As a teacher, your job is more than to just teach. Your students are living and breathing humans whose mental health is more important than their grades. With high expectations all around, the school can prove to be especially stressful today. This is why it’s imperative to help those that seem to be struggling. If you’ve noticed some of your students have trouble with their emotions or behaviour, it’s your job to do something. Solving these issues needs to be a priority so that your students can continue learning and excelling at school.
1. Don’t listen to everything other teachers say
When getting a new class, more often than not, you’re warned about a certain student. Your colleagues to this just because they want to be nice and give you a heads up. All this does is create a negative stigma around the student and it hinders your relationship before you’ve ever met. You shouldn’t see this child as a problem, but rather as someone you can help.
That’s why, when you see a conversation is going this way, try to put a positive spin on it. You can do this by asking what approach your fellow teacher chose, and what worked best. Ask them what they would have done differently if they had the chance. This will give you valuable intel on your new student and prepare you for helping them in the right way.
2. Make class less stressful
By reducing stress, you’re creating a sense of calm for all of your students. Those who struggle with emotional and behavioural issues will benefit from this change the most. Do this by being laxer with deadlines, and don’t lower grades for non-academic reasons like messy handwriting. As far as the deadlines are concerned, make it a two or three day period instead of one.
This will also teach your students to manage their time better while not stressing over school. Another idea is to play soft music in the background during your lessons. Choose something neutral and calming. All of your students will enjoy the more relaxed and chill atmosphere, and will thus learn better. Also, focus on the lesson plan more and see if you can find ways to make them more interesting. This will make it easier for those with any emotional or learning difficulties to focus.
3. Work on your patience
It’s not going to be easy working with someone with emotional and behavioural issues. You’re going to have to exercise your patience quite a lot. It helps if you understand their frame of mind. Most students who struggle with these issues want to do well in school, but they simply can’t control themselves. This is why you have to avoid seeing them as slackers or attention seekers.
You should also expect some forgetfulness and disorganization. Students with emotional and behavioural issues don’t tend to be too concerned with deadlines regardless of how much they want to succeed. This has to do with the fact that they’re just having a lot of trouble concentrating. The sooner you accept these traits, the easier it will be to work stress-free and work towards a solution.
4. Praise the good
The child that has a problem isn’t only a problem. They also have some good traits. Perhaps they’re really creative, or kind or they always turn their homework in on time. As a teacher, you should notice the good things they do and the positive ways they act. Though, you shouldn’t just notice it- you should praise it.
This will instil more confidence in the student and better their mental health greatly. It may even be what brings them closer to solving their issues of emotional and behavioural nature. A kind word goes a long way. You should do this with all of your students, but this one will benefit from it the most. Of course, don’t overdo it. Keep your encouragement simple and honest.
5. Educate yourself
As an educator, you should know that education is the key to solving most issues. This is why you should advance your knowledge in the field of emotions and behaviour. Today more than ever, that’s possible through online courses, but also real-life events and workshops. Of course, it’s important to get this information from a trusted source.
Before you start taking any courses or going to any events and workshops, be sure to research qualified education centres in your area. For example, if you’re from Melbourne, you’ll want to check out Behaviour Zen. They offer solutions for both adults and children, so you’ll be able to find out everything you need regardless of what age group you teach.
6. Work with the parents
You can only do so much by yourself. Any emotional and behavioural issues the child has won’t be solved at school. Parents need to take an active interest in solving the issue, too. This is why it’s good to work together. The student doesn’t even have to know you’re working with their parents. All they need is for their issues to be addressed at home and at school.
You can see the parents once a week or once every two weeks to check on the student’s progress. Parents will also be able to give you valuable information about the child’s personality, and then you can work on a solution together. Also, make sure to keep in touch over text and alert each other every time the student makes a step forwards or backwards.
Conclusion
As you can see, you’re not helpless. You don’t have to stand idly by while the people you care about are struggling. Every problem has a solution, and with these tips, your students are bound to fall in love with learning once more. Now that there’s nothing to hinder their mental health, they’ll surely find classes more enjoyable. Most importantly, though, they’ll never forget the teacher that didn’t give up on them.
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