Theft Of Your Child’s Emotional Well-Being
By Karen Schumacher
In Idaho, attempts to integrate social-emotional learning (SEL) into the educational system have been made, and continues to be a priority for Sherri Ybarra, Idaho State Superintendent of Public Education. Ms. Ybarra also mistakenly believes SEL is “connecting parents and students and teachers with the right tools and the right resources to get them the help that they need”. Luckily, the House Education committee, considering SEL as something that should be taught in homes, was able to keep this out of schools last year. Not only does Ms. Ybarra see achievement as “secondary to social-emotional learning“, Governor Little supports the concept as well.
Citizens must remain vigilant in watching what will be most likely a return of integrating SEL into Idaho education. The National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL) uses the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL) model, which defines SEL as learning “self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision making.” According to one group, goal setting, collaboration, responsibility, and problem solving are seen as critical to student’s workforce success. These are all sweet, benign, fluff words that garner acceptance by parents and lure them into a most nefarious agenda.
As seen in this video, SEL goes far beyond just helping a student feel good about themselves or getting along with other kids. It also includes teaching collective goals which can be applied across different cultures. Other attributes of SEL include teaching emotional self-regulation, relationship skills, decision making, addressing inequity, self-awareness, impulse control…well, these are just a few that touch the surface of what is really SEL psychological manipulation. Across the internet there are multiple SEL definitions.
Jane Robbins is a respected attorney and author who has followed not only the U.S. educational system, but SEL as well. In 2019 she wrote about the dangers of technology having the capability to psychologically assess children in several ways. What may have seemed a laughable conspiracy then, is happening now. SEL psychological manipulation is a form of child abuse that can take many years to overcome, if ever.
To understand just how dangerous and ominous SEL is, it is important to understand the World Economic Forum (WEF) 4th Industrial Revolution. Through its partnerships with corporations, foundations, and technology, the ability to deliver SEL to students is taken out of parents hands, it won’t matter if the state or parent rejects it. It is necessary to keep students on the computer to accomplish SEL integration, this is just one WEF Covid-19 role. How this is being done is explained in this WEF 2016 report, New Vision For Education: Fostering Social and Emotional Learning through Technology. As a partner with the WEF, the United Nations is also on track with SEL, expanding the definition to include global citizenship, gender equality, and sustainable development.
The WEF sees SEL as a necessary proficiency to succeed in a digital economy and critical to the future workforce. In its 21st Century lifelong learning skills, curiosity, initiative, grit, cultural awareness, and collaboration are seen as necessary character qualities. SEL should begin early and embedded into curriculum as the WEF believes 65% of children will be working in future jobs that don’t exist today. Here is its rendition on how to teach character. In WEF eyes, all of these skills are needed for the future workforce it is creating.
Not wanting to leave parents out, programs such as the Incredible Years are available to teach stepford parents how to apply the same techniques on their children as the teachers. No more bonks on the head from granny allowed. Heck, even better, put somebody directly into the home from the beginning instead of relying on granny. Let’s all raise kids the same way.
The real terrorism is the intent to “Embed SEL into foundational ed-tech products”. Intent? Multiple examples throughout the report are given of how it is already being done. Ed-tech products include wearable devices and apps for smart phones and tablets that collect data on the child. Virtual reality is used to help students manage emotions, foster greater self and cultural awareness, build collaboration skills, and “gain greater empathy”. Perhaps one of the more frightening methods is “affective computing” where a system can recognize, interpret, and simulate human emotions. Artificial intelligence (AI) analyzes emotions and reactions then compares it to a database of 1 billion expressions.
Games in role playing, strategy, and sandbox, those games that provide open ended exploration, apparently support SEL. Yes, Minecraft is an excellent fake substitute for being in the real outdoors building a fort that teaches creativity and problem solving, or playing volleyball with someone that teaches social skills. But, if the product has the Global Educator Institute’s Seal of Endorsement, it must be better than anything a parent could provide. One online program, Web-based Inquiry Science Environment, was identified as already embedding 10 SEL skills in its science curriculum. ThinkCERCA is another.
By its own admission, the report indicates there is disagreement on what SEL is and the terminology to define it. However, never fear, the World Bank, Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OCED), and United Nations Educational and Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) are shaping the agenda, providing the policy framework, and financing SEL.
Bottom line, the more children are pushed to online learning, the more exposure to SEL learning, creating little robots that are collectively trained to behave a certain way with no opportunity to learn individualism, pride and knowledge of their country, or even dreaming about what they want to do in their future. It is all being planned for them, and how they function in a workforce is a top priority.
It isn’t possible to highlight everything in this report in an article and it must be fully read by everyone. Once read, all Idaho government officials must be made to understand that this will be forced on parents and children through technology and what the real intention is behind SEL. Take granny to bonk them on the head. Perhaps the basic understanding of this agenda is that the WEF is intent on keeping kids on computers, tech partners will create the products that deliver SEL through online school computers, is all being done to create a workforce that will behave in a certain way, takes control away from parents and our government, and it creates a collective, global citizenry where all individualism is destroyed. Allowing Idaho teachers to be educated on SEL only advances these objectives.