Frequently Asked Questions
We're new to Soul Shoppe; where do we begin?
We recommend starting with Tools of the Heart or the Peacemaker program. These are the programs that serve as a foundation for all the other work we do with students and are accessible for students who have never taken any SEL programs before.
Our school can’t bring in a workshop or course this year; is there a different option?
One great option is to bring in Soul Shoppe’s Peace Path to your playground. Using the Peace Path cultivates the five core competencies of Social Emotional Learning:
- Self-awareness
- Self-management
- Social awareness
- Relationship skills
- Responsible decision making
Restorative practice is part of the Peace Path process, making it the perfect recess tool to help students begin to understand how to resolve conflicts and practice empathy.
If you’re interested in a custom program or course, email us and we’ll work with you to put something together that fits your school!
How can teachers weave Soul Shoppe programs into the daily classroom routine?
Many teachers are already working on their students’ social-emotional development so our programs offer concrete practices to layer on top of existing knowledge. Each workshop is accompanied by a corresponding lesson plan and set of activities for the classroom (housed in our digital courses).
Our students face big challenges. They struggle to learn and teachers have difficulties in the classroom. How can Soul Shoppe help?
Most, if not all, children have challenging days and some have consistently harder days than others. Some schools have more children with more challenges and we know big behaviors make teaching tough!
Soul Shoppe helps children identify and acknowledge feelings they’re having and externalize those feelings so they don’t define themselves as “bad” or “wrong” for having these feelings — instead, they learn how to manage feelings in healthy, positive ways.
As children learn concrete language practices for communicating about their feelings, they develop the capacity to help themselves and help each other through challenging moments precisely so they can cooperate and learn.
Why does Soul Shoppe use a relationship-based approach?
We believe that learning happens through connection and relationship.
Our workshops offer stories, activities and opportunities for students to share their voices and their stories. Through the stories we create connection (inter- and intra-personal) and through that connection, safety and learning can happen.
For us, this is the essence of social-emotional learning and what Soul Shoppe has been providing schools for over 20 years.
