Social and Emotional Competence (SEC) is comprised of five main components: self awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. Within the context of K-12 education, SEC is typically explored through the lens of student achievement or student progress. This area of research is noteworthy as teachers aretrained in SEL to assist and support students, not themselves or one another (Wiglesworth et al., 2016). Although teachers may receive training on SEC, the teachers rarely are the focus of that training (Aldrup et al., 2021). One area of particular interest is the setting of charter schools and how they address SEC. This distinction is relevant due to the increased number of charter schools throughout the K-12 school system. How do charter schools address SEC for teachers rather than just for students? Looking at teacher SEC as something that exists independently of student outcomes, this study sought to examine the role that peer relationships played in the development, the promotion, and the maintenance of teachers’ SEC. Employing a primarily quantitative approach and demographic information, Likert-scale survey questions, and open-ended questions, this study uncovered themes related to teacher SEC and the role of peer relationships. The findings from this study include statistical significance for the correlation between new teachers, Hispanic teachers, and Interpersonal Relationships. In addition, the charter school environment impacts Teacher Social and Emotional Competence. These findings contribute to the knowledge and understandings of teacher SEC, and provide insight into how charter schools address teacher SEC
