Theresa Watson 5th grade teacher, Westerly Theresa Watson is a fifth grade teacher at Spring Brook Elementary School in Westerly, Rhode Island. Prior to obtaining her teaching position, Mrs. Watson worked as a program coordinator at the University of Rhode Island. In that role, she gained funding for and piloted peer mediation programs at Bristol High School and Central Falls Junior/Senior High School. The programs, called Students as Mediators (SAM), were eventually implemented in over 70 other schools, both at the elementary and secondary levels.

Now, in addition to her role as a fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Watson teaches a college course on character education to teachers. When she began teaching the course, Mrs. Watson was surprised to find how little training teachers had in the social emotional development of children. She discovered, however, that her students were very receptive to learning about the impact that integrating social emotional learning had on the classroom environment. She emphasizes that “we can’t do it all at once, but we can do a little at a time.”

“That is the beauty of it because each person will bring his or her own expertise into the classroom.”

Teaching teachers offers Mrs. Watson the opportunity to effect change in thirty classrooms. Her lessons are not prescriptive. She knows that teachers will vary the form to suit their own classrooms. “That is the beauty of it because each person will bring his or her own expertise into the classroom.” Once the teachers begin to discuss problem solving, communication, and thinking skills, they see many examples of how they are already promoting honesty, fairness, integrity, generosity, responsibility, and respect in their classrooms. “I affirm and re-affirm the impact that teachers have on the lives of kids. This can and should permeate everything we do” she says.

“I affirm and re-affirm the impact that teachers have on the lives of kids. This can and should permeate everything we do.”