Focusing on the Mental Well-Being of Our Youth

  By: Dr. Moira Sweeting-Miller, Assistant Principal, Monarch High School, Broward County





 

 Today, I want to focus on the mental well-being of our youth. When you look at what takes place in schools, we focus on reading fluency and math fluency all to help the students grow up to be productive citizens. But what about mental health fluency? This is a much-needed part of the puzzle and probably the most important part.

Since COVID, we have seen a lot of focus on the social and emotional well-being of not only adults but students. Both adults and students experienced the same trauma during the pandemic but as adults we know when we need self-care and know what to do to take care of ourselves. Young adults do not have that awareness and struggle when things are not going well. They find it hard to pinpoint the cause of their angst and thus cannot help themselves through the emotions. This is where mental health fluency comes into play.

Mental health fluency involves teaching a child techniques to handle their emotions and provide them with resources to help them through their crisis. This is where Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) comes into play. According to CASEL (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning), SEL makes a difference. Research has shown that education programs that promote SEL have a positive impact on a wide range of outcomes, including academic performance, healthy relationships, mental wellness, and much more. Incorporating SEL strategies into the curriculum will give the students tools that they could use to help them when things are not going well.

Another resource is the mental health professional in the school setting. These individuals include school counselors, social workers, family counselors, and psychologists. Even though the resource is within the four walls of the building some students are still reluctant to go and get help. In a recent nationally representative survey by Springtide Research Institute, almost a third of students who considered visiting a school counselor, school-based therapist, or school psychologist about issues outside of career services did not feel confident to actually do so. Over half (53%) said they wouldn’t want their parents to know they were meeting with a school counselor or therapist, and 51% said they fear school staff might treat them differently or give them fewer opportunities at school.

As we move forward two things need to happen. We must continue utilizing SEL strategies in our schools. This should start in the early grades and continue through post-secondary opportunities. We must also remove the stigmatism that seeking help is a sign of weakness or will have repercussions. When both things happen only then will be begin to see improvement in the mental health fluency of our youth.

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

111 Points to an “A”: A Student Achievement Success Story Emphasizing When Student Learning is Prioritized, Results Come

Image
111 Points to an “A”: A Student Achievement Success Story Emphasizing When Student Learning is Prioritized, Results Come by Heidi L. Keegan, M. Ed Principal Charlotte County Public Schools The ultimate goal of any educational leader is to ensure that their students achieve academic success. To do so, they must prioritize student learning through leadership actions that build and support a learning organization focused on student achievement. Below are the steps taken by an elementary school principal—and her team of educators—that led to increasing the school’s letter grade to just 10 points shy of an “A”, despite being 100% Title I and the challenges of a pandemic. Step 1: Make Sure EVERYONE Knows the Goal(s) I mean EVERYONE. Exceptional educational leaders will analyze trend data, look at growth and proficiency, and acknowledge strengths and gaps in achievement. They will dissect details for subgroups, study cohorts, and collaborate with teacher leaders to set goals. None of this wil
Read more

HAVE, DO, BE: A Shared Visioning Activity for School Leaders

Image
HAVE, DO, BE: A Shared Visioning Activity for School Leaders Have you been hired as the new principal? Are you thinking making an adjustment to your school’s vision and mission? This cooperative process can assist you in ensuring that all stakeholders have the opportunity to share in what they want your school to acquire, to accomplish, and to be acknowledged for. Four years ago, I stepped into a building that had just undergone the Differentiated Accountability (DA) process with the State and had lost approximately half the Staff, due to related stressors. With the new school letter grade designation of a “B” from the previous year’s “D”, it was time for our school to rebrand itself! I gathered the Staff to meet in our media center during the preservice week, with a goal of learning about how the staff felt about the school. The dedicated employees that remained, after the mass exodus, had much to say about how they were tired of being “looked down upon”, as they worked hard
Read more

The Three As of Effective Instructional Leadership: Alignment, Acquisition, and Assurance

Image
 Highly effective instructional leaders are intentional in their school improvement efforts. They employ a systems-thinking approach to problem-solving and exercise strategic planning skills to support increased student performance outcomes. Successful leaders ascribe to do the following.   Align curricula, state standards, instructional practices, and assessments to meet student learning needs and collaborate with a team to develop a cohesive plan. Never be the expert in the room! Utilize the strengths of your academic coaches, teacher leaders, and support service providers to create an action plan that addresses the school’s areas of need, identified through thorough data analysis. Be sure to designate who is responsible for student performance data collection, but always assume ultimate accountability. Meet regularly to assess progress toward the goal(s) and amend the plan! An effective leader seeks forward progress and will take action to improve instructional practices
Read more