PERMAH- Positive Relationships & Adult SEL Support

The Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning for students better known as CASEL also provides resources to strengthen adult social and emotional learning. They just published an article providing strategies and case studies of U.S. school districts efforts to support the social and emotional health of staff members. The authors point out as we do that in order to support the wellness of our students our staff members “need to feel empowered, supported, and valued” as well. To assist staff members with their SEL well-being, they provide a SEL self-assessment tool that you can download to use in your own self-understanding efforts.

A connection to the importance of relationships and community is a recent column by Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times. He writes about the severity of loneliness in many societies as well as the research documenting the negative physical and mental health effects. One takeaway from the article is how fortunate we are at SSIS to have such a strong and supportive community. However, we also need to acknowledge that many of us live away from our families and friends. We can make sure to take steps to understand the feelings of being disconnected that sometimes arise with international living. In response, we can apply our strengths within the PERMAH category of Relationships to keep our connections strong with loved ones here in HCMC and around the world.