All AboutSocial & Emotional Needs

When we pay attention to academics, but not to our students' social emotional needs, we're missing half of the picture.

Featured Articles

Gifted Learners’ Social Emotional Needs

While gifted students look perfect on paper, their teachers know that in the classroom they are not all the academic angels and stellar scholars that people assume they are. Successful teachers of the gifted require a special understanding of their students' social and emotional needs.

What Does “Smart” Even Mean?

We praise kids for being "smart", but what do we actually mean by it? What are we actually praising? It's a surprisingly tricky word to figure out.

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Long Term Success

Intensities

Being "Smart"

Impostor Syndrome

Calvin and Hobbes

Morality

Other Social & Emotional Needs Articles

Feedback: Go Beyond Typos!

I once co-wrote a book (I’ve since sold the rights to my co-author so it’s fine if you don’t buy it 😝). The most interesting part of the whole experience was the feedback that teachers sent in. The feedback I wanted: “Ian, I love the idea of using unanswered questions to open a lesson. I’ve […]

Why I Quit Scouts

As a kid, I got all the way to the top of Cub Scouts, but I never became a Boy Scout. I quit before I made the jump. Here’s why.

The Resiliency Tournament

I got to work with several groups of students (of many ages) and I tried out this task: building a tournament to decide who was the most resilient historical figure or fictional character? Kids came up with some amazing ideas.

My kid isn’t being challenged!

As a parent, it’s easy to be concerned about a blah teacher. But you have more power and influence than any one teacher. Be aware of your praise. Be aware of your actions.

Do You Know the Nuances of Mindset?

Before you implement an educational theory like Mindset, Grit, or Multiple Intelligences, make sure to read the original work, understand the limitations, and know the most common misunderstandings.

Ira Glass on Perfectionism

For people who do not suffer from perfectionist tendencies, it can be hard to understand the crippling feeling a student feels when their work doesn’t match their expectations. Ira Glass, who you know from This American Life, has a fantastic quote that gets to the heart of this problem.