08 February 2022

How to reduce stress and support student well-being

To help you provide your students with a safe and supportive learning environment, here are some ways to support your student’s well-being. Did you know? During times of stress and crisis, children observe adults’ behaviours and emotions for cues on how to manage their own., Emotional check-ins, Returning to school can be an emotionally trying time for everyone and children can be greatly impacted in a number of ways. Conduct routine emotional check-ins with your students. To check-in emotionally is to ask children “how they are” in a direct or indirect way. One method is to ask children "What colour do you feel today?" Ask children to…, Identifying signs of distress, Children have different reactions to adverse events in their environment. Culture influences the ways in which we express emotions. In some cultures, for example, it is not appropriate to show strong emotions like crying loudly, while in others it is widely accepted. Based on the culture you work in, be alert for signs that children are not doing…, Activities to reduce stress and support student well-being, These activities can be done with students in order to help reduce stress, support well-being and provide them with positive coping strategies. These activities are also beneficial for you, and you and your students can do them together.   Belly breathing Often when we are stressed our breathing becomes shallow, high in our chests, and we forget…
08 February 2022

Self-care tips for teachers

Teaching can often be a highly stressful career. However, there are steps you can take to help cope with the pressures of the job and manage stress levels. As a teacher, you might be exhausted juggling work and family obligations, and concerned about how best to help your students make up for learning lost from school closures during the COVID-19…, Ways to cope, While people react differently to stress, people often do better over the long-term if they: Feel safe, connected to others, calm and hopeful Have access to social, physical and emotional support Regain a sense of control by being able to help themselves If you recognize signs of stress and how they affect different aspects of your well-being, you…, What is self-care?, The World Health Organization defines self-care as “the ability of individuals, families and communities to promote health, prevent disease, maintain health, and to cope with illness and disability with or without the support of a healthcare provider.” Self-care is any activity that we do intentionally in order to take care of our mental,…, What is burnout?, One of the negative consequences of accumulated stress is burnout. Burnout is a state of physical, emotional and mental exhaustion that results from prolonged exposure to job stressors or work situations that are emotionally demanding. It is emotional exhaustion and can result in a sense of reduced personal accomplishment. Burnout includes many…, Making time for self-care as teachers, Too many people work until they can't go on or they view rest and sleep as something which is not important. It is important to view rest as an essential tool for maintaining well-being. Resting can be as simple as just turning off the lights in your classroom for a few minutes after your students have left. Or try and limit the time you spend…, Hope and well-being, It is important to remind yourself and your students that you have control over different aspects of your life and that you can bring about change. When you are facing challenging times, it can be difficult to feel hopeful that things can improve. When we feel hopeful, it helps us to focus on change, look to the future, and actively look for…
09 November 2020

To keep our children learning

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted education around the world. School closures due to the pandemic have affected around 1.5 billion children. Teachers have gone above and beyond to support their students and to help them keep learning by whatever means possible. Many have embraced new ways of teaching, including online, over radio, television or…, Afghanistan, “Let’s come together, help our children and provide them with quality education.” Latifa Shafahi is a teacher in Bamyan, Afghanistan, where children are coping with the threat of conflict and COVID-19. Latifa notices the psychological impact these have on her students and tries to make classes engaging and friendly. Under national school safety…, Ghana, “I do not want the children to suffer the same as I did.” Musah Samata could not complete her basic education while growing up in Ghana. Today, as a volunteer mother she helps children learn during the pandemic by assisting in classrooms and care centres. Her goal is to ensure children don't lose out on their education during school closures. In…, Turkey, “Their desire to learn … [was] the most important factor encouraging me to continue my effort.” Aylin Tufan is a guidance counsellor in Turkey who helps Syrian refugee children and adolescents through issues such as discrimination, child labour and child marriage. When she heard that one of her students was being forced into marriage, she was able…, Uganda, “We try to get the children to inquire and discover on their own.” When schools closed in Uganda, school teacher Irene Nyangoma saw some of the challenges parents were facing in keeping children learning. She thought that seeing teachers on a television screen might help them stay engaged and helped launch a TV show to help her students learn.…