American teacher's initiative helps prevent suicide risk in students

DNUM_AIZAEZCABJ 19:32

Every day, students will stick a piece of paper with their name on the back on the board in class, and choose the emotion that corresponds to the present.

In kindergarten classrooms across the United States, students can choose to greet their friends or teachers by pointing to symbols posted on the wall near the classroom door that represent a handshake, hug, high-five, or wave. This method shows respect for children’s feelings, promotes bonding among members of the class, and is widely accepted by the community.

Tấm bảng do cô Erin Castillo sáng tạo nên giúp học sinh dễ dàng chia sẻ cảm xúc. Ảnh: Insider
The board, created by Erin Castillo, helps students easily share their feelings. Photo: Insider
Erin Castillo, an English teacher at a high school in the San Francisco Bay Area, California, developed the idea for older, more complex students. She created a special board to track the mental health of her entire class. The board is divided into six rows with the following messages: "I'm feeling great," "I'm fine," "I'm not very interested," "I'm struggling," "I'm having a hard time and don't care about it," "I'm in a really dark place."

Students write their name on the back of a sticky note and stick it on whichever row best describes their feelings, without worrying about their friends seeing it.

As a special education teacher, Castillo has seen many students attempt suicide over the past five years. She designed the board to give students an opportunity to share their feelings anonymously and without using words. She also wanted them to know that they were not alone in their negative feelings, as many others had posted the same post-it note.

“Children need to understand that they are not alone and that they have support,” Castillo says.

Sáng kiến của Castillo được nhân rộng. Ảnh: Instagram
Castillo's initiative is being replicated. Photo: Instagram
When he saw how effective the board was, Castillo posted it online so other colleagues everywhere could use it. After the Suicide page

Awareness/Prevention reposted her initiative, which attracted the attention of hundreds of thousands of people on Facebook.

Other teachers have started using the board in their classrooms and posting photos on Instagram, appreciating its significance amid the growing number of students struggling with mental health issues.

According to a study in the journalJournal of Abnormal Psychology, about 35% of freshmen have a history of at least one mental disorder. Researchers say the pressure to be perfect is a widespread “epidemic” among young people, taking a serious toll on their mental health.

Castillo was moved to see her idea go viral: "I burst into tears. When my husband asked why, I replied:Because children everywhere are being saved".

According to vnexpress.net
Copy Link

Featured Nghe An Newspaper

Latest

x
American teacher's initiative helps prevent suicide risk in students
POWERED BYONECMS- A PRODUCT OFNEKO