SEL is the new "hot " topic meaning Social Emotional Learning. We know that art can connect to core content and help students succeed in school, but art can also be therapeutic for students particularly during stressful times like after a natural disaster, death of a peer, a pandemic...
 
It is important to remember though that art teachers are not usually licensed therapists, so you need to know your limits and to always report work that may indicate a child is in crisis. This has happened on a few occasions in my 30 years of teaching. Once when a child's drawing seemed to indicate an abuse issue, and another student who was obsessed with firearms and we found a realistic (but fake) gun in their locker. Through conversations about artwork, 2 more students hinted at suicidal thoughts in their work, and we got them the help that they needed.
 
This should not deter you from approaching art with SEL connections. Certainly these issues were not triggered by the art exploration, they were revealed and in all cases the students were far better off because of it.
 
As I explore  SEL-based lessons I always include an "out" for students who are not yet ready to deal with their emotions or experiences. Sometimes students have not honestly had to deal with certain emotional issues yet in their lives. So for example, I do a lesson on memorials. I ask students to reflect on someone they have lost in their lives through death or separation (Like a friend who has moved away and they have lost touch with, or perhaps a divorce.) There will be some who are not ready to explore these feelings, and some who have not had these experiences, so I will give them a list of options like this.

Subject: Memorial Designs (Inspired by Mya Lynn)

• Someone you have lost who has passed.
• Someone who has moved away
• Someone who you admire that has passed
• An historical figure who should have a memorial
• An event where people lost their lives

 
In this way those who are ready can deal with the issue, and those who are not ready have viable options that allows them to feel safe. I always have students conclude projects by writing about their work but I make it clear that they may be as vague or specific as they feel comfortable. If they want to keep their subject anonymous, I am okay with that. If they want to say, "This color represents a difficult time I experienced" I do not pry or ask for specifics. I may however send an email to the school therapist and mention the artwork to them and my concerns. I must also "let it go" as well, because it is not appropriate for me to know more, even if that therapist met with the student. Your email will serve as documentation that you reported a possible issue and did your job. Unless you are a licensed therapist, approved by your district, doing more may be unethical and open you up to a liability issue. When in doubt, refer.
 
I find it very useful to help students use artistic codes when creating works like this. I use my book, The Emotional Color Wheel to give them a symbolic visual vocabulary to express feelings and situations through color, shape, and form. This way their information is coded and personal. For example, instead of saying they are angry, they could use the color red, or a triangular sharp shape to represent that feeling without having to spell it out. I show them examples of some Abstract Expressionists who do this too. We break down their works to understand how we can do the same thing. I have done this for many years from pre-K through advanced high school classes successfully.
 
I have created this video on my SEL-based projects you can see on YouTube with this shortened URL: http://bit.ly/SELartwork  This will walk you through may other topics I have covered over the years.

​If this is new to you, try something simple in a media you are most comfortable with. Be open to revealing a bit about yourself as an example for students. When I speak of memorials, I share the experience I had with the death of my father, so they know they are not alone if they too have experienced a death. Over the years, these are the lessons students keep and cherish long after they have forgotten color wheels and gridded portraits. I hope you'll give it a try.

Reject the argument of the "loss" of education to children during the Covid 19 pandemic. We learned so much more that cannot be tested.
 
Remember that many children living through WWII had no education for years as they hid from Nazis, were displaced by war, or worse. We now call them the "greatest" generation. I believe it was because the strife taught them resilience, something that was really lacking in our children. Our students have had access to the internet and amazing technology, while in WWII they did not.
 
EVEN if children did not attend school, many learned to bake, play music, vlog, tiktok, read more, some learned about epidemiology in that they had to protect themselves through masks, and Covid spread. Some learned civics first-hand in protests that crossed this country and issues of inequality. Can we test for that valuable experience? How about an exam for child-care skills some learned having to monitor their little brothers/sisters at home?? Of course not. Some too will be forever changed by, and perhaps more sympathetic to loss and grieving.
 
Those who DID participate in online school learned to use technology in a way we never imagined. HOW OFTEN did we as educators attend professional development devoted to helping our students become 21st-century learners??? Well, we all got a crash course! Students learned to do many things we assumed were impossible, and so did we!
 
In a Facebook poll, teachers report:

• More independence in their youngest students
• More patience in all age groups
• More self advocacy
• More proactive student communication with teacher
• Adaptability
• Resilience
• Appreciation of supplies

 
YES, many failed according to standards set for a non-pandemic population. Yes, many did not have the resources normally available... but we will all be changed by this global event, and we have learned valuable lessons. Many schools that had considered plans to offer 1-to-1 devises for learning were forced to dive in and "just do it." Even those who "fell through the cracks" likely learned valuable life lessons not taught in school. It's not all "Doom & Gloom." Teachers are not soldiers, but many legislators, BOEs, and news personalities have gone out of their way to ignore the risks teachers face in a return without vaccinations and ignore the possibility we have all learned more valuable lessons.
 
Yes we will have to play "catch up" as we return to "normal," perhaps for a few years to come, but I reject the narrative that our children are now a "lost" generation... perhaps they will be the "Resilient Generation."

The videos below will show just some of the ways I include core content into my art classes. I am not a proponent of "Art for Art's Sake" in a public school setting. Only 2% of students will go on to an art-related career. I do know that art is a powerful educational tool and that my students out perform their non-art involved peers by significant margins... like over 150 points higher on their SAT exams, and higher on their ACT exams. 

If you feel any of this would be helpful for your districts or is the focus of professional development your school is looking for, please click HERE.