We've run a number of articles on Social Emotional Learning (S.E.L.) and the concerns about it. Here is a link to articles we've published in the past: Search Results for “sel” So, given all the hype of AI and it's potential influence on education we decided to ask one of the Ai services (ChatGPT) what it thinks. Here's the initial exchange for your consideration. Remember that whoever inputs the data influences the conclusions and observations...you can take the chat from here and if you find something of interest please share it with us at: swweducation dot org at gmail dot com Question: It is the role of schools to teach children how to deal with these issues or is it a parental … [Read more...]
Story Time: How SEL is Injected Into All Subjects at School
Today we share an article written at The Free Writer. You can access the original post at: https://codybenson.substack.com/p/story-time-how-sel-is-injected-into?utm_source=facebook&sd=pf “Okay class,” the teacher says as she moves a strand of blue hair from her face and tucks it behind her ear. She picked up an eraser and finished cleaning everything off the white board except the words 2nd grade and the class schedule indicating that it was the start of the math lesson. “We have a simple word problem today. If you look to your handouts, it is question number one. Anyone care to read it out loud?" The teacher scanned the classroom only to find kids refusing to make eye contact … [Read more...]
Is It Education or Political Activism? Turning our children into “militant leftists.”
Clover Park School. City of Lakewood. That's right. North of us in Washington state. Give this a read. Written by David Anderson Or is it both? The California Board of Education "wants to turn your children into militant leftists." In an opinion piece dated March 18, Kaylee McGhee White wrote in the Washington Examiner that "a divisive and radical educational curriculum that would force a series of courses into the public school system based in critical race theory and the social justice agenda of the Left" is expected to be passed by the California Board of Education. She concludes by writing, "These courses will become the new norm in California, and before … [Read more...]
California’s Proposed K-12 Ethnic Studies Curriculum: Indoctrination not Instruction – coming to Washington State?
Some say...As goes California so goes the nation. For those who believe that parents should be responsible for making choices about their children's education you better hope California says WAY clear of Washington State. In this article published at the Independent Women's Forum written by Vicki Alger they discuss the continuing movement of K-12 education toward creating adults of the future that follow rules. Give it a read and if it scares you keep an eye on your local school district. The State Superintendent, Chris Reykdal, being the social warrior he is, might love this approach and want to implement it here... California is rolling out a new “Ethnic Studies Model … [Read more...]
The New Standardized Morality Test. Really.
You've seen our articles on S.E.L. (Social Emotional Learning) and our concerns. Then we saw this new article at Forbes by Peter Greene. When will it be coming to a school near you? Stop laughing...this is serious! I'm not really sure how to start this, because -- well, I'll just let the lede on this press release speak for itself: IOWA CITY, Iowa—ACT, the nonprofit developer of the ACT® test and other assessments taken by millions of individuals worldwide, announced today that it was selected by the Crown Prince Court in Abu Dhabi to provide the Moral Education Standardized Assessment (MESA) for the Moral Education program in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). That's right. The … [Read more...]
5 Reasons teaching is NOT a profession (Updated)
Updated November 21, 2025 (the original article published December 2018) We've stepped into the future and had a talk with the resident Ai of the future....ChatGPT on the topic of whether teaching is a profession in 2025. Here's what the seer had to say: 1. Limited Professional Autonomy In many educational systems, teachers have less control over curriculum, assessment methods, and teaching strategies.They must follow standardized curricula, policies, and directives from administrators or government agencies—unlike many classic professions (e.g., medicine, law) where practitioners make independent decisions. 2. Lower Barriers to Entry in Some Regions While many countries … [Read more...]
When did the dumbing down of American Education begin? Updated Oct 2020
This article is by a guest author who, for the time being, wishes to remain anonymous. We may see more pieces from them. If you have any comments on the article we will be happy to pass them on. Update October 2020: Another article on "dumbing down of America": https://www.intellectualtakeout.org/article/paglia-dumbing-down-america-began-public-schools/?fbclid=IwAR3_PyAncic6txghQMjw_L0YgA08QfF-2RoDPJngKacB7R9mYUnSDgq71tM I was quite surprised in my researches into the history of American education, upon receiving a tip from Dr. Reisman, that Charlotte Iserbyt had put her finger on a conference made about 1934 of the Carnegie Foundation (for the Advancement of Education?) that … [Read more...]
Psychological monitoring of students – teachers and even bus drivers
This is another in our series on Social Emotional Learning (S.E.L.). We came across an article at The American Spectator titled "Even school bus drivers are participating in the psychological evaluation of their young charges" written by KAREN EFFREM, JANE ROBBINS. You can read the full article by clicking on the Spectator name above but we'll take a shot at summarizing the key points for you: Children, under the guise of S.E.L., are lab rats An "App" called "Emote" which allows “a wide range of school staff, from bus drivers to teachers, to record and share their observations of when students appear sad, anxious, angry, and frustrated.” The app helpfully supplies a menu … [Read more...]
Social-Emotional Learning: The Dark Side
At the risk of running two articles on Social Emotional Learning back-to-back we are sharing a blog story from Nancy Bailey's Website. Give this a read and consider whether you need to intervene in your local school district. Why would parents and teachers, tired of high-stakes testing in their public schools, wish to sign onto more assessment that tests, tracks, and profiles their child’s behavior online? States are setting up SEL standards about what children should think and feel. How does one standardize such things? Here are the concerns. SEL is ill-defined, unproven and still connected to Common Core. There’s a mish-mash of psycho-social, neuroscience talk, and … [Read more...]
Does Social and Emotional Learning Belong in School?
S.E.L. sounds like Sell as in to: give or hand over (something) in exchange for money. persuade someone of the merits of an act of selling or attempting to sell something a disappointment, typically one arising from being deceived as to the merits of something Actually S.E.L. stands for Social Emotion Learning. Definition? (From the people who created it) https://casel.org/what-is-sel/ Social and emotional learning (SEL) is the process through which children and adults acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain … [Read more...]