needs, academics, administrative tasks plus much more are responsibilities of the teacher. We have seen all of the devastating school shootings by students. These students were most likely suffering from some type of mental health issues. As a pre-service teacher, it is scary to think that this could happen. It's also a very big responsibility to keep a classroom full of students safe. 


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