- As a high school teacher, I make sure all graduating seniors understand how to deal with stress.
- First, I justify their feelings by telling them it’s normal to feel stressed and anxious.
- Next, I will teach you how to make a plan to overcome stress and move forward.
i have taught high school senior For over ten years, I have watched them juggle schoolwork. relationship,Social media. Many of my seniors get overwhelmed.
Recently, a student broke into my office and complained about a large research paper. He said he was due to submit in two days and he was afraid he would fail because he wouldn’t be able to finish it.
“You look stressed,” I told him, but I knew it was important to justify these feelings.
I noticed him immediately breathe a sigh of relief and then asked him what his plan was. He sat down and I helped him make a plan for completing his thesis.
Through my years of experience working with students, I realized that the most important thing I can teach older people is how to listen to them and deal with stress.
I learned that I need to validate student stress
Their stress isn’t something you can just keep quiet about or pretend doesn’t exist.
Let’s take the same student in the scenario above. He is also an up-and-coming pianist. I once told him that the tension you feel before a performance is also a form of anxiety and that it is healthy to feel that way. I told him anxiety lets you know you’re about to do something important.
This student, like many others, needs this reminder.
according to American Psychological AssociationWith all the effects of the pandemic, adolescents are under more stress than ever before. For example, in the spring, I noticed that seniors were feeling more stress than usual. They acted out, expressed their displeasure, or became depressed thinking about graduation. Some said they were worried about university life, while others said that taking a gap year made them feel weird. Some said they were worried about their grades.
I tried to tell each of these students that their feelings were normal.
I told these students that graduating and moving on was a big deal. I emphasized that the transition will be difficult and that this will be one of the biggest in their lives. I assured them that most seniors experience a range of emotions.
After I told them this, I could see most of them exhaling all the pressure and a sense of relief on their faces.
Also, make sure students understand how to deal with stress and move on.
I found that when I taught my students to pause, listen, and validate, they were then learning how to proceed.
The most important thing for me is to help them develop a plan to move forward. Of course, I encourage them, but students themselves must be responsible for whatever they want to achieve. So when it comes to studying for exams, discuss what methods work best for them, where they’ll best study, and finally, when they’ll take the time to study to make that happen.
Once students take the lead, they tend to have confidence that they will not only succeed, but most importantly, they will be able to cope with most of the stressors that life presents.
Like a Glennon Doyle coined phrase, I say to my students every day: “We can do hard things.” And my students certainly think so too.they know what they are doing teeth As hard as it is, I believe I can get through the difficult task at hand and the difficult emotions that come with it. Therefore, once they graduate, they will be ready to face whatever comes their way.