First of all, I am SO EXCITED writing this blog. If any of you have considered to do the same (start a blog)...stop considering and just do it...it's restorative among other things (except that I am not telling you what to do...btw it is really challenging to maintain impartiality when sharing an opinion on a post - yet humorous). I get all giddy inside when I see that someone I love/respect (same thing?) 'liked' my post - and that someone read it! I began this blog with kind of an 'organic' view (to wait and see what comes out naturally)...clearly I Am. gravitating toward what I Am. passionate about - Social and Emotional Learning for teens (I say teens because that is the population that I have always worked with - and they do tend to get overlooked it seems...I LOVE them!!!!). If you work with teens - or alongside teens - or live with teens....the reason I use the word 'considering' is that I learned/observed that teens (and maybe all persons) like the energy that the word 'consider' creates. No one likes to be talked down to or made to feel that that there is something missing in their life that this wonderful adult (or otherwise noteworthy person - by self definition or other) is certain to fill them in on. To give a young person (flirting with independent thought - and craving identity) the opportunity to 'consider' an idea rather than be 'told' (an idea?) is empowering (says I). To empower a young person is the genius and the simplicity behind social and emotional learning. The reason that I say simplicity is that if we are conscious (awake to the present moment) it is simple to empower a young person (acknowledge them...hear them...be present with them). This is just an idea to 'consider' - clearly there are reasons young people have parents and other adults involved in their well being (insert frontal lobe research here). I'm wondering if you 'noticed' (see idea about mindfulness practice) the energy about this 'reading' - if I were to not use the words 'idea' and 'consider' and just inferred: 'this is how we should teach teens...this is the absolute right way to approach them...and I know because I have worked with them for over fifteen years'. I can imagine some of us immediately go into 'argue' mode because it's our nature -- or speaking of nature, some of us might just go into 'this is fact' mode and adjust their beliefs accordingly until they read something else contrary but well said, others will start judging themselves: "OMG I did it all wrong!!!", and so on. You get this...but we may not notice that we do this unless we consider being conscious and awake to our impulses, body sensations, thoughts and feelings. I Am. now going to return to the title of this blog: considering mental health in schools. Just the other day I read an article about a teacher whose son died by suicide (I found it on the .b fanpage if you are interested). The article was followed by comments that were largely suggesting that teachers should be more intentional about teaching SEL in schools. One brave soul commented that if teachers were to do their craft and teach their subject with mastery then mental health in schools would not be such an issue - you get where I'm going with this: "school is not a mental health facility". As a school social worker, you may think that I would counter this consideration. Yet, I totally get what this teacher is saying. Teachers become teachers because they want to spark an interest and contribute to the understanding of the subject area they choose to focus on (among other reasons I'm sure). Some teachers naturally want to care for and heal students that are hurt, lonely, confused, etc. (I was that teacher...and so I earned a Master in Social Work). Can you imagine the 22 year old passionate Math teacher that truly feels their purpose is to help students 'get' Math, and s/he notices death threats written on a homework assignment, or is witnessing a student carving on their arm with the protractor or sharpened lead pencil while the teacher is teaching an inspired lesson they stayed up all night to create? With that said, it is fairly clear that one's emotions impact their ability to learn. So perhaps our mindset should be 'both/and' v. 'either/or' (?). One school I read about in Anchorage, Alaska (see CASEL website and publications - or a video that I linked to my I Am. page) has a social development class required for all students with the emphasis on Well Being placed at the same level as core subjects like Math and Science. The urban public schools (okay, I am speaking for Denver) seem to coordinate well with medical and mental health agencies and house them in some schools. So...here's a paradigm shift consideration: schools house the young people that many other youth agencies (okay, duh, all 'youth' agencies) serve...what are those agencies doing during the day while the young people they serve are in the school building the majority of working hours? I know in the district I work in the students have 'off periods'. Parents - would it be helpful for students to meet with certain intervention services during the day? This is all just consideration...it's one view. In the state of Colorado we have 'juvenile diversion'...I LOVE juvenile diversion - they truly want to intervene and contribute to skill development to help divert the young person from the legal system. However, when the students do get in trouble with the law, often their consequences and the subsequent consequences on behalf of the caregiver can became overwhelming and greatly interfere with school (not to mention the caregivers risk of losing their job which only adds to juvenile 'risk' factors) - certainly not the intention of a 'diversion' program. Alright, I'm going to lasso in here (speaking of lasso - being mindful of the use of 'figures of speech' when working with young people and a growing rate of autism is another post). Alright, that's all for now. I so appreciate you reading this - and I know you did if you see this! Again - it's just 'considering mental health in schools'. So... is it something to consider?
Self Reflection questions:
1. Is there something you have wanted to do and have yet to begin it? (A fortune cookie says: 'It's time to gather info for the project that you have delayed.')
2. Do you notice the language you choose to use? Is it inviting and does it allow for autonomy of the receiver? Is it controlling? Could you change the language you use? Would you change it? When? (the last three questions are inspired from the 'Sedona Method')
3. Read the third sentence again if you like. Do you have situations and daily life experiences that validate you? Does the situation/experience add to your life and those around you or does it limit you in any way? (For example: We all need to be validated and approved to feel a sense of belonging and significance. However, we may make choices that limit us as far as how we go about receiving this validation. ie: excessive preoccupation with social media, inappropriate flirtations, exaggerating/embellishing truths, time spent exercising, time spent 'working' outside of contracted hours, etc.)
4. How are you empowering your own self and addressing your own social and emotional needs? (revisit the idea that we cannot give to someone else what we don't have ourself)
5. Are you open to the idea that addressing one's own social and emotional needs sets the foundation for addressing the social and emotional needs of our children? Could you take the time to satisfy and grow your 'self' today? If so, how? When?
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