Social-Emotional Learning

Even when things get tense in the workplace or out in the world, there’s a way to communicate effectively and considerately with loved ones and colleagues.

Missouri’s state board of education decided to provide schools with optional guidelines on social-emotional learning to help them cope with worsening student behavior. Commissioners are concerned about potential political pushback to the learning standards, which have been criticized by conservatives.

Some public comments have accused the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education of raising "snowflakes."

The Missouri State Board of Education agreed earlier this month that K-12 social-emotional-learning standards are an essential part of the school day. Now, its members are worried politicization of the phrase “social-emotional learning” may complicate the public comment period.

In this interview, Linda Mitchell talks about her new book that explores how to help children deal with their feelings, with photos captured by her husband Odell Mitchell Jr., a retired St. Louis Post-Dispatch photographer. “How Are You Today? A Celebration of Children’s Emotions" is a photography book geared toward a pre-kindergarten through elementary school audience.

Almost three dozen schools in the St. Louis area will track their students’ social-emotional health from the start of the upcoming school year to the end.…