As a teacher, you are well aware that you must wear numerous hats on a daily basis. You’re much more than a teacher. You’re an advocate, a friend, and a leader. You could be a student’s greatest source of inspiration and comfort during the day.
As a result, you have the chance to use your advocate role to promote the mental health of your students.
For everyone, the past year has been difficult. One survey indicated that even at the start of the epidemic, 29% of parents believed their child’s mental or emotional health had already been impacted by the uncertainty and dread. Even if the epidemic isn’t a factor, children face a great deal of daily stress. It’s fairly uncommon for their mental health to suffer as a result of a difficult home situation, social challenges, or academic difficulties.
So, what can you do to improve your advocacy skills?
Healthy Coping Mechanisms Should Be Implemented
Listening to and guiding your students is the best approach to be an advocate for their mental health when they trust you. Throughout the day in your classroom, you can use a range of various stress-reduction tactics. Try incorporating some of the following activities into your everyday classroom routine:
- Stretching
- Meditation
- Exercising lightly
- Journaling
- Gratitude exchange
Another fantastic method to lessen stress in and out of the classroom is to practise mindfulness. Try breathing exercises or intention setting, depending on the age of your students. Simple breathing exercises can drastically transform the energy of your classroom, allowing your kids to focus and learn more effectively.
Even just a few minutes a day of these routines can help your pupils cope with worry and stress.
Of course, if they can maintain those practices at home, they will profit much more. If a student comes to you and says they’re having trouble with anxiety or depression, talk to their parents. Work together to come up with ways for them to cope at school and at home, including talking about things that may need to be curtailed. For example, if a student returns home every day and binge-watches their favourite shows, their dopamine levels may drop, making them depressed. Encourage them to spend less time watching TV and more time doing other things, such as going outside or finding a creative outlet, by working with their parents.
Defend Positive Changes
You can voice your concerns to your local school board or superintendent if you want to be an advocate for all students, not just those in your classroom. You can even petition your local government for improved mental health services in local schools. If your area does not have those services, inform them of the advantages, which include:
- Providing a natural, comfortable environment for children to talk about their problems
- Families will appreciate the ease of access.
- Staff awareness of indicators of mental illness has improved.
- In the district, mental health is being de-stigmatized.
Far too frequently, kids don’t speak up about mental health issues because they’ve heard unfavourable stereotypes about them or because they don’t know where to go for support. Make your role as a spokesperson recognised. Even if you can just support one student at a time, it’s a start, and it encourages other teachers to recognise the importance of students’ mental health.
You can help to reduce student depression and anxiety by involving your local government or district. As a result, you might be able to save some lives. The national discourse about children’s mental health is shifting, and you can be a part of it by simply caring for your students and letting them know you’re there for them.
