Social Emotional Learning

Social and Emotional Learning (SEL), a standard set by the Illinois State Board of Education, is the educational process of developing social emotional skills in the context of safe, caring, well-managed and engaging learning environments.  SEL enables individuals to recognize and manage emotions, understand their personal values, develop caring and concern for others, make responsible decisions, establish and maintain positive relationships and handle challenging situations effectively.  Research has shown that people with social and emotional competence are most likely to succeed academically, have a sense of well-being in their personal lives and act as contributors to their communities.  SEL involves both teaching students a set of skills to help support their social and emotional well-being and creating a safe, caring learning environment conducive to learning and applying those skills. 
 
Here is a list of Social Emotional activities taking place at OEHS:
 
TALK
Change Starts with the Power of One
 
Oswego East will host their sixth annual TALK (Teens Activating the Language of Kindness) program on November 17th and November 19th.  TALK is a day long, in-school retreat that promotes communication amongst students and challenges them to break the barriers of cliques.  TALK will welcome Eddie Slowikowski as the keynote speaker who will teach students that the positive actions of one person can have a ripple effect on a whole community.   The rest of the day will be filled with small group discussions, facilitated by trained student leaders, and activities that challenge students to take personal risks.  As students communicate they learn that they are a lot more similar to one another than they are different.  TALK encourages students to demonstrate their acceptance for peers and practice the life long skills of working with and embracing differences.