Since 2017, students in Puerto Rico have faced class disruption due to the aftermath of hurricanes, earthquakes, and the impact of COVID-19. For many students, returning to the classroom was a taste of normality and recovery after multiple periods of uncertainty. For this reason, the teachers and social workers of the Puerto Rico Department of Education (PRDE) have taken on extra roles as counsellors, community leaders, and support workers for their students. Their sacrifices have led to burnout among educators, which has urgently called for incorporating social and emotional management into their school communities.

Aprendizaje con Emoción, or Learning through/with Emotion (ACEmoción), is a remote professional development program for teachers and social workers of grades 1-6 in the PRDE. Developed by Coschool, this remote learning program encompasses six modules rooted in a social and emotional learning (SEL) framework. The training focuses on providing teachers with tools to identify their own feelings and challenges so that they can replicate those strategies with their students.

“I describe ACEmoción as “thank you for thinking about me.” The program came at a specific time when my school was undergoing a reconstruction period, filling students with uncertainty. I needed to organize and manage my own emotions to guide my students. The program carefully equipped me with tools to understand the root of our feelings and how to manage them to lead change.”

A PRDE teacher from the south of Puerto Rico.