The exposure to emotional stress during lockdown may have put a strain on the mental health and wellbeing of many families. Now it is more important than ever to strengthen students’ resilience, their self-esteem and their understanding of ways to achieve good mental health.
Life Education can support teachers to achieve this through a programme that specifically meets the needs of their students.
The National Monitoring Study of Student Achievement (NMSSA 2017) reported that teachers felt less confident teaching in the area of mental health. As a result the study found 86% of schools use Life Education. Right now, we can provide in-class resources and tailor made lessons that support teachers in this area.
Through our teaching strands we can cover:
Identity and resilience: Teaching students strategies to help deal with the effects of stress. We can develop activities that help students to explore ‘identity’ to appreciate the uniqueness that comes from being an individual. We can explore the idea of connectedness and the sense of personal and social responsibility that encompasses this.
Human anatomy: Understanding the steps students can take to look after themselves well is a great place to start. Learning about different parts of the brain and its natural response to stress can help students to identify the reactions they may experience at different times. Creating a sense that students are in control of their brain and body helps to build a positive outlook.
Relationships and communities: We can design activities that explore how we might react and respond in different situations on school values. Teaching and reinforcing strategies to help students navigate challenging situations, dealing with conflict and problem solving positive outcomes help to develop skills that enhance relationships.
Our tamariki need support with their mental health and wellbeing more than ever during these difficult times. As trained experienced classroom teachers our Educators can successfully support your classroom programme, be that in the mobile classroom or in your own school classroom. If your students are working from home we can assist with remote learning.