The post-pandemic reality is that students have lost faith in themselves as capable learners. Many didn’t return to school and we currently face a storm of chronic absenteeism, high dropout rates, and frequent emotional crises among teens. Far too many students are giving up and
The rising rates of behavioral challenges and absenteeism in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic might sometimes feel like an unstoppable tidal wave. None of us, individually, can untangle and solve the plentiful variables at play. Still, when the waves don’t stop coming, the only
Negative talk and news seems to be everywhere we turn. It’s so easy to just agree with the people around us who are complaining. After all, there is a lot of suffering going on in our world. I notice that when I piggyback on another
Promoting Wellness and Mental Health Through the “Three I’s” Educators are under increasing pressure in the post-COVID world to show performance gains The threat of violence in schools at any time is real. Controversies about books and curriculum strain the fragile bonds of the community,
Two recent reports sounded alarms about the health and educational well-being of our nation’s adolescents. In late May, in a report entitled Social Media and Youth Mental Health, the Surgeon General notes that social media use by youth is “nearly universal” and argues that while
In honor of Mental Health Awareness month, I encourage all educators to take self-care off their to-do list. This may sound counter-intuitive, yet, for many educators, the idea of self-care often resonates with feelings of frustration at one more task we are expected to “do.” As
When I first began teaching, I learned culture-builders and behavior management techniques ranging from morning meetings to brain breaks. I had a behavior management plan and “ambitious but achievable” goals of high academic achievement and low discipline referrals. Every year I received mandatory CPR and
As May comes to a close, we’d like to acknowledge that it is Mental Health Awareness Month. We know that it’s not only students who need urgent mental health support—with teacher burnout and mental health crises on the rise, it is critical that students and
“Violence in Schools Seems to Be Increasing. Why?”—EducationWeek, November 1, 2021 “Why So Many Teachers Are Thinking of Quitting”—The Washington Post Magazine, October 18, 2021 “Classroom Time Isn’t the Only Thing Students Have Lost”—The Atlantic, September 7, 2021 “Too Much Focus on ‘Learning Loss’ Will Be a Historic
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a great deal of reflection in schools throughout the nation. As you are probably well aware, significant mental health, social, emotional, and behavioral needs existed before the pandemic, and social and emotional learning (SEL) has been part of education for decades. Although it isn’t a new topic, we