Over the summer, our faculty met for numerous virtual book club sessions to discuss their professional development summer reads: Permission to Feel... by Marc Brackett and Hopes and Fears… by Robert Evans and Michael Thompson. In these sessions, they identified key takeaways and practical tools from each book that we can implement at SJPDS to support our mission of educating the whole child to excellence.

 

Hopes and Fears was a recommended read by The National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) of which SJPDS is a proud member. From Hopes and Fears, the faculty gained an understanding of the hopes and fears that parents and teachers in an independent school community may feel/experience. The book then provides techniques and tools to assist teachers and administrators in building effective relationships. In addition, the book supports our continued education for our Diversity, Equity, Inclusivity (DEI) initiatives by providing insight into specific concerns of parents of children of color.

 

Permission to Feel helped our educators gain practical tools for learning to identify emotions and working through them in a healthy way. The key takeaways will help us to help our students process through their emotions. By being a scientist/detective you use methods and techniques to truly understand what someone is feeling and thinking. When we are able to do this, we will then be able to meet the needs of the people around us.

 

At SJPDS, we believe that teaching healthy social and emotional skills leads to success in all areas of life. Additionally, we know that when we engage students and develop their social and emotional learning they will naturally thrive spiritually and academically!