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A teacher’s (or parent’s) toolkit for student emotional wellbeing
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By Dr. Anne Andrew
nxiety and stress in teens is an epidemic, and has been well-documented. A 2014 survey revealed that 83% of teens reported schoolrelated stress. Now with COVID-19, increases in gun-violence and racial tensions, the numbers are likely to be even higher. Are there some things that teachers can do to play a role in their student’s mental wellbeing? This article will point to several strategies that can and will make a difference. Firstly, as parents and teachers, it is important to take a 46
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE
look at our own fears around Covid-19 and school... We need to be clear about what those fears are so we can help our children and students to understand theirs. We may experience a whole range of emotions and feelings from sadness, to anxiety to despair, perhaps disappointment, but underneath those what is the actual fear? Is it a fear of death? A fear of losing a loved one? Is there a sense of loss - loss of a secure future, loss of normality, loss of control? Is there a sense of shame? Or a sense of being a victim? We need to be able to understand
