Niagara University: Mental health at School & Relationships at School

Returning to the campus this week was a strange feeling. It could be because I hadn't been there in a while or because I was seeing people in person who were no more than pixels on the screen to me these last few months. T.S Eliot once said, "Human kind cannot bear very much reality." This nearly 90-year-old quote seems more relevant today than ever. Zoom calls and online activities is not reality. No zoom call could've taught me what these workshops did. I'm genuinely grateful that this week was provided to us. And while I did enjoy it, by the end, I was asking myself several questions. The first is, is a 3-day in-person workshop all we can handle, or is there something else going on? Some argue that we do this for convenience. However, should we lose proper education in the name of convenience? We continue to find ways to make our lives more convenient and incorporate automation wherever possible. Is this really for the best?

I understand that my introduction was a little odd, but this is a reflection, right? 

The first workshop I'm reflecting on is Gail Lalonde's "Mental Health at School: Support students in a post pandemic world" workshop, and my reflection connects to Standard 1: Commitment to Students and Student Learning: Members are dedicated in their care and commitment to students. They treat students equitably and with respect and are sensitive to factors that influence individual student learning. Members facilitate the development of students as contributing citizens of Canadian society.

Gail Lalonde's workshop resonated with me personally because I struggled with mental health problems as a student. I won't go into details about what happened to me when I was young. But I'll tell you that it took me 13 years to finally come forward and speak to my parents about the trauma I faced as a child. For 13 years, not one teacher identified the state I was in. And in those 13 years, I never felt comfortable revealing my problem to a teacher. I hope no child has to go through what I did, but unfortunately, many will. Gail Lalonde covered many issues that children deal with and what we can do as educators to assist them. It begins with being able to identify that there is a problem. And once identification is made, we have to do everything in our power to help that student and ensure they receive the help they need. The more teachers that follow standard 1 and remain dedicated to caring for their students, the more happiness and success we'll see in our education system.

The second workshop I will speak on is Pat Tari's workshop on parent-teacher relationships. And the standard I'm going to reference is Standard 5. Ongoing Professional Learning: Members recognize that a commitment to ongoing professional learning is integral to effective practice and to student learning. Professional practice and self-directed learning are informed by experience, research, collaboration and knowledge. 

Being able to get along with your students' parents is critical to having a successful career. Building rapport and good relationships with your students' parents will make things much easier for you and improve the child's learning. We must remain calm and stoic in sticky situations with parents. We will be pushed and sometimes ripped to shreds, and as much as we want to lash out, we must remain stoic. Why? Because it's the child that matters most.

Courtesy of Jake@NUO-491