Virginia teachers have quietly received a new resource guide to implementing a social and emotional learning-friendly curriculum.
Conservatives have long viewed social and emotional learning, also known as SEL, as a trojan horse for critical race theory (CRT).
The Daily Caller reports:
Sarah Bazemore, the school counseling specialist and student assistance systems coordinator at the Virginia Department of Education, sent the “social-emotional learning” (SEL) resource guide on Dec. 8 to educators statewide. The beginning portion of the resource guide asks teachers to rank their ability to implement SEL and find ways to improve.
Included in the guide are video links to “Teaching In Support Of Black Lives,” and enacting “restorative circle[s],” which call for students to engage in restorative justice practices, in the fourth grade. The guide also links to the New York Times’ “Nice White Parents” podcast.
One of the SEL resources calls for “student-centered discipline” and tells teachers and administrators to refrain from using “punitive measures” when students misbehave.
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Educators were encouraged to give students an index card to fill out at the beginning of the school year that asks for their preferred name and pronouns. Teachers were told to “avoid using gendered language to address students” and “avoid grouping students by gender.” Making students aware of educators’ “ally status” was also encouraged.
The guide also encourages teachers to make their “ally status” known by flying rainbow flags in their classroom and sharing their preferred pronouns with students.