Factors that Affect Students' Social & Emotional Development

The test to raise a child who is literate, non-violent, drug-free, caring and responsible has been around for hundreds of years. This was a task for parents and other family members. But in recent years the task has spread to the school system. This is considered the missing pieces of education. When teachers are involved in these aspects they are educating the whole child. These things are all parts of social emotional development. According to Erik Erickson, Abraham Maslow, Maurice Elias and many other social development theorist, children all have common needs. These needs are necessary to develop a young healthy adult, who can properly function in society.

Skills

One skill that is becoming more and more important each day is for children to have good commutation skills. Children also need to have good work ethics. Children also need to learn to take responsibility for their actions and health. Children need to develop social relationships, so that they can work in groups. Children need to learn to be caring. They also need to develop good problem solving skills. Finally they need to develop a good character and sound morals. All of these things are essential needs of all children, in order to properly develop socially.

Communication is the act of communicating verbally and non-verbally. Communication skills are important skills for children to learn because communication is a tool that is used everyday by everyone. It's important for children to develop this skill because not being able to communicate properly can and has led to major problems. So much depends on effective communication. Entire countries have gone to war as a result of its absence.

Work ethics is another important skill for children to develop. Work ethics can be described as a set of values based on the moral merits of hard work and assiduousness. Work ethics are needed because a child who lacks them, may end up steeling or participating in some sort of malpractice.

Children also need to learn to take responsibility for their actions and health. It is essential for children to learn to take care of their health. It's also very important that children learn to take risibility for their actions. When I say health I am referring to cleanliness and nutrition. Taking responsibility for ones actions is saying yes I did that and excepting the consequences, whether they be bad or good. These are very important life and social skills especially when seeking employment.

Being caring is a very important skill that many people are lacking today. Children need to learn to be caring. Children need to be able to care about others feelings. Meaning they take into consideration others feelings. Caring can be described as feeling and exhibiting concern and empathy for others. At a young age children usually develop this skill. In a preschool setting Tommy may start crying after his mother dropped him off. When all of a sudden another child (Jack) walks up to him and says what's wrong? It's okay I miss my mommy too. But she always comes back after work. Jack wants to know, what's wrong with Tommy and reinsure him that his mom will be back. Jack is trying to use his skill of caring to let Tommy know that sometimes he feels the same way.

Problem solving is an important skill for children to develop. Problem solving is the application of knowledge. A good problem solver can take the skills that they have learned and apply them to problems, to find an answer.

It's common for parents and families to wish and hope that their child will turn out right. Developing morals and a good character are two important social skills that can lead to this. Morals are personal principles, standards. This is important for children, because it aides in determining what is right and what is wrong. A persons character can be described as a description of a person's attributes, traits, or personality None of the above skills can be adequately developed if the environment doesn't support them.

Family Environment

Families play a very important role in the development of social emotional skills in children. Families are the first influences or first teachers that children have. Children learn how to groom themselves and how to communicate with others from watching their families. It's a good idea for families to build strong relationships with their child at a young age, and continue it through out adolescents.

There are many things that families can do to contributed to the development social development. Parents need to keep close relationships with their child. It has been proven that teens who have a close relationship with their parents are less likely to engage is risky behavior. When parent child relationships are close this makes way for open commutation. Children and teens who have a close relationship with their parents are more likely to come to them when they have a problem. Parents also need to know where their child is at all times. This is called parental monitoring.

Parents who are positive role models help to support healthy life styles and development in their children. Children and teens need support from their parents. This helps them to feel that they are cared for. A very simple way for parents to help support social development is by simply setting down and eating with their child or teen. It has been shown that teens who regularly eat meals with their families are more likely to eat fruits and vegetables it has also been shown that these teens are less likely to skip breakfast. All of these things can contribute to a healthy life style. However, parents and families must be careful not to overstep.

By overstepping parents can leave children feeling helpless and inhibit social development. Parents who don't allow their children to explore are inhibiting social development. Abuse of any kind is damaging to anyone no matter their age, especially children and teens. If children feel let down or that know one cares for them, they may never learn how to care for others. If children are not taught healthy eating habits and how to care for themselves they may never be able to do so.

When parents are not practicing parental mentoring their child may be anywhere. Parental mentoring is not spying on children but simply making sure that they are safe and not doing any thing they shouldn't be doing. A lack of this can lead to children being injured or arrested. Without parental mentoring children are at a great risk to become violent, use drugs and be involved in criminal activity. "Children love and want to be loved and they very much prefer the joy of accomplishment to the triumph of hateful failure. Do not mistake a child for his symptom" (EricksonBrainyMedia.com , 2007).

Out side of the home parents also have an major influences on their child's social development skills. I have observed this many times while shopping at the local dollar store. On a few occasion I have noticed children screaming for a toy or candy bar. Sometimes the parents buy whatever the child wants, while other times they don't. Buy giving in while the child is screaming parents are teaching their child that this is an effective way to communicate. But on the other hand parents who simple ignore their child and never talk about what happened are inhibiting many self help skills. Such as communication skills, problem solving skills and conflict resolution.

Observation

I work at a preschool and have the chance to observe parents interacting with their child frequently. Last week I noticed a parents dropping off her first grade son on the play ground. The mother was crying and so was the child. The mother keep saying I'm sorry, baby. Her son was screaming very loudly mommy , please don't go.

The mother then started pulling her arms from her sons. She then broke free from his grasp and started to quickly walk away. The mother then went inside and shut the door. She then stood at the window watching her son. Her son then ran to the door and started kicking it and pounding on it with his fists. The mother then walked out side and picked up her son and left.

In my option this just reinforce the child's behavior. From my experience once parents do this, it only gets harder. This is because the child now thinks that if they cry enough they can go home. I really don't think that it's healthy for the child or the parent. I understand that parents some times fill guilty about bring their children to daycares, but they need to be strong and be a positive role model for their child.

Another thing that I have noticed after working with young children for over six years is that children who are well taken care of and have close bonds with their parents are generally easier to be around. Meaning these children don't cry as much. They seem to get along easily with caregiver and other children. I believe this can be seen in children as young as 6 weeks.

Classroom Environment

There is a lot of stress on schools and teachers to include curriculum that is appropriate and applicable to the challenges of modern life. When social issues arise through the content of school, students' daily lives and their exposure to the media; teachers must step up to the challenge. When a social issue is the focus of study, teachers need to consider how to ensure that treatment of the issue so that it is comprehensive and reasonable, and also how to avoid moral relativism without oppressing student's own opinions. Every teacher knows that a safe, clean, comfortable and attractive classroom can stimulate learning and help build a classroom community.

To promote social development in the classroom teachers should incorporate life skills into their lessons. Teachers should encourage students to clam themselves and help them to find ways to do so. This is also known as conflict resolution skills. When children learn conflict resolution skills they are able to effetely work through problems without violence.

Teachers should help students to set goals, both academic and personal. This goes along with Maslow's social development theory. Maslow said that self-actualization can be done by setting goals or "to find self-fulfillment and realize one's potential" (Huitt, 2004). By doing this teacher are providing positive examples of what goal setting can do.

Teachers need to encourage interaction between others students . This can be done by having students work in groups or pairs. Teachers also need to help students to feel safe and give them choices. Teacher should try to provide opportunities in the classroom so that all students feel that they are needed. Teacher can also promote these skills by exhibiting persistence and creativity in seeking solutions to problems. Teachers should also use positive reinforcement; this can be done be phrasing students.

Teachers must be careful to avoid hampering social development. Scolding students can inhibit social development. A teacher who does not teach conflict resolution skills is inhibiting social development. Eric Erikson once said "Doubt is the brother of shame" (Erikson, 1963 p228). Sometimes a teacher may doubt their students conflict resolution skills and take things into their own hands. Teachers may inhibited this skill by separating two students that are have problems with each other. Rather then helping them to communicate with each other and work through their problems. When a teacher separates the two students the conflict is left unsolved.

Teachers need to be sensitive yet assertive and not embarrasses students. Maslow also said that everyone needs Esteem. Teacher need to try not to put students on the spot. This could level the students feeling dumb. According to Maslow Esteem is "to achieve, be competent, gain approval and recognition" (Huitt, 2004). If a teacher where to embarrass a student they would not be promoting this need. It is important for students to learn how to work through things on their own in a non-violent way. As for goal setting a teacher can inhibit positive goal setting skills by not following through with her own goals or helping students to stick to and follow through with their own goals.

By educating the whole child, education as we know is changing. No longer will it be the parents sole responsibility to raise a healthy child with good character and morals, but now educators have joined the battle. Social devolvement is important because all students are important.

References

EricksonBrainyMedia.com , (2007). Erik Erikson Quotes. Retrieved May 19, 2007, from Brainy Quotes Web site: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/e/erikerikso112138.html

Erikson Erik (1963) Childhood and Society London: Paladin

Huitt, W. (2004). Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Retrieved June 1, 2007, from Educational Psychology Interactive Web site: http://chiron.valdosta.edu/whuitt/col/regsys/maslow.html : This essay briefly describes factors that affects student's social emotional development. This essay will also touch base on how learning life skills effect students and ways to teach them.