Tampa Bay Internship Report

I began my internship at Frameworks of Tampa Bay on January 16th, 2018. I was placed at the agency according to my education, skills and goals. Frameworks is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to teach youth to manage their emotions, develop healthy relationships, and make good decisions for academic, career and personal success. They accomplish this through social and emotional learning, and by teaching youth an evidence-based, core set of social and emotional attitudes, values, and skills. Research suggests, when we include social and emotional attitudes in an academic curriculum, we help children, teens, and adults handle life challenges effectively, so that they can succeed in academic, social, and professional environments.

Adding new demands to educators who are already pressed for time for instruction is a common obstacle. Yet SEL capacities remain vital attributes to cultivate in youth. Herein lies the crux of the problem: Social-emotional learning represents crucial skills, but we ask too much from teachers. Therefore, Frameworks proposes that we focus primarily on student’s social connectedness, motivation and self-regulation, which are the pre-requisites for learning. Beyond logical arguments and robust research, this simplification of social-emotional learning improves relationships, teaching and learning. Prior to interning at Frameworks I observed how some teachers integrated Social Emotional Learning into common core, but this often fell short. At Frameworks, I have been able to observe how educators make time to specifically teach SEL core components. It is with this attention to detail that teachers are able to cultivate positive classroom environments, and a stronger foundation for the possible implementation of other practices, such as Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports

Frameworks is a diverse agency that prides itself in hiring people from all different backgrounds. Some of their SEL specialists speak different languages, which I found to be an asset in today’s world. They also have different job experiences. For example, one of their SEL specialist is a student who was an intern and now works fulltime at Frameworks. They also have people who have been educators and worked in the field. I believe this makes them relatable to the community they are serving. Moreover, I have learned to practice listening skills while engaging in conversations with the administration, employees and target population. Working cooperative and collaboratively is important for the success of Frameworks. I learned that this can only be achieved by demonstrating mastery of active listening skills and