Supporting Students During Stressful Times

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November 27, 2018 by twunewteachers

The holiday season can be a very worrying time for many families and students. Just conduct a quick google search involving the words, “holidays” and “stress” and you will quickly find a plethora of articles on sources and remedies for these holiday anxieties. Unfortunately, the hustle and bustle of the season also greatly affects our students and it is important that as teachers, we remember this as we work to best meet the needs of the learners we are entrusted with.

Some older students will inevitably face anxiety related to final exams and benchmarks. However, many of our students are facing much more grave concerns. For instance, take the the student who lost her dad last summer and is facing her first holiday season without this cherished member of her family. Or consider the student who is working full time to provide money to meet basic needs of the family and cannot afford to even think about gift-giving (or gift-receiving). Or what about the student who depends upon the structure and routine that a school provides. Some students receive two meals a day at school and when schools go on winter break for two weeks, these students can find themselves in a position when they experience food insecurity.  As we consider both the joys and potential anxieties of the holiday season, we must ensure that we are striving to support our students’ basic needs in addition to their academic ones.

Genevieve Buckert, middle school teacher and TWU Educational Leadership student communicates this importance in a speech she wrote for first year teachers at her school on the importance of reaching all students on a personal and academic level. She shares:

“This is a meme that speaks to my personal belief of how students should be taught. There will come a time in your career where you need help from administration for an issue with a student. My hope is that you have addressed the Maslow stuff first.

If you cannot remember your freshman psychology or learning theories class, here is a brief refresher.  One of Maslow’s principals is the hierarchy of needs. Every person, regardless of age, has basic requirements: food, shelter, clothing, safety and security. After these things are fulfilled, the needs of belonging and self esteem are engaged. Ultimately the self-actualizations are made when the basic needs are met first.

We teach in a middle school, in a building full of students who, for the most part, have their basic needs fulfilled. However, they are a jumble of emotions, self-doubt and awkwardness. Each one of the students walk through our doors, anxious about fitting in, even the popular kids and the athletes. They each have nervousness about belonging. Students, especially in middle school, need to belong. They need to know their place is here and they are accepted for all their hormonal, confused, and growing selves.

I asked my son, who is 12 and in seventh grade, how he thought students should be taught. I asked him about what his favorite teachers do better than his least favorite teachers. He has two advanced classes and those teachers are his favorites. He says they make it all personal. They know each kid and they use what they know about them to make it all interesting. One teacher goes so far as to have a daily roast where he shares observations about students in a funny, jovial and adolescent way. 

Know that it is okay to get on students’ level. Their level is where they are operating and where you will get in the most meaningful learning. Make it relevant to them. Make it interesting to the pre-teen brain. Every student seeks to belong and be engaged. Every student seeks a safe place to go if there is an issue. Every student needs at least one person who they know will advocate for them. It is a challenge for sure when there are 75 to 100 students, but think on this: if it were your child, how would you want him treated? How would you want her to feel when she walks into the building? Be the teacher that students look forward to seeing in the morning. Hold those academic standards high, but also hold students’ emotions carefully. Show students who you are and be the one they know has their back.

There will be plenty of things that are challenging and difficult about this job. There will be times when you just don’t want to work any harder because you are exhausted and overwhelmed. Veteran teachers have all been there and know how you feel. But your students need you. They need you to make it all okay and to be their safe and secure place, so that in turn their brains can absorb academic learning and be successful.”

Genevieve’s words clearly communicate the importance of a present and personal teacher. Remember this holiday season, that some students just might need you a little bit more and might not be the best at communicating it. You might need to interpret behavior concerns or withdrawn attitudes as a cry for basic need support.

Genevieve, thank you for the reminder.

Genevieve Buckert has been teaching for 18 years. She has taught all levels of elementary school, Reading Recovery, special education, and middle school. Genevieve earned her Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education and Reading from Texas A&M University in Kingsville and is expected to graduate from Texas Woman’s University with a Master of Education in Educational Leadership in December 2018.