|
 Helping
Children With Emotional Problems Succeed
by Martin
Henley and Nicholas Long, Classroom
Leadership, Volume 7, Number 3, November 2003
For more articles like this
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https://www.bridges4kids.org.
According to Martin Henley and Nicholas Long, teachers and
caregivers should first be aware of and sensitive to warning
signs of developing emotional problems. Second, they should use
the following strategies to help students overcome their
emotional barriers to learning:
(1) Make learning relevant;
(2) Help
students establish positive peer relationships;
(3) Teach
behavior management skills;
(4) Identify and
deal with depression;
(5) Support
activities that foster feelings of competence, strengthen social
relationships, and bolster self-efficacy;
(6) Help students cope with stress; and
(7) Instill
hope. More than anything else, troubled youth need to know their
lives can improve. When teachers provide a refuge from the "bad"
in a student's life, they inspire hope and help students see
that the past is not necessarily a prelude to the future. Also,
teachers who focus on developing students' strengths are more
successful than those who focus on fixing flaws.
Helping
Students with Emotional Problems Succeed
Seventh grader Maria sits silently at her desk while her science
teacher leads an enthusiastic discussion on the extinction of
dinosaurs. Maria is preoccupied with darker thoughts than the
demise of the largest animals that ever roamed the earth. The
13-year-old is thinking about killing herself.
Lamont is 15 years old and frequently absent. His mother is a
drug addict, and his abusive father is rarely around. Lamont was
arrested three times in the last year. According to federal
guidelines, Lamont is ineligible for special education services
because he is considered "socially maladjusted."
The majority of students with emotional problems sit undetected
in general education classrooms. What can a teacher do to help
these youngsters learn? First, be aware of and sensitive to
warning signs of developing emotional problems (see box on p.
3). Second, use strategies such as those suggested in this
article to help students overcome their emotional barriers to
learning.
Strategies for Success
Make learning relevant. Emotional distress saps motivation.
The distress that accompanies failing grades and teacher
reprimands can reinforce students' notion that school simply
isn't relevant. Noncompliance, disinterest, and avoidance are
symptoms exhibited by students whose perseverance is undermined
by poor academic achievement.
What works: To offset emotional distress, give students
opportunities to experience school success. The emotionally
distressed student is focused more on the concrete "here and
now" than the abstract future. Establishing links between the
curriculum and the students' lives injects relevance into
lessons. Survey students about their interests and how they
spend their free time. Use this information as a backdrop for
lessons.
Help students establish positive peer relationships. Peers are
second only to family in their influence on a youngster's
emotional development. Positive peer relationships foster
tolerance of others, help students build effective interpersonal
skills, and promote self-confidence. The unwelcome outcomes of
negative peer relationships include smoking, alcohol abuse,
teenage pregnancy, and delinquent behavior.
What works: Teachers can enhance peer relationships by
structuring routines that foster a sense of classroom community.
Cooperative learning, peer tutoring, and classroom meetings
promote interdependence. These structured student interactions
help to dispel the negative effects of cliques while promoting
the notion that everyone has something useful to contribute. If
students don't have the social skills they need to successfully
participate in classroom routines, provide instruction in such
skills.
Teach behavior management skills. It may be difficult to
understand why a reasonable request, a minor classroom
frustration, or an accidental bump from a peer can prompt sudden
rage in some students. But students who have been rejected by or
alienated from significant others believe that further rejection
is inevitable. In situations that trigger feelings of anxiety,
insecurity, or fear, their impulsive response is anger and
noncompliance.
What works: Teachers who remain objective are most effective at
defusing conflict. These teachers recognize that misbehavior
always has a reason, and this recognition helps them avoid
impulsive reactions to a student's conduct that can cause a
minor episode to explode into a full-blown crisis. As teachers
practice restraint, they can also teach students to reflect on
their actions and to use more constructive ways of managing
their emotions. Identifying in-school events that trigger
disruptive behavior can provide teachers and students with ideas
on how to modify school routines to support constructive
actions.
Identify and deal with depression. Almost 5 percent of children
and adolescents experience symptoms of depression. Persistent
sadness or irritability, loss of interest in previously enjoyed
activities, disrupted sleep, agitation, loss of energy, feelings
of worthlessness or inappropriate guilt, difficulty
concentrating, and recurrent thoughts of death or suicide are
major symptoms. Early identification is the key to successful
treatment through a combination of counseling, psychotherapy,
and medication.
What works: Major depressive disorder is characterized by a
pattern of five or more symptoms. If symptoms persist for six
months, a referral to a school counselor is recommended. A
youngster's family may need assistance in engaging the services
of a counselor with expertise in depressive disorders. Students
cannot "snap out of" depression. Understanding and empathy are
more effective than attempts to change behavior through
reprimands, incentives, or heart-to-heart talks. Fatigue is a
common classroom complaint. Students need extra time to finish
assignments, projects tailored to their interests, and brief
breaks. Classroom activities that foster feelings of competence
and strengthen social relationships bolster self-efficacy.
Help students cope with stress. Like steam building in a tightly
lidded pot, emotional distress, when not vented, exerts pressure
on the body. Physical reactions—such as frequent headaches,
abdominal pain, asthma, hives, chest pains, and dizziness—can
emerge if students don't address the causes of stress or if they
aren't taught effective coping strategies. Legitimate
psycho-physiological ailments persist for four months or longer.
Only a physician can make an accurate diagnosis.
What works: Using an upset stomach or other physical ailment to
escape schoolwork is not unusual. However, when physical
complaints are frequent, a student should be referred to a
physician to rule out medical origins. Input from family members
can help identify unusual stressors. Counseling builds coping
strategies. Chronic stress can lead to depression. Local mental
health services should be accessed if symptoms persist despite
school-based interventions. A combination of coping strategies
will alleviate distress. If eliminating the source of stress
isn't possible, teach students relaxation techniques and other
stress-reduction methods.
Instill Hope
More than anything else, troubled youth need to know their
lives can improve. Consider this comment by 10-year-old
Reynaldo: "A lot of people get shot in my neighborhood, but
nothing bad has happened to me yet." When teachers provide a
refuge from the "bad" in a student's life, they inspire hope and
help students see that the past is not necessarily a prelude to
the future.
Unfortunately, the symptoms of students' emotional struggles
produce more heat than light. Noncompliance, anger, and
aggression don't ordinarily engender acceptance and
understanding. Yet, teachers who focus on developing students'
strengths are more successful than those who focus on fixing
flaws. By not giving up on youth, proactive teachers help
sustain the belief in a brighter future.
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