New MCPS Social Emotional Learning Curriculum

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Time to start voting for the other side.

It sounds like the county is being responsive to the parents who complained about their children's mental health over the past 1.5 years. Seems like people complain no matter what they do and you really can't please everyone.

oh please. We complained about mental health because we wanted schools open. Not because we wanted a curriculum on “SEL” that has zero evidence base.

So you admit you never actually cared about mental health just like you never did before? Amazing. Nothing is ever going to change. Everyone said and knew you were using mental health as an excuse but to be so blatant about it…pretty gross.

I care very much about mental health -- so much so that I am very attuned to evidence-based practices and the impact of social isolation, as well as the disruption of services for kids with IEPs. This "curriculum" does absolutely zero to solve any of those problems. It's shockingly stupid and wasteful. I am 100% in favor of ACTUAL mental health supports, such as a commitment to in-person school, funding of special ed staff, provision of evidence-based mental health services.

[Anonymous]

My kid at Blair has some kind of odd ball sessions every month or twice a month about 2 years. They were done by homeroom and the kids had to have some kind of discussions. My kid said she was not sure whether they were more painful for the teachers or students. Everyone was just willing time to pass by till it ended.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Time to start voting for the other side.

It sounds like the county is being responsive to the parents who complained about their children's mental health over the past 1.5 years. Seems like people complain no matter what they do and you really can't please everyone.

oh please. We complained about mental health because we wanted schools open. Not because we wanted a curriculum on “SEL” that has zero evidence base.

Because school buildings are magical places that cure depression and anxiety. No need to educate kids about mental health because simply being in the building eradicates mental illness.

I don't know if you're being facetious, but yes, being in school where services can be accessed, peer socialization, and effective education are really important for mental health. At a minimum, kids with IEPs cannot get adequate services virtually.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Time to start voting for the other side.

It sounds like the county is being responsive to the parents who complained about their children's mental health over the past 1.5 years. Seems like people complain no matter what they do and you really can't please everyone.

oh please. We complained about mental health because we wanted schools open. Not because we wanted a curriculum on “SEL” that has zero evidence base.

So you admit you never actually cared about mental health just like you never did before? Amazing. Nothing is ever going to change. Everyone said and knew you were using mental health as an excuse but to be so blatant about it…pretty gross.

Dp but that’s not what they said at all. They wanted in-person school to get out kids out of the house, out of bed, and off of zooms because that is terrible for kid’s mental health. Getting rid of that is a fix for mental health problems, not some half baked curriculum MCPS will waste time and money on.

Really? I think this is the county being responsive to the many concerns about mental health. It seemed to be a huge concern around here. Maybe they really just wanted free daycare as some people said all along.

Well, if your parent is angry, sad, or depressed to have you home with them, it probably IS of some benefit to you to be away from them six hours a day.

Do you say this jokingly or as a mic-drop? family stressors exacerbated by school closures were actually tremendously bad for many kids. Hopefully you can recognize that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid at Blair has some kind of odd ball sessions every month or twice a month about 2 years. They were done by homeroom and the kids had to have some kind of discussions. My kid said she was not sure whether they were more painful for the teachers or students. Everyone was just willing time to pass by till it ended.

Oof, sounds painful. What a complete misunderstanding of the role of schools and mental health. Kids (and adults) derive mental health benefits by being productively occupied and challenged. The central role of schools is to provide that sense of growth and learning, as well as a place to socialize with peers and get adult support. For kids with identified mental health issues, schools ideally would be a bridge to more specialized and individual services. To the extent there is a role for top-down "SEL" training of teachers, it should be in classroom management/discipline, and support for special needs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Time to start voting for the other side.

It sounds like the county is being responsive to the parents who complained about their children's mental health over the past 1.5 years. Seems like people complain no matter what they do and you really can't please everyone.

oh please. We complained about mental health because we wanted schools open. Not because we wanted a curriculum on “SEL” that has zero evidence base.

So you admit you never actually cared about mental health just like you never did before? Amazing. Nothing is ever going to change. Everyone said and knew you were using mental health as an excuse but to be so blatant about it…pretty gross.

Dp but that’s not what they said at all. They wanted in-person school to get out kids out of the house, out of bed, and off of zooms because that is terrible for kid’s mental health. Getting rid of that is a fix for mental health problems, not some half baked curriculum MCPS will waste time and money on.

Really? I think this is the county being responsive to the many concerns about mental health. It seemed to be a huge concern around here. Maybe they really just wanted free daycare as some people said all along.

Well, if your parent is angry, sad, or depressed to have you home with them, it probably IS of some benefit to you to be away from them six hours a day.

Do you say this jokingly or as a mic-drop? family stressors exacerbated by school closures were actually tremendously bad for many kids. Hopefully you can recognize that.

There's at least one person on this board that trolls everybody when we talk about our children's mental health during the pandemic because apparently if your kid was angry or anxious or depressed is a sign that you're garbage parent. I think the troll is probably very anxious and depressed and finds it very therapeutic to insult other people

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I sat through the training. It is as described.
BCC cluster is piloting. Don’t know which others.

I have the training next week. I was concerned after taking the survey that my principal sent out to be completed before the training.

I have the training next week as well. Three days of training from 9-4! I was a bit confused and concerned as well after completing the mandatory survey. I was hopeful that we would see something that truly supports the social emotional well-being of the students.

I’ll see you on Zoom next week!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Time to start voting for the other side.

It sounds like the county is being responsive to the parents who complained about their children's mental health over the past 1.5 years. Seems like people complain no matter what they do and you really can't please everyone.

oh please. We complained about mental health because we wanted schools open. Not because we wanted a curriculum on “SEL” that has zero evidence base.

+1 but the board knows. They're just being opportunists.

Not to mention the people who developed the curriculum. They are absolutely taking advantage and making good money off a craptastic, useless program.

If there is money to be wasted, MCPS will do it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t know why they didn’t go with Sanford Harmony -
a quality SEL curriculum that is free. Instead they picked
an expensive program that doesn’t actually address SEL.

Follow the money. Surely someone had some influence in MCPS. Were there bids foe this contract?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I sat through the training. It is as described.
BCC cluster is piloting. Don’t know which others.

Clarksburg
Damascus
Kennedy
Wootton
Einstein
Blake
BCC
Quince Orchard
Northwest
Blair Ewing
and…
Farmland ES

[Anonymous]

After 3 days of training I cannot be more clear…this is not a social emotional learning curriculum. It is another “everyone is a stakeholder in decisions “ approach to “community building”. I give it 3-5 years of a wide range of buy in before it fizzles out or is replaced with something else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:After 3 days of training I cannot be more clear…this is not a social emotional learning curriculum. It is another “everyone is a stakeholder in decisions “ approach to “community building”. I give it 3-5 years of a wide range of buy in before it fizzles out or is replaced with something else.

Exactly. I am all in favor of social emotional learning, and this is NOT it.

[Anonymous]

I don’t have to do this SEL training, but oh boy I just did the Restorative Justice one. Some gems here. We should not impose “dominant white culture” concepts such as a rigid time schedule, hard work, competition, delayed gratification, and the scientific method. We should please reflect and enter into this form all the times we have harmed students in the manner of the “first harm,” when Europeans colonized America. We should be sure to tell students that the tests we are giving them don’t really measure what they know because their race has different ways of knowing.

I used to be a liberal. I just don’t know anymore.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand we already have counselors and the counselors already do some kind of SEL type lessons. Why not expand that?

We don't have anywhere near enough counselors for that!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t have to do this SEL training, but oh boy I just did the Restorative Justice one. Some gems here. We should not impose “dominant white culture” concepts such as a rigid time schedule, hard work, competition, delayed gratification, and the scientific method. We should please reflect and enter into this form all the times we have harmed students in the manner of the “first harm,” when Europeans colonized America. We should be sure to tell students that the tests we are giving them don’t really measure what they know because their race has different ways of knowing.

I used to be a liberal. I just don’t know anymore.

I just created a new thread on this training. If you’re a white teacher, you’re racist.