Emotions Matter!
At WCS, we understand that emotions matter! Humans are social-emotional beings and our emotions are pervasive in our daily lives, affecting how we learn, feel, think, and act. Emotions influence our attention, memory, and learning and can determine how we make decisions, the quality of our relationships, and our physical and mental well-being.
At WCS, we are committed to nurturing the social and emotional well-being of the WHOLE child and understand that when our students develop a greater awareness of their emotions, along with strategies for regulating them, we are equipping them with the skills to make positive decisions, problem solve effectively, and show empathy for others… creating emotionally intelligent human beings!
Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence
In partnership with the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, WCS has implemented RULER, an evidence-based approach to social emotional learning. Through RULER, WCS students are taught the skills of emotional intelligence in grades Pre-K through 12. Equipped with emotional intelligence, our students learn to problem solve, build and maintain positive relationships, and develop confidence and competence socially, emotionally, and academically.
RULER is an acronym for the five skills of emotional intelligence that are explicitly taught and woven into our curriculum and school climate:
RULER is also an acronym for the skills of emotional intelligence: Recognizing emotions, Understanding emotions, Labeling emotions, Expressing emotions, and Regulating emotions.
The development of these five RULER skills relies on four core tools: the Charter, Mood Meter, Meta-Moment, and Blueprint. These skills and tools can be utilized by all stakeholders in the school community—school leaders, teachers, staff, students, and families. Research from the field of emotion science finds that children who understand and manage their feelings make more responsible decisions, have stronger relationships, and perform better academically in school.
The Four Anchor Tools
Charter
The emotional climate of a school affects the community’s well-being and students’ ability to learn. The Charter is a collaborative document that helps schools establish supportive and productive learning environments. It is created by members of the community, outlining how they aspire to treat each other. Together, the community describes how they want to feel at school, the behaviors that foster those feelings, and guidelines for preventing and managing unwanted feelings and conflict. By working together to build the Charter, everyone establishes common goals and holds each other accountable for creating the positive climate they envision.
Mood Meter
Learning to identify and label emotions is a critical step toward cultivating emotional intelligence. Using the Mood Meter, students and educators become more mindful of how their emotions change throughout the day and how their emotions in turn affect their actions. They develop the self-awareness they need to inform their choices. Students learn to expand their emotional vocabulary, replacing basic feeling words with more sophisticated terms. They graduate from using words like ‘ok’ or ‘fine’ to using words like ‘alienated’ and ‘hopeless,’ or ‘tranquil’ and ‘serene.’ By teaching subtle distinctions between similar feelings, the Mood Meter empowers students and educators to recognize the full scope of their emotional lives and address all feelings more effectively.
Meta-Moment
Emotions can either help or hinder relationships, and we all have moments that get the best of us. The Meta-Moment helps students and educators handle strong emotions so that they make better decisions for themselves and their community. The Meta-Moment is a brief step back from the situation when we pause and think before acting. We ask ourselves, how would my “best self” react in this situation? What strategy can I use so that my actions reflect my best self? Over time and with practice, students and educators replace ineffective responses with productive and empowering responses to challenging situations. They make better choices, build healthier relationships, and experience greater well-being.
Blueprint
How everyone in a school treats each other has a powerful effect on classroom performance and school climate. Conflict between students can get in the way of learning and success and increase the time teachers spend off task. The Blueprint helps students and educators manage conflict effectively. Using the Blueprint, children and adults consider a disagreement from the other person’s perspective, as well as their own. They develop empathy by considering each other’s feelings and working collaboratively to identify healthy solutions to conflicts. The Blueprint helps repair relationships and restore climates, creating safer and more productive schools where students can learn and thrive.
Why RULER?
The RULER approach increases his students’ emotional intelligence, social skills and academic performance. RULER also provides a common language and nuanced vocabulary of emotions for our students across division buildings. With implementing a whole school social emotional learning approach, our students are able to develop community, compassion, empathy, student voice, and expression in addition to our longstanding tradition of academic excellence. RULER introduces resources not only for students, but also teachers and families. RULER for Families supplies parent self-care and strategies to manage stress levels. RULER’s approach to reaching teachers, students and their families help create a supportive, caring environment where students can learn, teachers can teach, and parents feel a part of the school community—acknowledged and supported.
Additional Information