The Importance of Teaching to the Whole Child
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Miss Frizzle always had a
positive attitude and tried instilling a sense of adventure and fun into all
her students. Even though Ralphie would constantly complain and say his famous
line of: " please let this be a normal field trip!", Miss Frizzle would always ensure
that all her students were having fun and learning something exciting by the
end of the trip. With that being said I believe it is vital that all students
emotions and feelings be taken into consideration on a daily basis within the
classroom. A child's overall wellbeing is incredibly important for their
optimal learning. If a child's basic needs are not meant or if they are having
an 'off' day, then they will not be able to fully concentrate or even behave
appropriately. As a result, teaching mental health literacy is critical,
in my opinion.
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| http://www.everymomentcounts.org/up_img/be_kind_to_your_mind.jpg |
In one of my classes one
of my fellow classmates brought up an example from her Aunt's classroom where,
her Aunt asked her students every morning to choice a face sticker (faces
either were smiley, sad or neutral) to demonstrate how they were feeling. I
personally think this is an excellent idea to touch base with your students
every morning! This links to the notion
of teaching to the ‘whole child’ as explained by Nel Noddings (2005). Nel
Noddings (2005) wrote a rather interesting article about the ethics of care, creating a caring classroom and teaching to the whole child. She related this
to the idea that we must treat everyone with love and respect and that we must
be aware of ourselves, diversity, worldly problems and the interactions and
events that unfold around us. I believe this goes hand in hand with student
success and teaching students how to be active global agents in their own
learning.
The Ontario curriculum emphasizes the importance of teaching
children how to be active, global citizens, who are able to give back and work
within society. They urge educators to foster critical thinking and inquiry as
apart of the 21st century learning skills. With that being said, before
we are able to help scaffold children to become active global citizens we must
be able to ensure that we are teaching to the ‘whole child’. Children must be
able to feel confident in their skills, talents and abilities. They must feel
as though their voices are both heard and valued and I believe that through
mental health literacy and character education.
Additionally, according to
Whitley, Smith, and Vaillancourt (2013) they explain that educators must have
the tools needed to help children and be aware of mental health issues,
identification and prevention in order for children to get the help they need
and ultimately be successful in schools. Furthermore, they quote Schonert-Reichl
and Hymel (2007, p. 21) as they note that focusing solely on academic
achievement: “undermines our children’s potential to become responsible, caring
and contributing citiznes, it also threatens their physiological well- being
and the Canadian economy” (Whitley, Smith, & Vaillancourt, 2013 p. 1). This
directly relates back to Noddings (2005) as she emphasizes the importance of
understanding and teaching to the ‘whole child’. Understanding every aspect
that influences and impacts student learning is vital for their success.
The Ted Talks Video posted
below features Erika Brodnock as she explains the importance of raising
emotionally intelligent children. This relates to mental health literacy as
teaching children about their emotions and how to manage their emotions are
vital components to understandings their mental health and overall wellbeing.
With that being said from
the start of this term I’ve made it known about my passion to become Miss
Frizzle. Growing up I saw Miss Frizzle as a passionate teacher who inspired her
students to love learning and she always encouraged her students to ask
questions! She turned learning into a magical place where anything was possible
and I hope to do just that! In that regard I hope that all my students feel
safe and feel as though their voice is valued. With teaching mental health literacy,
I hope to create a classroom that advocates for understanding, inquiry and inclusivity.
It is my hope that my students will feel comfortable to ask questions and that
I have the tools to answer them and truly teach to their needs and interests. Therefore,
throughout this term I have followed a variety of teaching blogs and other education
blogs. What I found to be interesting and useful were the examples they had
that encompassed mental health literacy. As a future educator I hope to have my
students create their own self care plans that allow them to reflect on what they need to feel good, be happy and what
they need when they feel sad or upset. Additionally, I found a really cool
activity where students write letters to their future selves and though it is not explicitly about mental health literacy, I believe
planning for the future, creating goals and reflecting on experiences to be
important components to overall wellbeing and mental health.
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| http://thetangential.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/frizz.jpg |
Thank you so much for
following me through this educational journey. Hopefully you keep your
seatbelts buckled and check back shortly for new posts as my quest to become an
inspiring teacher like Miss Frizzle continues!
So to leave off for now, “Take
chances, make mistakes and get messy!”
References:
Noddings, N.
(2005). What Does It Mean to Educate the Whole Child?. Educational
Leadership, 63(1), 8-13.
Whitley, J.,
Smith, J. D., & Vaillancourt, T. (2013). Promoting mental health literacy
among educators: Critical in school-based prevention and intervention. Canadian
Journal of School Psychology, 0829573512468852.
Pictures:
http://www.everymomentcounts.org/up_img/be_kind_to_your_mind.jpg
https://49.media.tumblr.com/191eb0b8bc1d96e204cce642d6be6bf8/tumblr_n1c7owMYSw1svx9hco2_r1_500.gif
http://thetangential.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/frizz.jpg
