Episode 117: Interview with Dan Wolfe

In this episode, I chat with Dan Wolfe, an educational leader who has served in Pasco County, Florida for more than 20 years. During this time, he has held roles as a teacher, instructional coach and administrator. He is currently an Assistant Principal at Sunray Elementary. Dan was selected as Pasco County’s District Teacher of the Year in the 2011-2012 school year and he is a part of the district’s Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Committee that recently established Pre-K through Grade 12 SEL standards.

For the past two years Dan has written a blog called Becoming The Change which focuses on a different quote each day and how we can best apply it towards becoming the change through our own moral compass and the five areas in SEL. He has recently channeled this passion for writing into a new book, “Becoming the Change - Five Essential Elements to Being Your Best Self.”

During his spare time Dan enjoys spending his time reading, listening to podcasts, and going to Disney with his wife and daughter.

During our conversation, we discuss the importance of SEL in education - something that was embraced during the pandemic but has seemingly fallen to the wayside as we once again become solely focused on academic outcomes. Dan stresses that these two aspects are not and should not be viewed as separate or even conflicting entities but rather as the interdependent components of our students’ success. We explore the idea that our systems avoid SEL because it is not easily quantifiable and when we are able to do so then the programs we design do not offer the flexibility to address the nuances. Dan even asks if SEL has the clout to draw advocates so that it is truly deemed important. Regardless, we encourage our listeners to continue building community around these practices so that we will see eventual shifts in our field.

Ready to hear more? Let’s go.

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