Well-Being in Schools

Begin with One Self

“Self love is the best love, when you love yourself you teach others to love ”

You must be wondering how to begin with one self. I’ve penned down some key aspects for you to begin with yourself. 

One must be compassionate about one self. We should follow a self-care routine not only for our self but for the others associated with us. Love yourself, when we love our self we are not being selfish.

The manifestation of self-love will show up in our actions and thoughts and in our overall behavior.

We should create a mindset to understand well-being for ourselves.

We should reflect upon how we talk to our self.

Talking to oneself? And how’s that? Here we go……….

Yes one must know how to talk to oneself which is very important for wellbeing. Keep saying “I am good, happy and healthy, I can do wonder , I can move mountains, I am loved by all, all is well, I’m successful , I’m fabulous, I’m beautiful, I’m peaceful. I have everything, I’m a super human being”

When you keep saying this you will really love yourself and will be loved by others too. Nothing can shake you. When one is hail and healthy, he would keep the surroundings too in the same way. When a teacher takes care of her well-being she can contribute to the well-being of the learners and the school. We can very well connect an individual teacher’s well-being with the well-being of the student.

Bringing well-being into classrooms and taking it beyond.

“Positive emotional energy is the key to health, happiness and well-being.the more positive you are , the better your life will be in every area.” – Brian Tracy

A teacher is like the captain of the ship, if the captain is confident and happy he can make the travelers also happy. Likewise the teacher needs to have a positive mindset towards all kids. A teacher should throw all his/her worries at home and come a fresh to school. As we are dealing with young minds we should be able to go down to their level to understand them better. So the learners well-being is very important for the well-being of the school environment. An educator must always see that all her class members are happy, satisfied and are able to do the tasks assigned without any pressure. Always enter the class with a smile, come what may. Learners are there in school most of the time so we need to take care of them as we take care of ourselves. The learners must feel warmth, comfort and attachment only then they would like the subject they learn. If the kid doesn’t like the teacher he will not like that subject too. That doesn’t mean a teacher should always be very sweet, at times you have to be firm to keep the kids under control.

Appreciation is the mantra for the well-being of a learner. When we keep appreciating a kid, he tends to do well , it boosts his energy to perform well. As a teacher I have experienced this myself.Even if the kid is not a good performer the positive aspect of the teacher towards the child can sometimes transform him/her.Nowadays we find many kids stressed out due to many reasons of which academics is one of them. Fostering and teaching well-being is a way to show students that we care about them and want to support them by enabling them with short-term and long-term benefits .The overall well-being in schools increases academic achievements, decreases disciplinary issues, improves the caliber of individuals and motivates a learner to become a flourishing individual. This overall well-being  fosters to the growth of a school.

Research summary developed by the IB Research department  March 2022 based on a report prepared by Laura Taylor, Jan Emmanuel de Neve, Luana DeBorst and Devi Khanna says that

• Childhood and adolescence are key development windows
• There is a value in using school time , money  and resources to improve student well-being
• Family interactions are very impactful on the well-being of young people and for children in particular, they are the most significant driver
• School climate
• Cooperative learning

Whole school approaches and targeted interventions.

Are most important for well-being of learners and the school.

Build Social support

“Just one small positive thought in the morning can change a whole day “

When students know that there is someone in school who could support them, they would be free to tell anything to the teacher, for instance any bullying or any act which would disturb or curb their well-being. Hence it most important to have an emotional bonding with the kids to make them feel they are cared for. Listen to them, give them your time, help them to form a good friendship circle. Teach them that challenges make them grow. Form positive peer groups for kids where they believe each other and try to help each other every time they falter. A strong social support will enhance their physical and mental well-being. Students should believe that their teacher or school can be of great support to them in any situation. Then the climate of the school also will be good and the well-being of learners will be taken care of.

Learners who are happy and healthy in school will learn more effectively and will cater to a positive environment in the school. Their contribution would be 100% positive to the school community. Learner’s well-being in schools leads to better achievement and they would be well equipped when they leave the school as adults. Schools could create something called “peace circles” where learners could feel calm, cooperative and harmonious. Thereby changing the school environment into a peaceful place to learn and relearn.

Create a positive school climate

“As teachers, we have the opportunity to foster positive change to the everyday experience in our schools. Investing time in improving school culture is worth the effort”

When students are more connected to peers, teachers and other staff members of the school, they will feel more valued .Hence they will maintain a positive social and emotional bonding with all the stakeholders of the school. The school community should make them feel that they are an integral part of the school community. When they do so, the learner will flourish academically and they would be motivated to perform better. Student’s voice is more important, when they feel they are listened to, respected and recognized they become more connected to the school community and thereby learn better. Thus a positive climate is created in the school. 

 Hence I conclude the well-being of the child is the well-being of the school so let’s take action to build a healthy and positive climate in schools.

• Blog By
  Ms. Maria Theresa Malini
  PYP Homeroom Teacher – Cambridge International
  The Indian Public School – Erode.
  December, 06 2022 | In Blog
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