A Conversation With Tara O’Brien
Why do you believe SEL and EQ are important?
Our ability to regulate our own emotions as well as the ability to read other people’s emotions are at the core of all daily interactions and how well we do this is critical for our success and happiness. Having a high EQ can enhance interactions and make relationships more enriching, both personally and professionally. Thankfully, EQ skills can be taught, improved, and mastered overtime through intentional social and emotional learning at all stages in life from young children through adulthood. Some argue that a person’s EQ is a greater indicator of success than their IQ as those people tend to communicate better, foster stronger connections with those around them, and are more successful in leadership roles. SEL programs help students reflect on their current strengths and build the EQ skills they will need to thrive not only in the classroom, but also at home and in the community at-large. However, it is also important to have a robust process for strengthening and building the EQ skills in the adults who interact with our children and lead our schools.
Do you have any personal anecdotes about how SEL/EQ has brought you success in your personal life/career?
As a school leader, I have had a significant amount of training to prepare for my role. I earned two Master’s Degrees in Curriculum and Instruction and in Educational Leadership. I hold both teaching and administrative certificates in multiple states, and I have certificates on leading change. Yet, the skills that I relied on the most as a school leader were not covered in any of those degrees or programs as they were all skills that fall under the EQ umbrella. At one school, we purchased a new LMS and were requiring all of our teachers to use it. We had been discussing this process for over a year, gathering input from teachers and sharing our decision-making processes. And yet, the announcement of the rollout resulted in meeting after meeting with teachers expressing concerns. Having solid EQ skills allowed me to look deeper than the logistical problems initially offered. Their real concerns were much more personal – what if I can’t figure it out? What if I look stupid? What if… How can I… and so on. Many leaders would have been frustrated by trying to solve their teachers’ surface level issues, whereas really listening and empathizing with them allowed me to reduce their fears and provide the real support they needed to achieve a successful rollout.
What do you believe to be one or two of the main challenges in education (K-8) today?
The main challenge of education today is that our current system was developed in the 1800s to create a highly compliant workforce and our world has dramatically changed since then. We know this and rather than making significant changes to programs and structure, we keep adding things onto the system making it impossible to do any of it well mainly because we see each one of these asks (literacy, mathematics, project-based, SEL) as independent disparate programs that have to be “done” and there’s just not enough time and individualization to make it effective.
Conversely, what do you believe to be one or two of the biggest opportunities in education (K-8) today?
K-8 education has the opportunity to influence this next generation of leaders, thinkers, and disrupters. The world is such a dynamic place and changing so quickly and teachers and school leaders have the opportunity to equip kids with the mindsets to navigate the challenges of their future. Kids bring with them genuine curiosity, an open heart and mind, and a willingness to take risk that was once unappreciated by employers and now, those are the exact skills and mindsets employers are looking for. Schools can focus on helping each child to be the best version of themselves while also making sure that they can read, write, and calculate.