Humanizing Student–Teacher Relationships for Black Children: Implications for Teachers’ Social–Emotional Training

Abstract

A growing number of scholars in the field of urban education compellingly demonstrate the myriad ways U.S. schooling for Black youth is dehumanizing. Social and emotional learning (SEL), particularly, transformative social emotional learning (TSEL) has come to the fore as a promising intervention to promote positive inclusive school cultures and relationships while recognizing and accounting for the realities of racial oppression. Here, we discuss teachers’ capacity to develop and negotiate student–teacher relationships that acknowledge and actively confront the dehumanization of Black youth in schools. We provide recommendations for teachers’ social emotional training that can effectively humanize learning environments for Black youth.