Dear Dara: How Can I Support My Students' Well-Being Right Now?

Dear Dara,

I find it almost inconceivable that I am writing this letter to you and the country is still living through a horrific moment in history. The COVID-19 pandemic, #BlackLivesMatter, and the 2020 presidential election have been a trifecta of pain, horror, fear, hope, and inspiration. It is scary that I have just as much hope, as I have anxiety and fear.

With everything going on, I find myself growing more and more concerned with the social and emotional health of myself, my students, and my colleagues. What role can the library play in the social and emotional needs of our school community, especially if we are attending school in a remote or blended learning environment?

Thank you for your insight!

Sincerely,

A Compassionate Librarian

Dear Compassionate Librarian,

I couldn't agree with you more. We are living in very unstable times and it seems all of us are on the edge in one way or another. I am in awe of the educators and administrators navigating the changing protocols, school closings, and re-openings while maintaining their students' health and safety and their own sanity, while still providing a rich instructional experience for their students. Some are doing it better than others, but we are all working the hardest we have ever worked in our lives. There are teachers providing instruction outside of their certification areas, school libraries reallocated to classroom space, and librarians stepping in as tech gurus, content teachers, professional developers, and more. It is truly unreal and exhausting, both mentally and physically. If educators are exhausted and parents are pulling out their hair, imagine how our kids must be feeling.

Taking a timeout from the absurdity of it all for a social emotional health check is brilliant, but not everyone is prepared to become a yogi and strike a downward-facing dog pose. School librarians can definitely use this moment as an opportunity to support mental health, develop programming and activities that encourage social emotional awareness, and curate resources to help our school communities maintain their mindfulness.

How do you get started? First, build up your own background knowledge of social and emotional learning commonly referred to as SEL. Common Sense Media has curated a robust collection of SEL resources including articles, activities, family resources, discussion guides, lessons, and more at https://www.commonsense.org/education/toolkit/social-emotional-learning. The site is organized by character strengths including Empathy and Compassion, Integrity and Self-Control, Courage and Perseverance, Humility and Gratitude, Teamwork and Communication, and Curiosity.

Next, focus on collection development. Explore your existing collection for print and non-print for titles that address SEL topics. Build reading lists and create displays, including both print and digital books. Highlight titles that encourage conversations and organize book groups that allow readers to take a deeper dive into sensitive topics, and provide the extra scaffolding and support to help students process such topics.

Seek out new books and publishers that are offering books about emotions, managing anxiety, problem-solving, and self-perception. Magination Press, an imprint of the American Psychology Association, has an extensive catalog of children's books that address social-emotional topics and has even organized a website of resources to help children and families manage their stress and anxiety during COVID-19 (https://www.maginationpressfamily.org/). They offer an online storytime on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxf85IzktYWIIKno7USt8THWCAkVCJRmi), and have resources to help families practice mindfulness.

The year of 2020 has provided a lot of clarity and an equal amount of confusion. We are all rather fragile right now and need to be aware of how much trauma this time has caused in our lives. Kids might not be able to recognize the experience as trauma or have the vocabulary to discuss their feelings. As librarians, we have a responsibility to provide guidance, support, resources, and scaffolding so our students, teachers, and families can navigate this time as best as possible.

Be well,

Dara