In most cases, teachers are the initial point of contact for those experiencing emotional issues and play a role of front line guardians to the students’ emotional well-being. However, many educators feel inadequate when it comes to helping their students on these matters as they can neither guide nor identify problems that may come up (Educators Serves). This unpreparedness does not only deny them an opportunity to provide support service to such but also underlines the need for more comprehensive training materials and resources that will equip educators with skills required in creating a nurturing environment for students’ emotional development.
There are five top ways through which educators can support students in their emotional wellbeing:
Establish trust relationship
Pupils develop and learn best in trusting relationships. Teacher-student bond based on trust and affection is very important for proper growth of children. A child who has a strong connection with his teacher is able to ask questions, solve problems, try new activities; as well as express themselves without fear. Educators must be respectful, empathetic and maintain good relationship as well as a positive attitude towards the learners. The supportive environment by caring for their interests encourages students to share any questions with their teachers.
Create safe school environment
A safe school environment minimizes behavioral problems and supports emotional well-being. Students are less likely to misbehave when they understand what is expected from them or feel that their assignments make sense. Teachers should avail different opportunities where kids can play and learn while at school, ensure student engagement in activities, thus encouraging them to stretch beyond perceived limits. Besides recognizing student differences in terms of preferences or learning styles; these strong connections between teachers and learners assists educators know their needs hence meeting them satisfactorily.
Promote a positive attitude
Teachers’ attitudes significantly affect students’ social-emotional development. Positive teachers build similar attitudes among children therefore they will run after help as opposed to retain feelings (sinha). Both verbal and non-verbal positive communication is essential. Teachers can boost students’ self-confidence and push them into accepting fresh challenges by giving out compliments for what they have tried to achieve. Statements that are negative need minimization in favor of positive reinforcement so as to make a difference on students.
Encourage emotional expression
Students often have difficulty expressing their emotions appropriately. Social-emotional development can be supported by educators through supporting children to ventilate their anger, happiness or other feelings (sinha). For example, emotional expression tools such as visual timelines, greetings and farewell rituals and collaborative problem solving may help students in processing their experiences. This promotes self-acceptance and leads to acceptance of others.
Recognize the warning signs of mental health needs
Teachers need to be equipped with the ability to recognize warning signs that may indicate a student needs mental health support. It is important for them to understand that disruptive behavior is not necessarily bad conduct but sometimes indicative of nervousness occasioned by stressors (sinha). Being proactive towards social emotional learning (SEL) and getting professional training can curb escalating situations thus enabling student access timely assistance when required.
By employing these five strategies, educators can create an emotionally safe and supportive environment that promotes students’ emotional well-being and academic success. It is critical for everyone to appreciate the importance played by tutors in shaping learners’ lives; therefore, supporting teachers with necessary resources as well as training materials.
(Author: Radhika Sinha, Principal, Aditya Birla World Academy, Mumbai)
