Our Town

Teaching during the pandemic

How a Highland High School educator is helping her students mentally

Every school semester, Meaghan Barber-Smith gives a special assignment to her students to see what they're proud of and what they're struggling with. 2020 WAS A YEAR LIKE NO OTHER FOR EVERY- She began doing the special assignment with all of ONE, AND FOR STUDENTS IT MEANT THEIR her classes to see how all of her other students felt SCHOOL YEAR ENDED ABRUPTLY. and she noticed the same discouraging respons-

Meaghan Barber-Smith has been an es. educator at Highland High School for 14 “After reading the responses, so many of years and is also the activities director. them were stressed, depressed and anxious,” One of her duties is to be interactive with she said. her students, but since the pandemic, Worried about her students’ mental health, teaching has shifted the classroom envi- Barber-Smith turned to the help of Highland ronments immensely. High School’s interventionist Jazmin Alberto to

One of the hardest things has been not talk to her students about mental health, how to being able to interact with her students in Meaghan Barber-Smith cope with their stress and depression and covered person and helping them with what they need. the resources available to them.

“I’m pretty active with the kids but I’m basi- Barber-Smith explained that one’s mental well-being cally talking to black screens all day so it makes it hard. goes hand-in-hand with their performance so it was important It’s one of the biggest struggles — seeing my kids struggle. When for her to spend her time team building and creating a better I had them with me, I could get down with them but not being mindset for her students. able to do that is frustrating and upsetting at times,” she said. “My first class she did it with, they loved it. The students

Barber-Smith runs a leadership class, which includes a wanted her to talk to all the classes because it’s what every course on empathy where she would have her students write student needs. And I had the same responses from my other one thing they’re proud of and one thing they’re struggling classes,” said Barber-Smith. with anonymously. The activity would be displayed in a gallery She also said the special assignment was an eye-opening styled walk where other students are able to take in what their experience for her students because they were starting to be peers are also struggling with and things they’re celebrating so “receptive toward other teachers and getting out of their funk.” students know they are not alone. “One good thing about the COVID-19 pandemic is that kids

Since shifting to virtual learning, Barber-Smith continued are learning how to advocate for themselves more, so I would her special assignment through an online version, still anony- encourage those who are feeling (depressed, anxious and mous, and noticed a discouraging negative spike in her stu- stressed) to reach out to any of the resources we have available dents’ moods after reading their responses. and talk to their friends about their feelings,” she said. “Chances

“It upset me because I had some kids tell me they weren’t are, they’re all going through the same thing.” proud of anything right now and it was so disheartening,” she She also wants to advocate for students to use their school’s said. resources to get the help that they need to achieve academically.