Trusted Adults provide an ear for students and the shoulder for other educators to lean on (a concept introduced by Brooklyn Raney in her book, One Trusted Adult). Trusted Adults are counselors, teachers, administrators, psychologists, social workers, cafeteria staff, School Resource Officers, bus drivers, janitors, and other adults who interact regularly with school-age children. They are adults working in school and community settings who are a consistent, dependable source of support for youth. It wasn’t about just completing assignments in my classroom. They leaned into conversations with peers, readings about current events, and group projects. They felt a sense of belonging to a community based on a web of relationships.Īs I look in the rearview mirror, I understand that many students viewed me as a Trusted Adult because SEL was infused into every facet of my class. It was why some students not only entered my classroom but really leaned into the work. Experience taught me that the best way to engage a student in learning is through SEL practices and activities. I left teaching, in part, to deepen my work in the field of Social Emotional Learning (SEL). The third step of the program, “tell a Trusted Adult.” Yes.

It was while working on the Say Something program that it all made sense to me. Writing lesson plans, grading papers, and delivering chalk-and-talk lectures is a mythical “teacher” persona. Teachers’ roles ebb and flow from instructor and consultant to therapist, protector, and motivator. I couldn’t quite pinpoint a label that defined who I was as a high school teacher. Self-Discovery: When I Discovered I Was a Trusted Adult Champagne is a former educator who has more than two decades of experience in youth development and urban education. Vae Champagne is the Student Programs Manager at Sandy Hook Promise where she develops curriculum and resources for the Know the Signs programs and the SAVE Promise Clubs.

Social questions for adults