Second Step: Skills for Social and Academic Success
We will be continue to include in our curriculum a program called Second Step. This program will be taught to every student in every class. Second Step: Skills for Social and Academic Success helps schools and families encourage children to get along well with others. The program teaches children to think about others' feelings, to solve problems cooperatively, and to manage their anger in a positive way.
Second Step emphasizes the following:
Empathy
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Identifying and understanding others' feelings in order to be a more caring person.
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Caring about others gives us a reason to want to solve problems so that others are not hurt.
Impulse Control
1. Managing emotions can be challenging. Most children could benefit by learning to slow down and think through options when faced with difficult situations or problems.
How to Solve Problems
2. The lessons present a problem-solving model that empowers students to solve their own problems. It also gives us consistency in how we work with students throughout the day.
Anger Management
3. The anger-management steps can help all of us recognize, understand, and manage anger in safe and constructive ways.
An independent non-profit organization, "Committee for Children" developed the Second Step program. Their mission is to promote the safety, well being, and social development of children by creating quality educational programs for schools, families, and communities.
If you have any questions about the program please feel free to contact me. My door is always open.