Social, Emotional, and Physical Wellness for Students and Teachers

(Grades PreK-12) / Flex Course

PDI Course Number: 136T02 / UCSD Course Number: EDUC42343

Course Description

Are you noticing a drop in overall wellness and mental health, not only for you personally, but for your students and your entire school community as well? As most teachers are acutely aware, being a teacher is an awesome privilege, which is why it is one of the most rewarding and satisfying professions; however, it also has the potential to be one of the most stressful. This online course is specifically designed to assist PreK-12 teachers as they search for ways to make wellness, mindfulness, and mental health a priority, not just for their students, but for themselves as well. Teachers will learn specific self-care strategies for both students and staff. Teachers will explore ways to cultivate a more joyful classroom and school environment so that everyone’s social and emotional needs are better met. Specific strategies to cultivate empathy, compassion, and diversity are shared, including circle practices, modeling, making curriculum meaningful, connecting with the greater community, and celebrating student success. By the end of this course, teachers will feel more confident and successful in their quest to uncover strategies to embed the principles of social-emotional learning into their own teaching practices so that the wellness needs of both students and teachers are more wholly and efficiently met. This course is worth 3 ⅓ semester units/5 quarter units (50 hours of training) from University of California San Diego (UCSD) Division of Extended Studies. For detailed information on university credit, click here.

"This class was really amazing. It focused on the social, physical and emotional wellness of teachers and students and provided some great lessons, articles, and strategies to implement in the classroom to encourage wellness. After the last few years in the pandemic, districts have tried to shift their focus more toward mental wellness and social-emotional learning which contributes to the overall success of student success. I think every teacher should take this course!" - Elisabeth Flumere