My students need access to a comprehensive social skills curriculum.
$2,339 goal
This project expired on December 31, 2014.
This project expired on December 31, 2014.
Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month
This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because
it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.
As the only counselor in the building, my day is filled with both responding to student social and emotional needs and trying to prevent student issues from arising. Access to prevention materials is the primary barrier to me serving all 370 of my students.
My elementary students are from the ages of five through eleven.
86% of these young children come from economically disadvantaged households. 80% are Latino. 40% are English Language Learners. One-fifth of the student population is identified as Special Ed. 100% of these students are loved and cared for and supported by their comprehensive school counseling program. The program services all students through classroom guidance. Many students receive more targeted support through small groups or responsive one-on-one counseling. The students come to counseling because they struggle with emotion management, problem solving, self-regulation and executive functioning. There are many causes for these issues including acute and chronic stress, anxiety, depression, incarcerated parents, parental discord, cultural isolation, homelessness, poverty, impaired language, underdeveloped social skills and much more.
My Project
With the Second Step program all students at my elementary school will be exposed to a research-based curriculum that focuses on the social, emotional and behavioral skills that they need. As the school counselor, I will be able to teach the scope and sequence of lessons to ALL students during their weekly guidance. Students who need additional support will receive targeted instruction from the Second Step program in small groups or one-on-one with me. Because of the dynamic nature of the program, lessons will be taught with all the learning styles in mind. Music, video, role-play, puppetry and visuals are but some of the teaching tools that students will be exposed to. Outcomes of Second Step include increased ability to problem solve, manage emotions and self-regulate. With these skills, students will interact with each other in a positive manner and access learning with fewer distractions.
Social, emotional and behavioral skills are the building blocks of life and learning.
When my students learn these skills strategically through Second Step they will be primed to work cooperatively with others, be purposeful decision-makers, and understand their own emotional needs. This will benefit my students not only during their elementary school years, but throughout their entire lives.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mrs. Peters and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
