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Supporting theWholeChildby
FocusingonPositivePsychology
As a society we must focus our efforts around supporting the
whole child and ensuring consistent supports are in place for
ALL children. In the educational field we work to recognize
the challenges our students encounter so we can best
support them. In fact, our greatest charge as educators is to
know each child by name and need. We then work tirelessly
to help them learn at high levels and to develop supports that
ensure our students have the social-emotional skills they will
need to be successful in life.
Social Emotional Learning (SEL), which has received
increased attention in recent years, helps students
manage their emotions, create and maintain more positive
relationships with others, make more responsible decisions
and become more productive citizens in an extremely
complex world. Arguably, SEL work has never been more
important for students.
By Andy DuRoss
Superintendent, Schaumburg CCSD #54
Recently, Schaumburg CCSD #54 has built upon its
SEL work and modified its long-standing focus on
student well-being by utilizing the relatively new field of
positive psychology to enhance its supports for all district
stakeholders. Our goals were to:
• Improve staff and student well-being.
• Create an optimistic, mentally fit and healthy learning
community.
• Deepen student, family and school community connections.
We have observed for many years that highly positive
teachers and school cultures significantly support student
success, but we lacked a consistent framework or practical
methodology to accomplish our goals until we pursued a
deep understanding of the field of positive psychology—
defined as the scientific study of the strengths that enable
individuals and communities to thrive.
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