By Alexandra Maseda
When I think about school I think about education, the opportunity to learn, grow and be better. A School building should be a positive and safe environment for everyone who enters. Unfortunately though, that positivity does not always resonate well with students. A topic I feel needs more concentration within school buildings is mental health. I found a great module in the resources for educators section of weschools.we.org that discusses the importance of mental health.
There is a lot to consider when we think about mental health. Stress, loneliness, substance abuse, and many other issues will always be a reality within the school building and should be acknowledged. Luckily, this module gives great direction on how to handle these issues.
The very first piece of advice the module gives is to reach out to the student. The reason I picked the module besides it’s importance in a teachers routine, is the fact it has become a lot easier to check in with students now. As I learned in this course, OneNote among other apps makes discussion between student and teacher easier, more direct, less anxiety inducing, and secure. If a student is struggling it may not be easy for them to come out and say it, or show it with body language or facial expression. It is so easy now for a teacher to set up a module asking each day how their students are, and an honest answer will come from it. Students, in my opinion, find comfort in this kind of interaction more so than verbally. Then if a student is struggling, they can work with the teacher to find a solution within the classroom and of course outside of it.
As I mentioned, stress is one factor of mental health that may effect a student. Microsoft, as I have read throughout the Sail the 7 C-s, takes a huge weight off students shoulders. They can now do work at their own pace at home if they wish. In the screenshot below, the issue of stress is even acknowledged and school is the main reason.
As a future teacher I find this module important because it shows mental health needs to be acknowledged and prioritized. I feel that the methods I have learned about online apps that allow students to electronically keep track of work, talk to their teacher, connect with students they may not have in another instance, and access to the world as well as the ability to help make the world better will all improve mental health. Technology allows for students to learn in a new way whether that be breaking down information, translating words to their language, easy access to research, and seeing what the world is like from places they have never been. The fact the learning environment has become easier for many, many people is such a relief and that is my biggest take away from these various new tools.