In a world of speed and performance, educational equity is typically regarded only as a secondary issue in the classroom as instructional time is focused on academic success. However, while we diligently focus on academic performance, we simply ignore a little discussed but crucial crisis—the crisis of student mental health. Increasing levels of stress, anxiety, burnout and other emotional issues are working their way downwards through school and into the minds and bodies of students of all ages. As a result, we are faced with a fundamental truth: emotional learning is required—not optional.
The Hidden Cost of Academic Success
For too long, academic success has been measured solely in terms of grades, test scores and college placements. In the process, we have sacrificed the well-being of students for the sake of academic competition. A UNICEF report (2023) told us that over 1 in 7 adolescents across the globe are now suffering from mental health disorder, and still more schools are completely uncreative. The result? Students feel disconnected, overwhelmed and unprepared to deal with the emotional realities of life in today’s world.
Stress is no longer simply a high school problem is has dropped into middle school and now even elementary. Peer pressures on social media, academic competition with fellow students and the ongoing stress of emerging from a pandemic have only exacerbated everything. All of a sudden, schools need to change from performance factories and into emotional growth factories.
What Is Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)?
Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) is the development of emotional intelligence—including self-awareness, empathy, effective communication, responsible decision-making, and skills for building relationships. These are the important life tools students need to better manage stress, resolve conflicts, build confidence, and respond to change.
The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) outlines five core areas of SEL:
- Self-Awareness – Recognizing emotions and values.
- Self-Management – Regulating emotions and behaviours.
- Social Awareness – Understanding others and feeling empathy.
- Relationship Skills – Forming healthy and respectful connections.
- Responsible Decision Making – Making ethical choices and constructive decisions.
SEL creates students who are more engaged, more empathetic, and more resilient when incorporated into academic settings.
The Academic Benefits of Emotional Learning
Instead of detracting from academic studies, SEL improves academic performance. A recent meta-analysis studying over 270,000 students found that students who participate in SEL programs perform 11 percentile points higher than students in control groups that did not take part in SEL programs. Students who are emotionally grounded are more motivated to learn, more focused on their time management skills, and less likely to drop out of school.
Most importantly, social emotional learning creates safe and welcoming classrooms where students feel heard, feel supported, and have a strong sense of comfortability to take risks, ask questions, and express themselves.
Building Emotionally Smart Schools
Making emotional learning a part of the curriculum is an extremely difficult job. But there are many small ways to integrate it into the school experience that can carry significant weight:
- Start each day with an emotional check-in or mindfulness moment.
- Train staff to recognize emotional distress and empathically intervene.
- Infuse social emotional learning into existing areas of the curriculum – for example literature for humanistic themes, history for moral dilemmas, and even STEM can address ethical dilemmas.
- Provide opportunities for peer support and encourage conversations about mental wellness.
Final Thoughts
Mental health needs to be part of the education agenda and cannot be seen as an afterthought. In a world of constant change and uncertainty and digital distractions, emotional learning enables students to learn to not just survive – but thrive. By giving importance to social emotional learning, we are preparing students not just for the tests they will take – but for life.
Because mental wellness is not a luxury. It is the basis of every worthwhile learning experience.
