As with any method you adopt or course you take, you want to make sure it is worth your time, energy and effort. I get it! I’m a practical girl and if what I’m doing isn’t really helping me personally or professionally, then I don’t really want to spend the time on it.
That’s what I love about SEAL (Social-Emotional Artistic Learning). It is a method that doesn’t only help your students to grow in their social-emotional development, but it can also affect YOU as a teacher and as a person.
After learning about SEAL and participating in the SEAL eCourse, I asked the now official SEAL Teachers what kinds of success they experienced. Here is what some of them had to say. (And scroll to the bottom to see my interview with one SEAL Teacher!)
Professional Success with SEAL
In many cases, the teachers were able to take the foundational lessons from SEAL and make them work into their days. That’s one of the most empowering things about SEAL: it first gives you the knowledge and then the flexibility to do what is best for yourself as a teacher and your students as learners.
“My success includes the attainment of what true arts integration looks like and how to write a lesson that incorporates and assesses art and other disciplines equally. I now have a good foundation to proceed with SEAL for the remainder of the school year and beyond.”
“I have many of the resources and charts in my lesson plan book and posted by my desk. The resources have given me a more systematic approach to SEAL and guidance for writing IEP benchmarks.”
IEP BENCHMARKS? YES! SEAL can certainly help with that too!
“I learned how art builds confidence, encourages empathy and acceptance of differences, allows for free expression, encourages creativity and improves problem solving skills.”
“Learning more about the social-emotional competencies was helpful in considering better lesson planning for my students as well as what my own children at home need more of.”
And that last quote leads us into personal success (or I like the word growth better here) through SEAL.
Personal Success (and growth) with SEAL
In order to fully understand just how deeply affective SEAL activities and lessons are for your students, it’s important to engage in them yourself as well. (That’s what Teacher-Centered PD is all about!)
For this teacher, taking part in the activities helped her immensely!
“This course has led me back to my true self and has given my teaching a much needed boost. My classroom is fun and exciting again. The evidence is the smiles on the children’s faces as well as my own.”
Hearing something like that just puts the biggest smile on my face! I LOVE hearing from teachers who are transformed by arts integration and SEAL strategies.
“I have never felt comfortable with my artistic ability. I would avoid creating art. During this course I thought that I would have to fake it until I could make it. I was continually surprised at how I felt as I was completing each activity. Memories would resurface, both good and bad with the music activity. The meditation and then painting activity brought forth feelings surrounding my cancer that I didn’t realize I was harboring, etc. These experiences allowed me to realize how powerful art experiences would be to my young students. Especially integrated with social emotional learning. I feel so lucky to have taken this course.”
Whenever a teacher has an a-ha moment such as this, I get goosebumps. Of course, I believe in how the arts can be powerful. (I’ve had my own transformative experiences through art creation and appreciation.) However, no one can convince you that it happens.
Instead, you really have to experience it for yourself.
And, then, you are able to share that belief and create those kinds of experiences for your students.
Click for your free “Empower yourself with SEAL” download!
Student Success with SEAL
So…where does all this teacher success lead to? Right where it should! STUDENT Success!
“Adding a soundtrack to my classroom has really helped ease the hectic nature of a transition. I have turned off a set of lights and put on slow classical music. I ask the students to move to the pace of the music and their voices should also be slow and low.”
“I have successfully soundtracked my classroom. It is amazing how the children find their focus and can relax into their seats while continuing to work. It has provided a calming umbrella over our classroom.”
(As you can see, Soundtracking is a real teacher favorite! This is by far one of my favorite lessons in the SEAL Teacher Training course.)
How it Ties Together
Everything seems to come together as you find yourself in this type of quality, Teacher-Centered professional development.
You make small (and sometimes big) steps in your journey.
And those steps lead to you improving what YOU do…
And that leads to students becoming more engaged and growing in their social-emotional competencies.
See how that all works?
Yes. SEAL can do this for YOU too. I encourage you to continue to explore the possibilities of SEAL!
In fact, you can start by learning all the possibilities with SEAL when you enroll in
my new course SEAL Teacher Training!
Click the image for more details!
note: These quotes are from teachers who completed the original SEAL ecourse. They come from the post-course evaluation and were all given anonymously.
