A Conversation With Anthony Peterson

Why do you believe SEL and EQ are important?

For several years I have served on the board of an organization providing SEL in schools. I have seen student academic performance improve significantly when the students are given tools to navigate their socio-emotional states. We know that students without those tools and without social emotional support are more likely to disrupt class and more likely to be removed from academic situations. Lest you think I only care about the academics, I am one who believes that education necessarily involves the whole student.

Do you have any personal anecdotes about how SEL/EQ has brought you success in your
personal life/career?

I think of when I was diagnosed with a chronic disease a few years ago. Most of the physicians I visited to diagnose my chronic gastro-intestinal condition directed me to a specialist clinic at Vanderbilt University Hospital. When I reached Vanderbilt to set up an appointment, they outlined the day: First you will see the physician, then the nutritionist, and then a psychologist. Each time I returned for bi-monthly treatments, I also saw the psychologist. His experience is that some people with my condition start to feel despair and worthlessness. He says, “My only goal for these meetings is to help you not to turn on yourself.” He was highly aware of the holistic nature of health. The chronic condition is now a normal part of my life, and the psychologists fears are not.

What do you believe to be one or two of the main challenges in education (K-8) today?

With the ambiguity of the COVID virus, schools have to make difficult decisions about how best to educate our students. Of course, this has always been the case, but quarantine situations have amplified the difficulties. Unfortunately, partisan politics has entered the fray in strange and unhelpful ways so that the decision of educators are being overridden by some people with other agendas. For those remaining in remote learning and those returning from remote learning, SEL is growing more evidently important. We are dealing with new concerns. And for those who must remain remote, access to SEL can be challenging.

Conversely, what do you believe to be one or two of the biggest opportunities in education (K-8) today?

I think the pandemic has revealed both resilience and innovation. Educators, students and parents have face unforeseen challenges. But they have also developed new ways of coping and new ways of learning. There is no reason to stop that innovative thinking. There is no reason to stop emphasizing SEL. I also believe that children are the key to a more inclusive society. Our schools have the opportunity to embrace diversity, inclusion and equity, and children will be some of our guides.