Mental Health in the Classroom

As teachers, it is our job to ensure that our students receive the proper education in order to set them up to succeed as best we can. Each year brings in new students, with their own unique traits and abilities. As a teacher, we must be able to adapt to these students and do our best to cater to there needs. One aspect of those needs is the mental health of these students.

 

The Covid-19 pandemic has brought a completely new way of life for everybody. This is reflected in the classroom by instituting the "virtual learning" method of teaching. While this is a relatively new strategy, there are many experiences that the children will miss out on by learning from home, and not in class. For example, there have been countless studies conducted saying that staring at a computer screen for 9 hours a day has long lasting effects on adults. Businesses have started to allow for employees to get up and take a stretch and/or walk around every hour to combat these issues. Having students glued to their computer screens will force them to endure these long-lasting effects as well.

Another thing students will miss out on is being able to interact with their classmates in a face-to-face situation. As a child growing up, my favorite part of going to school was seeing my friends, having fun at recess, working in groups on projects etc. Students make some of their closest friends while in school. Especially when they are at a young age, it is crucial not only for their enjoyment of school, but also for their social development. Having these social skills being developed at a young age is crucial for a child to behave accordingly in society.

These two issues could ultimately lead to children having mental health issues. For many of these students, they interact with their teachers more than anybody else in their lives. If you are an elementary teacher, you teach your students almost all their classes every day. It is important to allow for communication from teachers to their students and express that they care about their student's well-being. When you are dealing with young students, they may be going through something mentally and not even know it. They may be subject to this but are not developed enough to break down the issue and figure it out themselves. 

 

As teachers, we are charged with the duty of delivering education to our students. With this Covid-19 pandemic, everything about the way teaching is thought of changed. Incorporating virtual learning is a massive transformation in the way that students are being taught. As education has changed, so have the roles of teachers. Teachers owe it to their students to always feel comfortable, encouraged and to create a wholesome atmosphere in the classroom. Being there for your students whenever they need you, whether it be as an ear to talk to or a voice to listen to, ensuring your students mental health gets as much focus as the education being taught. 

Courtesy of: Spencer@NU