Mental health awareness and the stigma and support to individuals with mental health issues is a huge part of living, teaching and learning. It was a revelation, a holistic revolution, in my understanding when researching student wellness and mental health. I'd not fully connected how adaptations, learner engagement, proactive assessment for learning difficulties and disabilities all intertwined with mental health. It seems so obvious now. Links to mental health through initiatives around bullying, social media ethics, cultural awareness, and a myriad of others is undeniable.
It is a matter of choosing what kind of teacher does an educator want to be? We wouldn't tell a student sitting in the classroom who was having an epileptic seizure to just deal with it later and write their exam. We wouldn't tell a student who needs glasses to just work harder at reading the material. We wouldn't tell a student who came to us with a bleeding finger that it isn't our responsibility and send them on their way. Yet, when it comes to mental health issues, they are often dismissed.
Mental health awareness, mental health first aid, opens doors to viewing and teaching students as real individuals. Whole, complex beings who require more to learn than being a receptacle for information. I am now a Mental Health First Aid certificate instructor. Once again, how wellness and mental health awareness interconnects within teaching and learning has been reinforced.
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