Whole School Health Through Psychosocial Emotional Learning
- Jared Scherz - TeacherCoach
Foreword by Esther Wojcicki
With rapid technological advancements and changes to how schools must respond to learning and mental health needs, the educational landscape looks considerably different from how it did 20 years ago. How do educators contend with this everchanging future? Jared Scherz answers this question and more by outlining the 15 critical steps to educators’ and students’ health through psychosocial emotional learning.
Designed for everyone involved in the educational system—including district administrators, teachers, students, parents, and the business community—this book provides a practical plan with steps to harmonize whole-school health, including sustainable growth in student character development, improvement of organizational health, and reduction of violence and other threats to education. A blueprint of applicable resources is provided, including:
• 15 easy-to-follow guidelines for successfully implementing social-emotional learning practices
• A spotlight on issues such as empathy, identity formation, self-control, and conflict resolution
• Dozens of real-world stories from educators
• Anecdotal and data-driven results from successful implementation
Educators today must navigate a newer and more dynamic terrain than previous generations. This book provides a practical framework for improving the satisfaction of educators, all through the lens of whole-school health.
"This important book discusses how to cultivate success, happiness, and a healthier world for all and will enhance the tools educators use to shape our children’s future. Whole School Health Through Psychosocial Emotional Learning is not only for educators, but also for parents and others interested in cultivating favorable emotional and physical health in the next generation."
"Whole School Health Through Psychosocial Emotional Learning is a useful guide for empowering educators to facilitate what we now know are critical elements of childhood development. At a time when so many families are reflecting on the immense value teachers and schools bring to their lives, Jared Scherz successfully connects the dots between how students learn and how they interact with the world around them. Using evidence-based descriptions of psychosocial emotional learning sprinkled with personal accounts from real-life educators, this book offers a practical roadmap for schools looking to create an integrated, engaging, and supportive environment for the next generation."
"Whole School Health Through Psychosocial Emotional Learning highlights the importance of relationships, communication, and compassion for others. It presents a critical view in supporting, training, and retaining teachers through the lens of engaging and modeling behaviors that will help our rural students be better civic leaders and community members. My favorite quote from the book gives credit to the author's upbringing and modeling from his parents: 'We must experience the world through others so we can fully engage in educating all children. My father and mother modeled to me and my siblings how to experience the world through somebody else’s eyes, especially if their outer differences stirred up discomfort or displeasure, enriching all lives involved.' I recommend all leaders, teachers, and stakeholders secure their copy as they prepare for school."
“While education faces an unrelenting threat, Dr. Jared Scherz reminds us to invest in our frontline defense. Impactful personal narratives blended with a new paradigm around SEL makes Dr. Scherz one of our premier thought leaders in education and this book a must read.”
"This book provides a useful introduction to the complex challenge of improving psychosocial emotional learning (PSEL). Building on the experiences of 15 educators, Jared Scherz proposes a new paradigm for whole school and individual health that balances body and brain and builds capacity both to self-regulate and tolerate distress."
"Psychosocial-emotional skills are much harder to teach than the insouciant moniker 'soft skills' has, for decades, suggested. Whole School Health Through Psychosocial Emotional Learning provides a clear and welcome roadmap for professional educators around the world to follow as they upgrade their approach to nurturing the whole child. Schools and districts that adopt these principles will boost the mental health and stamina of their students and faculty alike."
