Research shows that school staff who are better at managing their emotions have greater physical health, well-being, and job satisfaction. They also create more supportive learning environments for students where there’s more engagement, less disruption, and better performance. In general, when children and the adults in their lives are skilled at managing stress and anxiety, life is better for them.”
Managing Emotions in Times of Uncertainty and Stress
“Managing Emotions in Times of Uncertainty and Stress” is a 10-hour course that is hosted on Coursera. This course was designed by the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence to help school staff better manage their emotions and create supportive learning environments for students.
Staff who take this course will:
- Enhance their skills related to identifying and managing difficult emotions
- Gain a deeper understanding of the science of stress and trauma
- Learn strategies for achieving and maintaining greater well-being
- Explore the intersection of race, bias, identity, and social and emotional learning
- Practice key steps for helping students manage their emotions
- Create a concrete action plan for the best possible school year
Managing Emotions in Times of Uncertainty & Stress
A free course to help school staff better manage their emotions and create supportive learning environments for students.
Course for CT School Staff
If you are an educator or staff member from a school in Connecticut (CT), there is a specific grant-funded version of the course for you.
Course for RI School Staff
If you are an educator or staff member from a school in Rhode Island (RI), there is a specific grant-funded version of the course for you.
Praise for Managing Emotions in Times of Uncertainty and Stress
This course is relevant and timely. Educators will benefit from the strategies presented in both their professional and personal lives. The course content enables teachers and students to manage their emotions and promote well-being.
Alisha Price
6th Grade Teacher-Leader, Hallen School, Bridgeport, CT
We are living at a time with no modern precedent. People are scared, frustrated, and anxious. We need to be able to manage the compounded stress and trauma everyone is experiencing, and this course is a tool to do that. The more we can equip our teachers to handle what we’re inevitably going to see in the classroom—in person or remotely—the more we will be able to manage our way through these global crises.
Randi Weingarten
President of the American Federation of Teachers
What Learners Are Saying About the Course
This course was piloted in the state of Connecticut starting in September 2020. To date, 23,000 school staff have registered, and over 94% of those who completed the course said they were either “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with the course as a whole. Below are anecdotes from learners who have competed the course.
I greatly appreciated the course’s emphasis on improving the well-being of the student as an individual first and then as an educator/school leader. Most programs focus on our professional roles, leaving personal growth to the abilities of the individual student. This course took a radically different approach and presented the information in a way that honored the dignity of the individual.
I found the course content to be inspiring. The most helpful part was the way the course was broken down into segments. It did not make it overwhelming. I liked the various strategies which are easy to incorporate into our daily lessons. It is extremely stressful to be a teacher today. This course helped bring concerns to the forefront while offering suggestions/action steps to help problem-solve and brings things to perspective.
I can already see the course helping me to be more aware of my emotions both at work and at home. I am stepping back, breathing, and listening more intently to others as well as to myself. One point in the ‘defining thought strategies’ section struck me as an excellent starting point for my next newsletter. I also loved the opportunities to reflect and really digest what the course is offering.
I found the coping strategies to be most useful, especially because there were examples specific to how we as teachers can apply them to our lives and teach them to our students. I was also intrigued by the concept of expanding my emotional vocabulary. Not only can this help me better understand my own emotions and how to cope with them, but it can also help students do this as well. Furthermore, it can help us all clearly communicate how we’re feeling.