The following teachers have received the Award for SEL Excellence:

Whitney Peterson

Whitney Peterson currently serves as a 2nd-grade teacher at Overbrook Educational Center in West Philadelphia. She was born and raised in the Philadelphia area and is currently in her twelfth year of teaching. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Chestnut Hill College in Early Childhood/ Elementary Education, and her master’s degree from Saint Joseph’s University as a Reading Specialist, as well as a certification in English as a Second Language. She currently lives with her husband and two cats in the Overbrook section of the city. During her early childhood education career thus far, she has taught Head Start, Pre-K Counts, Kindergarten, 3rd grade, and now 2nd grade. She discovered that no matter the grade level, providing a quality education begins with students being aware of their emotions, as well as that of their peers, and knowing how to navigate those emotions inside and outside of the classroom. She believes that young children are naturally patient, caring, and kind, and it is her passion to teach them the skills and tools they need in order to strengthen those skills with their social-emotional learning. Social-emotional learning and teaching embed life-long, irreplaceable skills that no test can measure, and it is a crucial part of the holistic education that every student deserves.

Favorite SEL Strategy: My favorite SEL strategy is the peace path, which is a form of peaceful peer mediation and conflict resolution. I love this strategy because it instills peer mediation in a healthy and respectful way, and helps students to develop empathy, respect for each other, and self-advocacy. It is also a strategy that students can facilitate on their own, and they can perform it outside of the classroom. The peace path allows students to be independent problem-solvers who learn how to navigate their own emotions while supporting each other.

Megan Brigaman

Megan Brigaman has been a school counselor with the School District of Philadelphia for 15 years. This year she became National Board Certified! Prior to school counseling she worked in publishing and owned a bookstore/coffee shop. It was at the bookshop where she met a 5th grade boy whose mom owned a shop down the block. He would come in often to talk and seek guidance. Through that relationship, she realized that she wanted to spend more time helping students with their personal challenges and be present to celebrate their achievements.

Favorite SEL Strategy: My favorite SEL strategy is teaching Qigong, especially to kindergarten and 1st-grade students. Movement is very important for our youngest students, and they love it! It is very relaxing for them and helpful for self-regulation. I am always amazed at how much they remember and how eager they are to learn new movements.

Krissy Gutowski

Krissy Gutowski is a kindergarten teacher in the North Penn School District of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. She graduated from Temple University with her B.S. in Early Childhood Education and her M.Ed. in Special Education. Krissy is also a 200 HR certified yoga instructor and has been teaching yoga for seven years. She is very passionate about bringing yoga and mindfulness into the classroom to support students’ social and emotional well-being. She advises the lab as a practitioner partner to develop new pedagogy.

Favorite SEL Strategy: My current favorite strategy is courtesy scripts. Courtesy scripts reinforce positive communication in the midst of conflict. Speaking kindly has been an area of growth for my students this year, as being so unkind to each other interrupts or even stops academic learning. Courtesy scripts is easy to implement, provides appropriate and respectful communication, and makes students pause for a moment before engaging in their initial, emotionally charged reaction.

Sera Anello

Sera Anello is a fourth-grade teacher for the School District of Philadelphia. She graduated from Temple University with her B.S. in Early Childhood Education with a Program Specialist Certificate in English as a Second Language. Sera is currently working toward her M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction with a focus on Social Emotional Learning. Sera is also a 200 HR certified yoga instructor and has been teaching yoga for five years. She is interested in aligning her yoga and mindfulness training with classroom instruction to promote student well-being. She contributes to lab projects as a practitioner partner in the development and assessment of new pedagogy. Sera’s nominator noted that she is most deserving of this recognition as she exemplifies what strong, consistent, and meaningful Social Emotional Learning looks like.

Favorite SEL Strategy: One of my favorite SEL strategies I have used in the classroom is a term we use consistently in my room, "opportunities for growth". As a class, whenever we are experiencing a challenge or failure, or we make an error (academically or socially) we refer to it as “an opportunity for growth”. Anytime my students or I make an error, they are eager to share their growth and encourage other students to show if they were incorrect as well. I have noticed that these three simple words have highly contributed to the success of creating classroom unity. Utilizing this tactic in my classroom has also surfaced across all contexts. One of my favorite times to implement this language is in math class. Oftentimes when students make a mathematical error, they now feel so much more motivated to not only correct themselves, but know they are capable of overcoming challenges because they are presented with a more positive connotation.

Kira Kashow

Kira Kashow is a first-grade teacher in the Central Bucks School District. She graduated from Arcadia University with her B.S. in Elementary and Early Childhood Education. She also received her M.Ed. in Special Education from Arcadia and her M.Ed in Literacy from Holy Family University. Kira is passionate about encouraging mindfulness and teaching her students strategies that will benefit their emotional well-being.

Favorite SEL Strategy: My favorite SEL strategy is using a morning meeting in my classroom that includes greetings, times for SEL discussions, and practicing gratitude. My students love to make everyone feel welcome with our morning greetings and love listening to their students share something new or positive that has happened to them. Morning meeting time is also a great time to teach students mindful breathing exercises and check in with students’ emotions for the day.