In this episode of the Learning Lab, Kaylah chats with Rachel Lewis, a New Orleans-based educator and leader with deep experience in trauma-informed care, restorative practices, social-emotional learning (SEL), and special education. In this conversation, Rachel reframes SEL as essential skill-building—not “soft skills,” but the tools young people need to advocate for themselves, regulate emotions, and navigate conflict.

She shares practical strategies for embedding SEL into daily classroom routines, from greeting students at the door and starting class with emotional check-ins to creating cool-down corners and modeling vulnerability as adults. Rachel also explores why SEL must be taught when students are regulated.

When practiced consistently, emotional regulation becomes like muscle memory—something students can access when they n ...