Cordelia Dubois, a first grader at Abbot-Downing School in Concord, was unhappy when her mother told her some of the social and emotional learning classes that she enjoys might be coming to an end.
So she took center stage at a hearing for House Bill 1473 on Monday morning, with a printed toolkit illustrating her coping mechanisms for challenging emotions.
“SEL class helps me to stay calm and happier,” Cordelia told lawmakers. “They taught me what I can do when I am mad at school or at home.”
Social-emotional learning classes in New Hampshire’s public schools are a way to foster self-awareness, encourage empathy towards others and provide students with the essential tools to navigate their emotions as they grow. It equips them to communicate their feelings healthily and constructively, supporters say.
State Rep. John Sellers, a Bristol Republic who sponsored the bill said that social and emotional learning unnecessarily permeates various classes.
Stating an example, he said in math classes, instead of focusing on teaching how to solve problems, teachers get hung up on social aspects like relationships and economic status that potentially “get kids worked up.”
“It’s going into the psyche of the child and it is teaching the child certain aspects beyond what the family should be teaching the child and I think it’s usurping the family,” said Sellers.
As of Monday, 3800 testimonies were submitted against the bill that would prohibit SEL classes in public schools. Only 117 were submitted in support of the legislation.
According to mental health experts, social and emotional learning is also vital for maintaining positive mental health and preventing behavioral health issues.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness New Hampshire reports that 15,000 Granite Staters aged between 12 and 17 have depression.
But Stacey Brown of Durham witnessed firsthand how social skills in SEL lessons transformed her son’s third and fourth-grade classroom into an encouraging environment.
Her son was struggling to keep up with the rest of the class.
At first, the students were trying to see how quickly they could solve a multiplication problem before Brown’s son could read a number from a flashcard.
But soon things changed and they then began applauding Brown’s son as he improved his speed.
“Each kid wanting to take a turn not to beat him but to see him succeed. It is the same kids that stood and cheered loudly and long when we walked across the graduation stage,” Brown said, fighting back tears as she read her testimony.
Emphasizing the importance of schools as places where children not only learn academic subjects but also essential life skills, Brown said she is against the bill and urged the state to continue supporting this holistic approach.
“In order to succeed in schools students need to be physically, mentally and emotionally available. Bill like this pit families against schools. It should not be the way. It does after all take a village,” said Brown.
