Ways teachers should adopt to support emotional health of students

We all are unique in our own way. Therefore, we have different needs and different ways of coping with challenging situations. School students are no different. As school students typically spend most days of the week in the classroom, their teachers are a great resource for evaluating changes in their mood and behaviour.

Teachers play a critical role in influencing students' emotional health. A healthy state of mind is a fundamental aspect of fostering resilience, self-awareness and overall contentment.

Here’s a look at a few common and simple ways teachers may adopt to help students maintain a healthy emotional state in the classroom-

1. Listen to students’ concerns

It is essential for teachers to listen to students' concerns and demonstrate understanding as well as empathy towards them. Offering students the opportunity to have a one-to-one conversation to reconnect and discuss any concern makes them confident that there is always someone who’s there to listen to them.

2. Check how students are doing

Before teaching academics to students, teachers are recommended to take time and check how students are doing. It is important for teachers to remember that students may have difficulty concentrating at first or may need time to get into a set routine of learning. Giving students chances to take breaks, move around, and connect with their friends and peers can keep their emotions balanced.

3. Seek suggestions from students on how to create a welcoming, safe and comfortable classroom for them

Seeking suggestions from students from time to time keep them engaged in making the classroom a welcoming, safe and comfortable space. When doing so, it is important for teachers or school management to respect school safety protocols and use available material resources.

4. Watch out for any warning signs of behaviour that interferes with students’ ability to actively explore, play or learn

Be attentive to changes in behaviours of students. If you notice significant changes in a student’s behaviour that prevent the student from functioning normally, it is recommended to seek additional support and guidance. In such a scenario, teachers are advised to seek additional support and refer those students to primary care physicians, or mental health professionals for specialist help.

5. Model good coping behaviours for students to follow– be calm, honest, and caring

Teachers can be positive role models for students. Students usually look up to their teachers and learn from the skills their teachers use to deal with different situations. Be calm, honest, and caring, and demonstrate a positive outlook in the classroom for students to replicate the same.

To maintain the emotional wellbeing of students in every step of their school life, teachers may as well ask students to decorate the walls of the classroom with colourful and welcoming messages and let them work in groups so they can support each other to catch up on learning.

Teachers can foster feelings of safety and security by interacting and developing positive relationships with each student and praising them for their contributions and efforts to help them feel safe and secure in the classroom.

Samyuktha School takes special care of students’ emotional health by holding regular sessions and workshops that help them understand the importance of collective effort, teamwork and belongingness. These sessions are specially designed to foster students’ creativity and individuality in a way to make them realise their potential and work on it with confidence. To know more about our approaches to comprehensive education, please visit the about us section at samyukthaschool.com.