About
Social & Emotional Learning
When students feel safe and valued, they are more open to powerful learning. Nurturing the social and emotional health of every student at GMS is therefore central to both how and what we teach. Every GMS teacher is a teacher of the whole child first. Each works actively in class to support students in their social and emotional growth, knowing the positive impact this will have on their intellectual development.
To acknowledge and support adolescents in developing their emotional intelligence and skills, GMS teaches a Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) course. For all three years, students take part in a weekly SEL course where they deepen their understanding of both themselves and others in a welcoming space. In SEL, a student can give voice to their feelings in a productive and safe way and hear those feelings acknowledged by their peers and teachers. Classes are comprised of role play, reading and discussion, videos, guest speakers, and expression through art. Taught at age-appropriate levels, SEL presents students with a personal set of skills and strategies that invites them to take their place in the world as their authentic selves, while encouraging them to make a difference in the lives of others.
SEL Curriculum
Each year, students engage with similar topics at age-appropriate levels, creating opportunities to dive deeper into complex issues as they gain a better understanding of themselves. They learn about nourishing their bodies, regulating their nervous system, self and social awareness, human sexuality, diversity, equity, and inclusion. These topics prepare them for high school and beyond, developing their communication skills, ability to ask questions and connect with others, and advocate for their needs.
Community & Belonging
Our SEL teachers create a caring, compassionate, and safe classroom environment where students can explore topics related to puberty, adolescence, and growing up. Through mindfulness practices and lessons on self and social awareness, students learn to identify their feelings, communicate them, and understand that their feelings impact their choices, which can have lasting effects. Through individual check-ins and discussions, students learn to listen to the perspectives of their peers and develop a deeper sense of empathy for others.
What We Teach
The Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Program at The Girls’ Middle School supports every GMS student in their transition into the teenage years, providing them with the skills necessary to develop into a strong, healthy, self-aware young person. In a course that meets weekly for all three years at GMS, students have a safe space to explore complex issues. Within this framework, the SEL course addresses numerous topics of concern to teens with both candor and sensitivity. These include effective communication skills, values clarification, healthy relationships, conflict resolution, human sexuality, drug education, diversity, and self-awareness.
Why We Teach Social & Emotional Learning
In SEL, emphasis is placed on creating a caring and compassionate environment in which adolescents learn that they are supported, as well as how to support one another. The class provides the time and space for GMS students to build healthy identities, examine their own internal worlds, and begin to understand themselves and expand their autonomy, which is central to adolescent development.