By: Andre De Bartolo
As we come to the end of the first full week of school across Ontario, we see the challenge students and teachers face with coming back to in-person classes. In addition to concerns surrounding the pandemic, students are fearful of their mental health since the past year has caused extreme burnout and isolation. Returning to in-person classes can be both exciting and worrisome, and finding ways to cope with various emotional reactions may be difficult. Here we list 5 strategies students can use alone, with peers, or adults to help them navigate their return back to school.
- Accept The Situation
It can be overwhelming to come back into class feeling stressed, awkward, upset, and nervous. It may bring peace of mind to remind yourself that the schools and teaching staff are doing the best that they can to keep you safe and educated. Accepting your situation brings autonomy to the decisions you make. Knowing and accepting that certain things are out of your control gives you the power to change things that you do have control over, such as your actions, the classroom, friendships, etc.
2. Have a plan
Going into school with a predetermined plan can be very impactful in how you experience the day. If you know, for instance, that you start to feel anxious when you get to class, acknowledging this prior to going to school can help you and your support network to create a plan to execute while you are at school. Understanding that you may become nervous due to certain topics or situations, gives your body a warning ahead of time. This way, you can sit with your anxiety, for example, and know that it will eventually pass and there is no need to worry that you feel anxious. Allowing emotions to pass after you sit with them brings you back into the present and stops any escalation of the situation.
3. Morning & Afternoon Check-In
Before you start your first class each morning, and in the middle of the day, take about 5 minutes to check in with yourself. This mini-pause will allow a routine to form by Halloween, you know that during two points in the day, you will have time to yourself to check-in. Your emotions may also become clear when doing this exercise since you are giving yourself a chance to listen to your needs. This technique can easily ground your thoughts to avoid any intense thinking. Some prompts to help guide you through this check-in include: “How am I feeling this right now?” “What do I have to do today?” “Who is one person I can talk to if I need help?” “Is there any problem I need to address?” “What was the plan I set in place when this situation comes up?
4. Create A Classroom Together
It is often not beneficial to students to be in a classroom environment they do not enjoy. At times, this can be changed with the help of students and teachers. Try to talk to your teacher about how you want the classroom to feel. You may suggest ideas such as having students answer other students’ questions when they feel stuck. Or perhaps suggest engaging in more positive group collaboration to facilitate learning. These are great ways to bring peers together and create a space of validation and trust.
5. Home-Life Routine
Going back to school is not just about the classroom. Having a routine at home can help decrease some distress or dysregulation that can be heightened at school. Going to bed and waking up at the same time every day can help your biological clock get into a rhythm during the week. Putting away technology 1 hour before bed and/or having a self-care nighttime routine can help your body calm down and get ready for sleep. Preparing your lunch and snacks the night before is an easy way to avoid an extra rush in the morning. You may even talk to your parents or caregivers about having time after school or at dinner to talk about your day so you feel heard and can turn to them for support.
Use these strategies to help get back into the swing of things as back-to-school takes on a whole new meaning this year.
Resources:
https://www.hunschool.org/resources/returning-to-school-post-covid-19