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Teachers: a child’s mental health advocate
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Teachers: a child’s mental health advocate

It is appropriate to think of teachers as companions of students in their mental wellness journey given the amount of time they spend with each other in school
teacher with students
Representational image | Illustration by Syalima M Das

Stress among school going children is a common phenomenon today. While a little bit of stress can be positive and keep individuals alert, prolonged periods of intense stress without the means to manage it can have far-reaching consequences.  

Sometimes positive stress responses from events such as changing schools and meeting new friends can help students learn and grow. However, exposure to repeated stressful events can become emotionally and physically toxic. Let us look at the symptoms of stress among students in school and some strategies that teachers, the school authorities, and parents can use to ease the situation. 

Early signs of stress among students 

Shweta Nema, an art and craft teacher and counsellor at Ojas Global School, Balaghat, Madhya Pradesh suggests some ways to recognise the early signs of stress in students: 

  • Inability to pay attention in class and wandering attention 
  • Weakness in both writing and reading. While some students may be proficient readers, they may lack the ability to understand or articulate the significance of the material they have read. Some others may perform poorly during tests 
  • Exhibiting excessive hyperactivity or extreme silence. They may not interact with teachers or other students at all. They might be worried about how they will come across in front of other students 
  • Fear of attending or conducting the school assembly programme. They may be fearful of participating in sports activities or other cultural activities. 

Tulika Mukherjee, senior psychologist, YourDOST, which is an online mental health platform, says, “Stress if not noticed early, can turn out to be challenging for students. And, to recognise the early signs, teachers should look for changes in behaviour, social isolation or withdrawal, change in mood (frequent crying, anger outbursts) or emotional changes, lack of motivation to do anything, lethargy, lack of concentration, change in sleeping or eating patterns.” 

She suggests that teachers can help reduce and eliminate stress by finding the real cause behind it and providing their support to resolve it. This exercise can help students become more resilient, face challenges and cope with challenging situations.  

Teachers can boost the confidence of students in the following way: 

  • Helping them identify the real cause of stress 
  • Giving them the space to express their concern by building positive relationships and lending an ear 
  • Watching out for any warning signs that interfere with their ability to explore, play and learn 
  • Encouraging them to develop mindfulness by using various breathing techniques 

Positive student-teacher relationship is important  

Bengaluru-based Mamta Hemnani, who has close to three decades of experience in teaching English language and literature, suggests ways to develop positive and strong relationships with students as building that relationship is key to providing a stress-free environment. Her methods, which can be practised by teachers and schools, include:  

Be welcoming and polite in class 

Use words like ‘Please, thank you, goodbye, hello, welcome’. Create an environment where each child feels welcome, loved and comfortable. Connecting with students is important, so take advantage of time before and after class (online/offline) to build bonds. Say hello and goodbye to each child. However, it is not important how one welcomes the students, what exactly matters is that one takes the moment to be fully present with every child. Make eye contact, smile, and use their name. Such small moments help students build a positive attitude and bond with the teacher. 

Show love and kindness 

When students do not feel comfortable with the teacher in the classroom, learning and understanding academic subjects become difficult. Students are likely to flourish only if the teacher shows love, kindness, willingness, and a helping nature. It is important to laugh with one’s students and enjoy their company during free time.  

Know their families 

A ‘Know me well’ questionnaire at the beginning of the year is helpful. Take the time to know students, and learn about their interests, likes and dislikes. Understand their family background and help them if they are going through any issue. Talk to students openly. Ask them what they did on the weekend. One can ask them to write down what they did in a journal and maintain the same process every week.  

Trust students 

Develop mutual trust and watch their performance grow. Believe that every student in the class can do his or her best and is different. Find out what skills they are missing, and what more they can do to excel. The teacher’s belief will subconsciously affect the student’s mind.  

Practice discipline  

Apart from building a trusting relationship, teachers must expect good behaviour and discipline from every child.  

Accept their mistakes and failures: Do not insult them, guide them  

Each one of us is different. As such, all students need to be accepted and treated equally despite academic setbacks. It is important to respect them and embrace their failures with kindness. Do not allow students to tease or disrespect one another.   

Teachers should also ensure that students learn to accept that mistakes are a natural part of learning. When they make mistakes, ask them, “What did you learn from that?” and celebrate the lesson learned.  

Tips from Tulika Mukherjee 

Research has shown that a positive student-teacher relationship helps a student flourish academically. It also contributes towards better teaching, and student growth.  

  • Create a positive classroom environment where the child feels safe and heard 
  • Actively listen and try to validate their feelings and emotions 
  • Show empathy 
  • Build an atmosphere of trust and belief 
  • Greet students as individuals 
  • Have respectful, open and transparent communications 
  • Accept all children as they are and treat all equally 
  • Maintain eye contact and show positive body language while communicating 
  • Be realistic with your students 
  • Reward and praise whenever possible 
  • Focus on kindness and gratitude and teach children the same 

Based on a survey done by the Manodarpan Cell of the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) to understand the perception of school students on aspects related to their mental health, NCERT has issued guidelines for schools to spot mental health problems in students. It has pointed to results and peer pressure as being among the major factors for stress and anxiety among school students.

  • Every school or group of schools should set up a mental health advisory panel, a school-based mental health programme to ensure the mental well-being of students and engage parents 
  • Teachers must be trained in identifying early signs of attachment issues, separation anxiety, refusal to go to school, communication issues, anxiety patterns, depressive states, conduct-related issues, excessive internet use, hyperactivity, intellectual disability, and learning disabilities in students. 
  • Teachers should speak about cases of bullying in class and empower students by educating them regarding bullying. They must provide a confidential way for students to report any incident that is of concern to them. 

References 

https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/62770657.pdf 

https://www.apa.org/education-career/k12/relationships 

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