Supporting student mental health and wellbeing – Positive Relationships
To support student mental health and wellbeing, teachers can:
Form positive relationships with their students
Why:
When children and young people feel connected to their teacher, they feel valued, worthy, confident, and supported. They can talk to their teacher when something is wrong and seek help. They can share stories when things go well. It feels great to have someone interested in you.
In practice
Four things you can do in the classroom:
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Regulate your emotions. Be aware of your emotions as they come and go by using regular body scans to notice early signs of tension or unpleasant feelings. Name your emotions as best you can (develop a nuanced emotional vocabulary – “I feel morose”). See if you can identify what might be causing or contributing to those feelings – take care of it. Find a safe and appropriate way to express your feelings – talk about it.
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Notice your students. Pay attention to their likes and dislikes, their interests, worldviews, energy levels and emotions. What makes them laugh? What do they care about? What matters to them? Try to understand what is happening in their internal worlds. Make sure you welcome them into the class each day, ask questions, and learn and talk about things that interest them.
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Support children when they are upset. This means recognising that they are upset in the first place – it can be subtle! Regular class emotion check-ins can help get a feel for what is going on for your students. When they are upset, find ways to help them calm down; connect with their emotion (“I can see you’re feeling very disappointed”) before trying to problem-solve.
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Have predictable routines and class agreements. This will help children know what to expect and what is expected – regardless of whether you are there or not! At times of transition, communicate clearly and specifically about what they need to do – “in a minute, we are going to get our snacks from our bags. Remember to walk quietly so that we don’t disturb the other classes that are still working.”
Next steps:
If these ideas interest you and you would like to learn more, please contact us. We can help with workshops and webinars, professional development days, coaching, and consultancy engagements.
