Aidan

Aidan

In a small-town neighborhood, lived a young boy named Aidan. Aidan struggled in making friends and feeling accepted by his peers. One day, Aidan decided to ask his teacher for help. He described his difficulties making friends and negative sense of belonging. After hearing what Aidan had to say, the teacher thought it was best for Aidan to be paired with an EA to help support Aidan's social emotional learning.

Aidan met with his new EA, and they got along well. Aidan told the EA, the same things he previously told his teacher. In support, the EA will watch over and observe Aidan in recess and upcoming peer group projects, for any signs on why Aidan is struggling the way he is.

The next day, Aidan was playing outside for recess, and the EA observed from a distance. Aidan approach a group of students in the field and only talked to them for a couple of minutes, before the other students walked away irritated. After recess, the EA came to Aidan to ask what happened.

The EA explained calmly to Aidan that, Christmas is not celebrated all over the world, some religions and cultures believe in different traditions, and we don't want to make others feel unwelcomed or different because of their background. The EA made it very clear that Aidan was not in any kind of trouble and that its normal to be curious about our world and peers, but we must remain respectful, at all times no matter what.

So the next day in recess, Aidan did exactly that. He went up to those same students that he talked to about Christmas and apologized. The other students smiled back at him warmly, they clearly found his apology to be an act of kindness. Aidan has now seen the same groups of students, irritated and happy because of his actions. That day Aidan's Social competence improved, and his understanding of social awareness.

A few days later, the EA was watching over Aidan do group work while in class. The EA noticed Aidan was taking other students pencils, erasers, and markers without asking. The EA noticed the other students were bothered by Aidan's actions. So the EA pulled Aidan aside for just a moment and explained, how we can use other students supplies, but only if we ask to borrow them nicely first. The EA explained the basics of how to be more polite.

When Aidan returned to his group, he knew he must apologize to them, and did just that. from the practice Aidan had with his EA, his social skills improved. Today Aidan has learned about how to be more polite and share appropriately. In doing so, boosting Aidan's relationship skills as well.

On another day, the EA was watching Aidan read. The EA noticed Aidan getting increasingly distressed in his book, so much so before the EA was able to talk to Aidan, he stormed out the class.

The EA went after him and found Aidan in the hall. The EA approach him gently asking, what and why Aidan got upset. Aidan explained his difficulty with reading, and that it was making him frustrated. The EA calmly responded with informing Aidan that storming out of class unannounced is not okay, because staff need to be aware of his location for safety reasons. So the EA came up with some different methods that Aidan could use when getting upset. Like the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding exercise or simply coming to the EA for support. Aidan's ability to self-manage and regulate improved that day.

As time moves on, and the EA continues to over look Aidan, the intervention is needed less and less everyday. The EA noticed that through continuous support, Aidan will become very grounded in his social emotional learning.

By the end of the school year, the EA has told Aidan that next year, the EA will no longer be constantly over looking Aidan. Aidan's response to this is bitter-sweet. He told the EA he will miss their time together at school, but he is confident without them. Aidan tells the EA one last thing. That being, he has made a close friend this year and as lots of plans for the summer break with them. Turns out, they both couldn't be happier.

The End

Summary of chosen chapters chapter 8; SEL; Covers social emotional learning chapter 9; SEL and the work of an EA; What EAs can do to support SEL chapter 10; social competence vs skills; different moments showcasing that social skills are specific and social competence comes from more a deeper understanding example