Social Skills and Language Arts

I believe that language arts skills are directly related to one's social skills. Our abilities to communicate are founded in reading and writing, and if these areas are delayed or weak, then communication can be difficult. This is a huge issue in the classroom. Students who may be delayed in reading and writing may suffer from low self-esteem which can cause them to feel inferior to their classmates. In addition to an elementary school setting, so much of today's society communicates through technology. Whether it be email or text messaging, a lot of social interaction, even as young as elementary school, is founded in text. Students communicate by writing and reading what the other says, and if there are delays in this area, students social skills may suffer.

In observing in different classrooms, I have seen how delays or disabilities in reading and writing can affect students' social skills. Many students only feel comfortable socializing with students who have the same abilities. One student I tutored never especially socialized with many of her classmates. However, I don't think it was a language barrier by any means because she was in constant conversation with her one friend in the class, who was also pulled out for help with reading.

As a teacher, we must first realize the connection between language arts and social skills. It is our job to differentiate to where every student feels successful. Students spend so much time in our classroom that we must realize we have a huge impact on their self esteem. We should help develop their comptence and sense of self to aid in their social skills. Also, some students may need you to directly teach social skills and role play social situations.