Education on mental health provides necessary awareness and resources for students. Additionally, it can promote efforts for treatment and recovery. Over the last two years, most schools have been conducting classes with a hybrid model due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Not only does it change the way a child learns and stores information, but it also has an effect on the child’s interaction with teachers and peers on a personal level. Therefore, the process of adapting and adjusting to this new way of learning and engaging has had a considerable impact on the mental health of students.
According to UNICEF, school-going students face different amounts of stress and anxiety due to varying factors. In addition to that, with an offline and hybrid model of schooling, factors such as adjusting and adapting to a new environment, physical interaction with peers and teachers, group activities, physical activities, etc. have become even more challenging. Students were confined to the four walls of their house, and therefore found it difficult to share their experiences and feelings with their friends, teachers and even parents.
At Chaman Bhartiya School, we function with the philosophy that school should be a place for the holistic development of a student. Going beyond the traditional practices of acquiring knowledge in various subjects, Chaman Bhartiya aims to train its learners in key life skills. By identifying the strengths of each learner and tailoring our teaching methods to cater to every child, we take the extra step to ensure learners feel comfortable and confident at school. We also emphasise on interactive sessions and group activities to allow students to express themselves.
Group activities help learners to build their self-confidence, their unique talents and interests, which allow them to work collaboratively with their team members – a key aspect of schooling. As an important part of maintaining good mental health of our young learners, we provide the tools to each learner to support one another through various challenges. Being able to aid each other goes beyond just improving the mental health of the child, but creating an atmosphere of a healthy community.
A major challenge that students face growing up is a lack of attention to their needs and feelings. At Chaman Bhartiya School, we recognise that every child is different and requires different kinds of feedback and attention. Facilitators are trained to engage with each learner and be attentive to their needs, providing much needed emotional support for the learners. We also provide mentorship sessions to students where they are encouraged to share their feelings and fears with a facilitator, who would act not like a teacher, but as a friend. This builds a solid relationship between the student and the facilitator while also allowing the learner to feel at ease.
By ensuring that mental health is a key area of focus in a student’s developmental process, Chaman Bhartiya School aims to create a foundation for the holistic growth of students.
Reference:
* netsweeper.com
*Highspeedtraining.co.uk
*unicef
