Social and Emotional Learning Day is an opportunity to showcase, promote, advocate, and support social-emotional learning (SEL) in schools and communities across the world. 

As part of Grand Prairie ISD’s counseling services, our counselors create programs that provide support to students to remove social and emotional barriers that may impact student achievement.  

“Social-Emotional Learning is very important for students of all ages because it teaches them very important life skills they will use as adults and in future relationships with family, friends, and partners,” said GPISD’s Executive Director of Social Emotional Learning Dr. Blanca Sanchez McGee. “SEL has many benefits such as improving their emotional health, promoting teamwork and leadership skills, and many more.”  

SEL is for students of all ages. Through SEL students work to improve focus, manage their feelings and emotions, and parents can get involved also by learning how to support students through stressful situations. 

At GPISD students as young as three-years-old are part of SEL lessons because students of all ages participate, SEL looks different for everyone. Young students may participate in lessons that look like games and playtime, yet they are learning valuable skills. While students in middle or high school will learn SEL through more engaging methods for their age groups, such as interactive and engaging digital media lessons.  

“You would be surprised at how much fun young students have with SEL lessons, to them it doesn’t feel like learning, it’s fun!” said McGee. “It’s also never too late to get started, many parents have learned about their feelings and emotions through SEL lessons.”

Grand Prairie ISD has free lessons online for parents and students to do together at home. The lessons are self-paced and available at any time that is convenient for your household. To view the lessons, click here www.gpisd.org/Page/49354.