Class Catalyst

When Expertise Meets Reality: Navigating My Son's Bullying Experience As the leader of a Social Emotional Learning organization, I thought I had the answers. I've spent years advocating for emotional intelligence, conflict resolution, and creating safe spaces for children. But recently, I've found myself facing a situation that has challenged everything I thought I knew. It started subtly. My first-grader, Remi, began dreading school every day. When asked why, he would only say it was "more of the pits." As a dad and an SEL professional, I felt a mix of concern and confusion. It took a private conversation with a counselor friend for us to uncover the truth - Remi was being bullied during recess. Once we learned about the bullying, we took action. We talked to Remi about it. We reached out to the school to ensure they were aware of the situation. We waited, hoping things would improve. But days later, Remi reported that the bullying was still happening. Now, I find myself grappling with questions I never thought I'd consider: - Do we tell him to fight back? - Should we advise him to stop playing the game he loves just to avoid the bully? Neither option aligns with the practices we teach and believe in...yet, as a father, the urge to protect my child at all costs is overwhelming. To my fellow educators, parents, and SEL professionals: How do you bridge the gap between theory and real-life challenges? What alternative solutions can we explore to help children like Remi? How can we better support all students dealing with bullying? I don't have a perfect solution yet, but I'm committed to finding a way forward that aligns with both professional best practices and the realities faced by children and parents. Let's start a conversation and work together to develop stronger, more effective anti-bullying strategies in our schools. Our children's well-being depends on it.

Step 3: Leverage Us — Need SEL resources? 📚 Check out our lesson plans, hop into our office hours, or drop us an email. We here to help you bring out the best in what you do best for your students! 🙌💬 Office Hours: Tuesday: 12-1pm CT, Thursday: 2:30 – 3:30pm CT Free demos available today: https://lnkd.in/gaZ5z4Jw

The team at Northwest Middle School (Old Weber HS) was amazing. We discussed how using #Classcatalyst will ensure students no longer “suffer silently.” Every student has a voice and deserves to be heard daily! Let’s make this a priority

Class Catalyst is growing. This year we’ll be in 30 Chicago Public Schools. One school from every network! Thank you Principal Morales and Clemente HS for being an amazing partner. Principal Morales once sent his son to my school for his elementary years. It was great to reminisce and celebrate his son who is now a Freshman in College. #thebestarewithCPS

#TipTuesday: Adults have a key role in incorporating #SEL into the classroom beyond lessons about the competencies. Every adult can practice their own SEL competencies as a model to their students. More about modeling SEL: https://bit.ly/3b9GvQ7