“SEL Work is a part of everything we do,” says Katie Levinthal,  Middle School Counselor at Cary Academy. Read Levinthal’s reasons why schools need an Advisory Program and tips and tricks on how transitioning to this new program can be a smooth process so students have a more connected and impactful school experience. 

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Why having no Advisory Program is detrimental to students and their learning experience

Most schools do not know they could make their students' experience at school more fulfilling. Speaking from personal experience, Levinthal says, “We take for granted the skill of identifying an emotion and being able to communicate it.” Nowadays, many kids can hide their emotions behind a screen, making them feel less comfortable with opening up to others and growing relationships. Levinthal supports this by stating, “cultivating awareness of our emotions in a safe environment feels really crucial,” in the learning process and achieving academic success. 

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How IFSEL changed the Approach of Advisory Programs

Levinthal was introduced to the Institute of Social-Emotional Learning (IFSEL) in 2019 with an invitation to one of their Advisory Workshops. As soon as she stepped into the Workshop, she knew something was different about IFSEL and their approach to Advisory Programs. She described IFSEL’s approach as unique because they did not hand out a set of curriculum in a packet to everyone. Instead, IFSEL modeled their Advisory Program approach using an individual basis by showing, “how this work can be done with anybody and whatever their role is at the school.”

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The Benefits of Using IFSEL’s Advisory Program 

When bringing IFSEL’s approach to the Cary Academy’s Advisory Program, Levinthal recalls IFSEL bringing a more unified Advisory program and overlapping similarities between 6th to 12th grade for a cohesive and holistic relationship-building experience between the students, teachers, and counselors. Levinthal also noticed after having IFSEL’s training, there was a lot more priority and attention for the Advisory Program to have more time and resources. 

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Remember: Switching to a new Advisory Program is not always smooth sailing 

While Levinthal’s school thrived from the benefits of IFSEL’s Advisory Program, the shift to adding this new Advisory Program came with its challenges. Levinthal claims as schools experience any new change, there will always be people who are more resistant or feel more uncomfortable with these changes. 

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Don’t Fret! Here’s Katie Levinthal’s 3-Step Guide to achieving a smooth transition for your Advisory Program

1. Build Your Team 

Levinthal recalls, “For a while, all I could control is what I could do with my own Advisory, and so I would just teach the lessons that I believed in and really tried to work on meeting and impacting students on an individual basis.” Over time, this method picked up momentum, and she found like-minded people at her school who were passionate about making teaching a better and more fulfilling experience. 

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2. Look at the Gaps

Once you have your school on board, you can all work together to figure out what has been working for your school and what your school is missing.

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3. Try to find Resources to fill in the Gaps

Finding resources can vary from school to school, whether that is sending people to conferences or trying to get help from School Administrators. It may be challenging to find solutions, but Levinthal says, “Listen to what you know on a core level about the value of this work and don’t stop until you get a yes.”

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How an Advisory Program will bring joy in your everyday life

Advisory is about relationship-building with your students and co-workers, which creates a more connected and close-knit school community. However, you may find yourself starting to practice these relationship-building skills in your everyday life, such as learning to be aware of your emotions and other's emotions when interacting with one another. As Levinthal remarks, “The core of SEL is all about relationships.” 

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Author’s Note

Thank you for reading my article! You can stay connected with me through LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annabelle-persaud-8368451b8/