World Mental Health Day: Our Kids & Mental Health Support

October 10th is World Mental Health Day, giving us an opportunity to reflect on the mental health needs of those we know and love. Mental health support is essential to our overall well-being, and is especially important when we think about children and schools.

As humans, we can’t leave our mental health challenges at home. And for kids, their mental and emotional states have a meaningful impact on how they learn. 

When a child is struggling, what we see on the outside may not always tell us exactly what is happening underneath, but it can give us some information. The way a child is feeling can influence how they learn, communicate, interact with others, respond to stress, and navigate challenges throughout the day. Those factors often translate to challenging behaviors in the classroom: work refusal, emotional dysregulation, sensory seeking/avoiding behaviors, big reactions, checking out.

These behaviors don’t always mean there is an emerging mental health concern. But, when we know what to look out for, we can track behaviors, gain information, and respond effectively.

Mental health is foundational to learning.

We can make the mistake of thinking about academic achievement as if learning happens independently from everything else in kids’ lives. Realistically, the opposite is true: every element of a kid's life is interconnected. Kids need to feel safe, connected, and regulated to be able to engage and learn.

When students are overwhelmed, anxious, dysregulated, or stressed, their ability to access the parts of their brain required to learn and retain new skills is reduced. Kids can experience difficulty concentrating, communicating, problem-solving, regulating, and managing social situations. The impact of those challenges can present as defiance or disrespect, when more realistically, they are signaling a serious and hidden need for that child.

Supporting mental health isn't separate from academics at all. It’s a necessary part of creating the conditions in which students can access learning.

We don’t need to know exactly what’s going on in someone’s brain to support them.

We often think of it as a challenge that educators rarely have the full picture of what’s going on in the lives of their students. We operate under the assumption that if we know all of the details, only then can we support our students best. This is just simply not true. 

We can’t possibly – and don’t need to – know everything going on in the lives of every student. We likely won't know specifics about what happened before a student walked into the classroom, what happens at home, what stresses they carry, and what experiences overwhelm them. And we don't need to know!

What we do know is the behavior we see in front of us, and we can use that behavior as information that tells us what to do next. It can be helpful to pause, and instead of immediately jumping to, “how can I get this behavior to stop?” Take a moment to think, “what could this behavior be telling me about this child’s needs?”

We don’t have to remove expectations or allow unsafe or disruptive behavior. Children still need boundaries, accountability, structure, and consistency. But we can hold those expectations while providing supports that enable a struggling child to successfully meet them.

Reminder: Mental health support in schools isn’t reserved for just the kids.

When we talk about mental health in schools, it's easy to focus on only students. But a healthy school community also depends on the adults within it.

Educators navigate increasingly complex student needs while balancing instruction, behavior, relationships, paperwork, family communication, and more. So, supporting teacher wellness is part of creating sustainable schools.

Adults, just like kids, need opportunities to regulate, connect, reflect, and access support. And when educators have the tools and support they need, they are better positioned to create classrooms where students can feel supported, understood, and ready to learn.

Taking time for yourself isn’t selfish. It protects your capacity to help those around you. 

5 Things Schools That Prioritize Mental Health Do:

1. They treat mental health support as an inclusive part of the school culture.
   Mental health and emotional well-being are incorporated into classrooms, relationships, policies, and daily routines rather than only addressed when a student is in crisis. These supports are available and frequently accessed by all students, normalizing the action of prioritizing mental health, emotional regulation, and self care.
2. They train staff to recognize and respond to students' needs in a holistic way.
   School staff is explicitly trained to understand the impact of mental health on students holistically, and is also trained on practical tools for understanding behavior, responding to distress, de-escalating situations, and connecting students with additional supports or services.
3. They view relationships as a foundational part of teaching and learning.
   Student mental health improves in the presence of community. Teachers  develop opportunities for students to make meaningful connections with trusted adults and peers. Schools intentionally create environments where students feel known, supported, and like they belong.
4. They view behavior as information, and approach it with curiosity.
   Rather than focusing exclusively on stopping bad behavior, especially through traditional disciplinary practices, they approach challenging behavior as an opportunity to better understand what needs may exist behind the behavior. They consider the student's needs, environment, relationships, and regulation and pieces of a larger puzzle that fits within broader school approaches that provide different levels of support based on student needs.
5. They support the adults, too.
   These schools recognize that staff well-being affects students’ experiences. Supporting teacher wellness, providing meaningful professional development, and giving staff tools to manage challenging situations are all parts of creating a mentally healthy school community. Teachers who are struggling with their own mental health are less available to support students with theirs.