If you could increase your child’s self-esteem and create a positive self image for less than 10 minutes A-day at little to no cost would you do it?
Of course you say .
THEN WHY AREN’T WE ???
Let’s start with elementary and middle schools and include social and emotional learning into the classroom .
It’s too expensive , it takes too much time, teacher’s are overworked we can’t add on .
We teach children in kindergarten and first grade about the weather. It takes 5 mins a day. Why can’t we have 5 mins to teach and explore emotions? Instead of weather board, feelings board etc..
Second and third graders can read books on feelings. Spelling words could include an emotion. Can they spell it ? Use it in a sentence?
Art class instead of saying draw, paint, use modeling clay to make a flower, how about making it an emotion or social creation.
Music can be discussion of sounds that make you feel happy, sad etc.. Gym class can show children ways to creatively release emotions of frustration or anger in a safe manner.
These are very basic , simple ideas. They don’t take much time, money or planning to implement. Teachers have all experienced a variety of emotions throughout their lives. We don’t need to teach the teachers to feel.
A state of mental, emotional, and cognitive health can impact perceptions, choices and actions affecting wellness and functioning.
Studies have shown the following:
Developmentally appropriate, student-centered education materials should be integrated into the curriculum of all K-12 classes. The content of these age-appropriate materials should include the importance of safe and healthy choices and coping strategies focused on resiliency building, and how to recognize risk factors and warning signs of mental health conditions and suicide in oneself and others. The content shall also include help-seeking strategies for oneself or others and how to engage school resources and refer friends for help.
Access to school-employed mental health resources and access to school-based mental health supports directly improves students’ physical and psychological safety, academic performance, cognitive performance and learning, and social/emotional development. This training ensures that mental health resources are properly and effectively infused into the learning environment. These professionals can support both instructional leaders’ and teachers’ abilities to provide a safe school setting and the optimum conditions for teaching and learning. Having these professionals as integrated members of the school staff empowers principals and administrators to more efficiently and effectively deploy resources, ensure coordination of resources, evaluate their effectiveness, and adjust supports to meet the dynamic needs of their student populations. Improving access also allows for enhanced collaboration with community providers to meet the more intense or clinical needs of students.
It’s too important not to be done. Let’s normalize mental health for everyone and start at the very beginning.
SO AGAIN I ASK WHY AREN’T WE???
It is so important that children be able to express their feelings , when they are happy, when they are sad and when they are angry, it’s beneficial to them as they grow into healthy adults.