What does stress look like at school?
A student’s day is filled with excitement and challenges. And while many children are able to roll with the ups and downs of life, some struggle to maintain balance and focus. And sometimes these struggles manifest as “behavioural issues” in the classroom and beyond.
You are more likely to notice a student’s behavioural issues because they are visible and may be disruptive to the classroom. But it is important to realize that a student’s stress response may go beyond actions that attract attention. Some children in your class may be experiencing a range of physical, mental or emotional reactions to highly stressful situations in their lives, including conflict between their parents or problems keeping up with schoolwork.
You can usually tell when a student is experiencing significant stress—at home, school or elsewhere—by the way they look and act while they are at school.
Your important role:
As key role models in student’s lives, educators have a critical role to play in helping teach and demonstrate effective stress management. For many educators, this process begins with becoming more aware of the impact of their own stress in the classroom setting.
Program goals:
The overarching goals of all programs include:
- Supporting students in learning how to recognize and deal with stress
- Helping educators create a peaceful, safe and stimulating classroom environment
- Building capacity for self-regulation in students
- Providing educators with innovative ways of addressing required curriculum on social and emotional learning.
The programs feature:
- Skill-based activities ranging from 5 to 50 minutes
- Step-by-step lesson plans;
- Tips, facts or suggestions on how to extend or modify the activity;
- Supplementary materials, e.g. videos and handouts.
- Activities can be used in a variety of subject areas
To download our KHST" manuals please go to our Resources page.
For information on training in the School-Aged program, please see the
KHST! Training section.