What can a teacher do in just 6 hours per day? They are expected to do so much with their students.

Teachers are expected to act as parents, tutors, disciplinarians, counselors and much more. They are expected to grade papers, create lesson plans, attend meetings, coach, talk with the parents, and finally be able to teach a classroom with around 40 students.

Wouldn’t it be great if all they had to do was to teach their favorite subject and go back home? But no, their job is far greater and demanding.

 To add to all this, if there were just 2 % of the students dealing with mental health problems, then imagine the burden on the teacher. Not only does the teacher have to now teach the subject such that the students learn it and pass the exams, but they have to also do this while dealing with the mental health issues that the child is exhibiting.

Can this get any tougher for the teacher? How about if the teacher had to deal with his/her own mental problems?

Every parent wants an environment where their children can grow and be successful beings. Thus as a parent, to know about the mental health problems that their children can go through and to know how the child’s environment effects them, is a good first step.

Students with mental health problems

A study has shown that one in five students experience mental health problem.

The most common mental health disorders among students are depression, attention deficit disorder or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety, autism spectrum disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, tourette syndrome, oppositional defiant disorder, conduct disorder, substance abuse and eating disorders.

Most schools these days have resources to diagnose and treat most of the mental health issues listed above, and help the students and their families. Resources such as, counselors, school psychologists, time out classrooms, alternative teaching techniques, etc.

To resolve the mental health issues that the child is facing, it is important that these are implemented in the child’s teaching plan.

Identifying mental health problems in the students

One of the disorders that may not be easily visible to the teacher while teaching in a class is a student’s eating disorder. A student with an eating disorder may have a difficult time learning. Teachers can look out for signs such as a student being withdrawn or isolated, weight loss or a student who is trying to hide his/her weight loss by excessive baggy clothing.

Other mental health problems such as depression or anxiety can also be identified in the students who sleep throughout the class, seem sad or may be seen crying at times during the day. Staying out of school for many days, just so that they can stay in bed, out of fear of leaving their comfort zone.

ADD or ADHD can also be very easily spotted in students who are high in energy and find it quite difficult to stay at one place or stay focused on tasks. These students find it hard to sit still at one place and can be often found wandering in the classroom, without them even realizing what they doing.

Some other symptoms the teacher must look out for in their students include:

1. Seriously trying to harm oneself, or making plans to do so
2. Sudden overwhelming fear for no reason, sometimes with a racing heart or fast breathing
3. Involvement in many fights or desire to badly hurt others
4. Intense worries or fears that get in the way of daily activities
5. Repeated use of drugs or alcohol
6. Severe mood swings that cause problems in relationships
7. Drastic changes in the student's behavior or personality

How to deliver help

There are a few steps that the teachers can take in their classrooms in order to recognize mental health issues in the students.

But before doing that a teacher must educate themselves on the symptoms of mental health issues, provide a safe environment, encourage good health and help students access mental health resources.

Key factors in making a student successful is his/her teacher’s perception about

1. mental health disorders,
2. their role in dealing with the student’s mental health disorder and
3. the barriers to helping a student

Since there is a proven connection between mental health and academic performance.

Such as:

A student may find it difficult to participate in group discussion if he/she is dealing with social anxiety (The defining feature of social anxiety disorder, also called social phobia, is intense anxiety or fear of being judged, negatively evaluated, or rejected in a social or performance situation.)

A student will certainly not be interested in solving the math equations of he/she has been through a trauma such as sexual abuse the night before.

A teacher can make a difference in the student’s life by recognizing the signs and symptoms that they are exhibiting. Each mental health disorder has its own set of emotional and behavioral symptoms which a teacher must look out for in his/her class.

In addition to the mental health symptoms, a teacher can also take steps to be culturally sensitive, create awareness, and work with students and their families to ensure that the students are receiving the best help available. Having a flexible classroom culture can help students with mental health disorders as the students in such a classroom aren’t expected to be of a certain kind, or perfect. Instead they are expected to work on improving their own behavior through self-regulation and taking opportunities to figure out what they need to do to make their behavior better.

Handling a student’s mental health problem in the classroom can be done using strategies such as:

1. Teaching the student problem solving skills
2. Helping students set goals
3. Creating accommodations for the students when the need for intervention or redirection arises

A teacher can give the following accommodations for the students:

1. Special seating, especially near the door to allow leaving class for breaks
2. Assigned classmate as volunteer assistant
3. Beverages permitted in class
4. Tape recorder use
5. Note taker or photocopy of another student’s notes
6. Private feedback on academic performance
7. Exams in alternate format such as orally versus essay form
8. Use of assistive computer software to help them sear or understand better
9. Extended time for test taking
10. Exam in a separate, quiet, and non-distracting room
11. Substitute assignments in specific circumstances
12. Permission to submit assignments handwritten rather than typed
13. Written assignments in lieu of oral presentations or vice
14.  versa
15. Extended time to complete assignments

No special accommodation can substitute for patience, kindness, and flexibility. Teachers bring a great deal of compassion to the table to start with, but it can be easy to let it fall to the wayside when you’ve got a classroom full of 30 students, 4 more lesson plans to get through, and can’t seem to get everyone to stay on the same page. No one expects the teacher to be a saint – the teacher must just try best to keep your cool.

A teacher can support the mental health of all students in their classroom and school, not just individual students who may exhibit behavioral issues by considering the following actions:

1. Educate staff, parents, and students on symptoms of and help for mental health problems
2. Promote social and emotional competency and build resilience
3. Help ensure a positive, safe school environment
4. Teach and reinforce positive behaviors and decision-making
5. Encourage helping others
6. Encourage good physical health
7. Help ensure access to school-based mental health supports

Teachers curbing mental health

Although heard or seen very rarely some teachers can be bullies. At each school there is atleast one teacher who mistreats students or has favorites/non-favorites. Bullying by teachers is complicated as there is a thin line between disciplining the students and abusing a student.

If a student is being bullied by a teacher, then the parent of that student can:

1. Reporting this by going up the chain of command
2. Help the child have confidence in himself/herself

But most importantly talk with the student before talking to the teacher and complaining about the bulling. As a parent make sure that your child knows what is going on at every step of the way so that they do not encounter any surprises at the school and they know what to report to you (the parent) if they face any retaliation.

When dealing with a student who is being disruptive, the teacher must take them aside or out in the hall to explain the problem rather than reprimanding them in front of their classmates. The teacher must ensure that the students know that the problem is with the behavior – not them – and how you (the teacher) expect them to behave moving forward.

One other way in which the teacher may be curbing the success of their students is by ignoring their problems, by not referring them to the school’s mental health professionals and by not informing the student’s parent about any of the issues that the student is facing.

Most students in the school want to do well and be successful even though they may be suffering from emotional and behavioral problems. Such students may have trouble controlling themselves, focusing and staying still. Teachers must avoid deeming them “attention seekers” or “slackers”. Teachers must work on being as patient as possible. Such students may sometimes find school extra hard and often deal with low self-esteem. They may be extra sensitive and much harder on themselves than their peers. A teacher must be genuine and generous in their praises and also downplay the student’s shortcomings. A teacher must constantly assure such students that with hard work and practice, they will eventually find difficult assignments easier.

Areas for teacher improvement

One of the areas of improvement for teachers is the level of training they receive regarding mental health disorders among their students. Educating teachers about mental health disorders needs to be a priority in today’s world.

There are many things that a teacher can learn about mental health disorders among students. Such as:

1. Recognizing the difference between bad behavior and mental health problem
2. Recognizing warning signs
3. Providing the students with resources to cope with mental health problems
4. Working with the parents

By doing so the teacher can help the students feel welcomed and encourage them to learn, help the parents feel confident in where they are sending their children for a proper education.

It is absolutely not right for a teacher to call student names, to constantly punish one student for a particular behavior that all kids may be doing, or for a teacher to neglect a student because he/she does not want to deal with their mental health problem.

Teachers have a great impact on their students, and so it is equally important that the teachers receive mental health guidance if they need it. Maybe it is just a break or a vacation that they need, maybe it is counseling and medication. A school needs to pay attention to the needs of each teacher so that the teachers are able to teach the students with the best of their ability.

A teacher’s mental health status has a direct impact on the student’s mental health status.

Role of a parent

To get changes made in their child’s education documenting everything is the first and most important step. If it is not properly documented, them some may claim that it never happened. Keeping your child in treatment is a step to ensure that your child’s mental health problem is under control. Be mindful of the child’s triggers, and teach him/her how to handle these situations.

Communicate freely, openly and frequently with your child’s teachers and never get defensive if the teacher gives a bad news. Defending your child when he/she has done something wrong will not help your child in learning the correct ways. Try to work with the teachers to find a solution to the problem together. Your child must understand that he/she will not get away with bad behavior either at the school or at home. Working with the teachers will make sure that your child gets the best environment in the classroom.

Let the teacher know that you support him/her and that you value their inputs. Work as a team with them to meet the needs of your child instead of making the teacher the enemy for bringing the bad news about your child.

Volunteer as much as possible at your child’s school or in his/her classroom and work along with the teachers.

Be a model parent that other parents can follow when they encounter difficult situations.

And most important of all make sure your child feels loved and cared for unconditionally.

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