Through various tactics and resources, we work to prevent many common mental health challenges students may encounter in their learning environments. Ultimately, students with positive mental health can build relationships more effectively, make decisions, and work together, supporting them as they enter adulthood. Equip yourself with gambling the skills to create a supportive and nurturing learning environment so you can make a positive impact on the mental health of students, and yourselves! This toolkit provides strategies to connect more students with mental health services, discover effective stigma reduction tactics, and access audits for responding to three types of crises on campus. As more students struggle with clinical mental health issues, this stress can also manifest in maladaptive behaviors, academic misconduct, substance abuse, and poor physical health.
Learning to Calm Fear
School leaders can take schoolwide steps to reduce bullying, including cyberbullying, and create a space where students of all backgrounds feel respected and free to be themselves. Students at schools that incorporate human skills instruction tend to report a positive school climate, which correlates to students’ sense of well-being. Some people think of well-being as mental health wellness, or overall happiness, or physical health. Another great wellness activity for students is journaling.
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School personnel need to foster partnerships to ensure that activities, lessons and initiatives are coordinated to maximize the success of a school-wide health and wellness program. Coordination is a key ingredient to successfully promoting a comprehensive approach to health and wellness in schools. However, it has to be recognized that the teacher alone cannot be responsible for the entire development of student health and wellness. A comprehensive approach to health and wellness is an effective way to improve both health and education outcomes. A comprehensive approach to health and wellness looks beyond what is happening in an individual classroom, and encourages the support of the whole school and extended community.
Best Wellness Tools for Students
Districts with a strong MTSS in place prioritize data-based decision-making and problem-solving to more efficiently connect students with appropriate tiers of support. Mental health awareness remains an important first step to boosting the well-being of a student population. The National Center for Education Statistics still reports a significant decline in K–12 student mental health since the COVID-19 pandemic. We’ve compiled resources and information to help education professionals in San Diego County better serve their students and families. The District recognizes the importance of physical education classes in providing students with meaningful opportunities for physical exercise and development.
Tracking moods and their fluctuation over time creates awareness, which makes students more effective managers of their moods. Over time, they can analyze their tracker chart and reflect on how their mood and mental health changed throughout the year. Encourage your students to fill in their daily mood with the corresponding color. Have your students draw out a personal mood tracker chart for the year, or you can download and print this free chart for them! The poster also includes detailed instructions on how to follow up with your students after this activity. It has the added benefit of showing other students when they may be feeling low that they don’t need to face those times alone.
- Noise control is one example of a critical consideration for neurodivergent students, who may struggle in a loud setting.
- It can involve multiple personnel, agencies, and programs both in and out of the school environment to assist in meeting student health and wellness needs, and assist in developing health and wellness literacy.
- Without a preventative framework in place, students are more likely to experience recurring problems such as anxiety, depression, or trauma.
- There are 3 ways we love to see journaling used in the classroom to support student wellness.