Esther Eligio is our Site Coordinator at Cascade View Elementary in Tukwila. Here she shares a story about two of her Social Emotional Learning groups.
Esther created two social-emotional learning groups at Cascade Elementary: the “Awesome Blossoms” and the “Boys Leadership” groups. Students with disruptive behavior in the classroom are referred to Esther for social-emotional support . Here Esther speaks of how students in each group learned new skills which led to classroom improvement.
“In my Awesome Blossoms group we discuss topics around ways to build healthy relationships with our friends and family; ways to be a good friend and how we can show kindness to others. My girls improved their communication and problem solving skills by practicing effective communication in the group when we do activities. The girls in my group are recognized by their teachers who tell me how much they see their behavior improve since the start of the school year. Most of my girls from Awesome Blossoms were known to be involved in drama and per their teachers, and have improved in the classroom and have learned to stay out of trouble.”
By practicing good communication and learning to use our words and express our feelings to solve problems, they have improved their learning in the classroom.
Esther Eligio
“In my Boys Leadership Group, we covered topics around what makes a good leader, how can we be leaders and how we can set an example to others. The boys that were referred to my group were students with high behavior issues that include: class disruption, anger outbursts in class, involved in fights, and students who have low social skills. Like the girls, most of the boys in my group have shown improvement with their behavior both in the classroom and in my group. By practicing good communication and learning to use our words and express our feelings to solve problems; having this group has become the best part of their day. Not only have these students been staying out of trouble but they have built new friendships and have improved their learning in the classroom.”