Mental heath has created great conversation over the last
few years, as it should, there have been many initiatives to lower stigma, and
initiatives to provide treatment. According to the Canadian Mental HealthAssociation 10-20% of Canadian youth are affected by a mental illness or
disorder. While, only 1 out of 5 children who are in need of mental health
services receives them. Since school is one of the places that children and
young people spend most of their time, how can educators attempt to help in
promoting positive mental health? Mental health is linked to the Ontario
Curriculum and school boards such as the Toronto District School Board has
created Children and Youth: Mental Health and Wellbeing (2013) which is a two
year strategy plan to help promote positive mental health strategies, identify,
and intervene with and mental illnesses.
In
my 21st Century Critical Literacies class a few weeks ago we had Dr.
M. A. Castrodeale come in and talk to us about critical literacy, mental health
literacy and ableims. He brought up this quote from the Personal Skills section
of the Ontario Curriculum:
“Through the development of
self-awareness and self-monitoring skills, students build a sense of “being”
and an understanding of their own identity. They learn to understand their
capabilities and strengths and to take responsibility for their learning and
their actions. Through the acquisition of adaptive, coping, and management skills,
students develop their capacity to self-regulate, respond to difficulties, and
develop greater control over their lives. All of these skills build resilience
– the ability to protect and maintain one’s mental health and emotional
well-being while responding to the stresses and challenges of life.”
YES, this section does address promoting
positive mental health for young students, BUT it also, places blame on the
students, labels them, tells them if they cannot be “resilient” than they may
not be able to succeed academically. Much like the TDSB Mental Health and
Wellbeing strategy it focuses on curing problems with mental health. So my
question is how can we change out school system to have a safe place where
student with mental health needs can achieve academically and mentally, rather
than trying to fix them to fit the system? This is a huge question, and to be
honest I don’t even know where to start to answer it. It could be a large
problem where the whole system needs to be changed through maybe boards can
help create change, or even schools. Though as a teacher these are some things
that B. Vanstone suggests that can be done in the classroom. For anxiety: allow
flexibility in the classroom, encourage accountability and follow through, and
provide choice in assignments. For depression: encourage positive speech,
encourage group work, and get student up and moving. As a future teacher I
believe the most important part about mental health in the classroom is
accepting their all students for who they are and trying your best to help them
learn in ways that suit their needs.
