Health and Wellness

Health and wellness includes both emotional and physical health. If children are struggling with problems in either of these areas, it can be difficult to impossible to concentrate on school work.

Abraham Maslow's research helped him determine that humans have a hierarchy of needs, ranging from lesser to most important needs. Maslow (1943, 1954) stated that people are motivated to achieve certain needs and that some needs take precedence over others McLeod, (2017). According to Maslow, physical and safety needs must be met first. Later, comes belonging, esteem, and self-actualization. To view a diagram of Maslow's hierarchy of needs, click on the following link: https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html

In my years of teaching high school, ministering to others, and being a houseparent for abused and neglected teenage girls, I have seen this exemplified many times. When a child is removed from the home after a midnight battle between her parents, she won't be interested in math. When a boy learns that he was adopted and his emotional world is shattered, he won't care if coral reefs and mangroves grow in the Florida Keys. If a young man and his sisters lose their mom to cancer and are being raised by their grandmother, and there is no food in the house, and he feels the responsibility to drop out of school to support his family, it is any surprise when his grades drop? "Students’ feelings impact their learning." LEAP learning framework, (2018). When physical needs are not being met, this will also impact their learning.

To meet emotional land physical needs, we need to be aware. For some needs, it may be difficult to meet these in the classroom. We many need to enlist the help of social services, counsellors, the school nurse, or school administration.

In the classroom, there are many ways to encourage health and wellness. For example:

We can develop lessons about healthy nutrition, being physically active, getting enough rest, dealing with stress or bullying are helpful for everyone.
If we see a child stressing, it may be helpful to give them a safe place to mentally rest and be ready to re-engage.
If possible, take students outside for a few minutes to jump, walk, or stretch in a non-classroom environment. Sometimes, the novelty of this is just what they need to get motivated to move forward.
If children are fidgeting or getting restless, this is an indicator that they need to move. Movement actually does “turn on” the brain (Sally, 2015). To see the results of students taking a test after sitting still or after a 20 minute walk, click on the following link to see a composite brain scan showing the difference! https://www.realmomnutrition.com/brain-breaks/ Realize that they really do learn more when they are able to move more often.
Incorporate movement during content time by having students stand up to read orally or answer questions. instead of insisting that all students sit quietly and pay attention for long periods of time, give them the freedom to stand or move to an area that is not their typical desk, such as a bean bag chair.
Incorporate "brain breaks" in to the daily classroom. Brain Breaks are short, energizing bursts of activity that boost blood flow, send oxygen to the brain, and help kids better retain information (Sally, 2015). Short, active, power packed breaks are great brain activators and fitness boosters. 10-minutes of physical activity in between academic learning can have a major impact (Stridekick, 2015). We can let students run in place, walk in a circle around the perimeter of the room or zig zag through the desks in a pattern until they get back to their own seat, or just stand up and stretch a few minutes. There are also many fun videos to use in the classroom for this "brain break" time. Check out the following "Move and Freeze" video from the Learning Station: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=388Q44ReOWE&t=64s
Encouraging healthy snacks, milk breaks, and making sure our students have food during the day is crucial to their being able to concentrate and learn.

Our job is not just to deliver content, but to help our students live well emotionally and physically, as much as it is in our power during the school day. Recruiting parents and helping them be aware of the importance of these areas is often helpful, also.

References

Brain breaks (2015, May 13). The Learning Station. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=388Q44ReOWE

LEAP learning framework, (2018). Strategies for being Learner Focused. Retrieved from:

http://leaplearningframework.org/core-component/learner-focused

McLeod, S. A. (2017). Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Retrieved from www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html

Sally, (2015, Jan 26). Why students need 'Brain Breaks' and how you can help! Retrieved from:

https://www.realmomnutrition.com/brain-breaks/ via @Rmnutrition

Stridekick. (2015, July 24). Bringing health & wellness to your classroom. Retrieved from

http://blog.stridekick.com/bringing-health-wellness-to-your-classroom/