Blog Post #4 Mental Health

Why is mental health such a taboo topic? For how common it is, it certainly does not get enough notoriety as ones physical health, and it is just as important. 1 in 5 adults experience mental illness each year (NAMI).Mental health plays a huge role in our relationships with ourselves, and how we interact with others. Giving our mental health the attention and awareness that it deserves is crucial to maintaining a balanced lifestyle. 

     When looking at childhood development, learning how to cope with different situations is key to future success, Many children struggle with mental health issues and unfortunately, teachers are not trained to provide the support that children need. This is why it is important for teachers to maximize their resources when they notice a child is struggling. Resources within schools are also immensely important when it comes to providing mental health support. Oftentimes there is not enough funding within districts to provide students the appropriate resources that they need. For example, there only may be one or two school counselors that are responsible for an entire school. This can be upwards of 600- 1000children! There is no way that it is humanly possible for one individual counselor to give each student their time and help that they so desperately need, especially for how common it is to have a mental health disorder. A school in Northern Virginia, named “Aspire” has maximized its resources and made a school special for children who struggle with severe anxiety. This school provides accommodations such as more spaced out desks, the ability to get dropped off in the back of the building, and counseling. What really stuck out to me is that not all of the accommodations were massive changes. Most were just small alterations that are made to help keep students calm and comfortable. Some anxiety can be triggered by everyday events, such as eating the wrong kind of cereal, that Jared explained in his personal example. I can see how the rush of drop off and pick up can potentially be a stressor to many children. By allowing a struggling child to enter the building through a different entrance, or to simply just stay in their parents car for an extended period of time, can greatly change the beginning of a day for a student. Teachers are told to not make eye contact or even to say good morning to the students in order to keep them calm. Other small changes like utilizing dimming lights and having fight toys available can also help children feel more at ease. 

     The social worker at the school, Sharita Marshall, explains to listeners that it is difficult to get children to open up about their feelings, or what they are going though. She keeps an array of games and snacks in her office because she claims that some of her students find it easier to focus on that instead of maintaining a conversation with eye contact. She also states that through exposure therapy, by exposing children slowly to “normal” circumstances, she can quickly get children to where they should be. 

     Unfortunately, this school is quite costly and is not a reality for many districts across America. But, I feel that looking at this program and taking small aspects away from it can really improve overall mental health within schools. In my future classroom, I will do my best to implement small tactics seen in the Aspire program. I can provide small snacks for my students, and allow them to play with stress balls and other handheld toys during my lecture. Playing with such toys are more beneficial to students because most of the time they would pick their fingers or color on desks. 

     The quote “Faculty and staff can be trained, not to become therapists or counselors themselves, but to recognize students in distress and to be able to refer them to local and community resources that can help them,” ( Frueh, 2021) really stood out to me after doing some research of my own. A Teacher’s  main job is to teach the student of course, along with being their advocate. Many times teachers need to look out  for numerous issues within  schools, including bullying, violence, suspicious behavior, interactions between students, and the mental health of their students. In a typical school day, a teacher sees 25-30 kids for only one 40 minute period. Keeping a vigilant eye on all of these aspects seems nearly impossible. The importance of having properly trained mental health professionals in schools is immense. Teachers should be able to refer a student to a counselor and not worry that the students needs are not being met. I believe that a more fluent relationship between teachers and school employed mental health professionals are crucial for helping children with what they may struggle with. 

     

     

   

     

References 

Frueh, S. (n.d.). Nationalacademies.org. Retrieved March 1, 2022, from https://www.nationalacademies.org/news/2021/02/changing-campus-cultures-to-support-mental-health 

Nadworny, E. & Drummond, S. (2016). A silent epidemic. National Public Radio.

Cardoza, K. (2016). For kids, anxiety about school can feel like 'being chased by a lion'.  NPREd.

Anderson, M. (2016). Here's how schools can support students' mental health. NPREd. 

Conditions. (n.d.). National Alliance on Mental Health.