Student teaching can help promote wellness

Jul. 1, 2020

Contributed by Nadine Lagaso

During this uncertain time when our haumāna need support, we continue to share weekly tips for educators from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network.

When students return to school – via virtual learning or in the classroom – it can be valuable to engage them in activities that affirm their competence, sense of self-worth and feelings of safety.

There are many social-emotional learning practices and wellness activities that teachers can encourage students to complete in school or online. These activities can promote self-regulation when students are feeling stressed and provide a healthy sense of control over controllable aspects of an overwhelming situation.

Here’s this week’s social emotional and wellness practice:

Give students the chance to share what they’ve learned or a chance to teach their classmates. This can include having students find and teach brief self-soothing or mindfulness exercises that promote self-regulation.