Justin Brathwaite (MS3)
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Post by Justin Brathwaite (MS3) on Oct 22, 2016 12:03:58 GMT -4
It is with out a doubt that teachers are the first responders to many of the situational crisis our children face. There are many times when teachers will act as a student’s personal confidant, being entrusted with a spectrum of horrifying moments ranging from sexual molestations to self-injurious behaviors. This is why there is a desperate need not only to train teachers in CPR, EpiPen use, and safe body fluid cleanup, but also to implement mental health in their formal education and degree programs.
This article not only highlights the bias within teachers training programs but it also demonstrated that more than 80 percent of teachers have never heard of some of the interventions or strategies their own school utilized. Half of which did not know if their schools provided functional behavioral assessment or intervention planning at all. This is quite saddening to know since an unidentified mental-health condition can often interfere with a student’s ability to learn and reach their full academic potential.
I do support this article and believe that not only should mental health be implemented into the curriculum of teachers but it is also imperative that schools educated/orientate their teachers in the available programs that are available for each crisis.
Justin Brathwaite (MS3)
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Post by Jenny Thomas (MS3) on Oct 22, 2016 18:39:13 GMT -4
It makes sense to me that if a child is facing a mental health disease, one of the first people they may turn to is their teacher. What doesn’t make sense to me is the lack of structure the school system has in place to deal with the mental health in today’s youth. Children spend more time in school than they do at homes these days, so it makes absolute sense that schools should offer some sort of training in not only identifying mental health disorders in children, but also being familiar with the recourses that are offered in their school or local community. I agree with the author, that something must be done to identify the disorders before it becomes worse and causes more harm to the child in their adult years.
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Post by Karl Upplegger on Oct 23, 2016 10:02:55 GMT -4
Teachers should be trained in mental health awareness. I believe that not only could mental disorders be diagnosed earlier, but it is proven that children who receive early interventions have a better prognosis than those that receive interventions later in life. The responsibility of identifying red flags and implementing specific interventions should not be solely on the shoulders of teachers. A community approach, involving the parents, psychologists and teachers should be used. If it was solely on the teachers, it could potentially be burden for the teacher (taking away focus from the other students under the teacher’s responsibility- with teachers having 30 students at a time in most public schools) and could possibly hinder the child’s learning environment. Teachers do, however, play a vital role in the process because they usually have a strong, trusted and established relationship with the child that allowing them to be a supportive and reliable confidant during the process of change taking place in the child’s life with implementation of interventions.
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Post by Jerome Brathwaite on Oct 23, 2016 19:11:52 GMT -4
Teachers have an enormous role to play in society. They are often the stewards that guide children into the adults they become. It is by no means a small undertaking and should never be underestimated. As a student, I respect the profession probably more than any other profession at this point. For most professions, graduating is not the finish line and professionals are often called upon to continue their learning throughout careers. This should be no different for a teacher. A baseline understanding of psychiatric illnesses that affects children should be engrained in all teachers. This would allow them to identify and refer students to get the attention they deserve. Schools, in my opinion, should have onsite qualified physicians who are able to correctly diagnose, treat and manage students with psychiatric illnesses so that teachers are available to do what they are meant to do. Teach. Jerome Brathwaite (MS3)
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Post by Nnenia Francis on Oct 24, 2016 0:14:30 GMT -4
This article was both insightful and eye-opening. It brought to light aspects of a teacher’s profession that I had not considered before reading this article. Teachers are a cornerstone of our society and as such can play a huge role in our lives. With that being the case, it is imperative that they should be employed with the facilities possible to aid in identification and evaluation of student’s suffering from mental health problems. A teacher with a proper education and firm grasp of the varying presentations can easier identify a child undergoing difficulties. It is stated in the article that most of those with mental disorders experience symptoms prior to adulthood. This makes it all the more paramount for an educator, who is surrounded by multiple students each day, to be able to identify those who may be suffering from anxiety, domestic violence and sexual assault.
I can also understand Dr. Michael Hollander’s concerns that it may put some teachers in over their head or lead to them over-diagnosing their students. Even so, I believe that the benefits of helping a suffering child can overcome these negatives. Teachers are present at every stage from preschool to college and allowing them to be aware of mental health interventions allows less students to slip through the cracks.
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Post by Lee Wagner on Oct 25, 2016 16:45:39 GMT -4
I think it's a great idea for teachers to be educated to help recognise mental health issues in their students. The concern I have with this is that teachers are already overwhelmed with their work loads. It would be nice to implement a program where teachers can identify their concerns and have a proper avenue for those concerns to be explored. It may be nice to have a mental health class implemented into the schools.
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Post by Gurinder Sidhu- Extern on Oct 25, 2016 18:50:37 GMT -4
As we better diagnose and become better at diagnosing mental health illnesses, it is crucial for educators to help identify illness early on. Many instructors have almost no training in how to deal with these students. As the rates of bullying and other issues involving teen suicide increase in the United States many students only have their teachers to turn to. This article does an amazing job at bringing a topic like this to the public. Not many people are aware of how hard it is to help someone with a problem and most teachers become the first line of defense. It is crucial we help train teachers how to speak with these students who are having problems.
GS (Extern)
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Post by Pamella Yamada on Oct 26, 2016 9:26:58 GMT -4
I agree that teachers should receive training in mental health and that they can play a crucial role in recognizing traits in students. However, I feel that this may be difficult to implement and even with special training and education, the public school system with student to teacher ratios of 30+ puts a lot of burden on teachers to pay close attention to their students. The high ratios also make it difficult for teachers to notice certain behaviors that may indicate mental health disorders. The author of this article also mentions the confessions of students through writing; this outlet more applies to middle and high school education but young elementary students may not be as expressive in their writing.
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Post by reshikamendis on Oct 27, 2016 5:09:47 GMT -4
Mental health training for teachers, at least middle school and high school teachers, should be included into school programs. This is especially important with difficult times that teenagers and adolescents go through where help could have a positive impact in the long term. Most of these students have no idea that there is something wrong with them and parents tend to attibute negative behaviour to "hormones". Being able to identify a problem early can reduce the number of suicides between adolescents and allow to have a mentally healthier group of young adults.
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Post by Yusuf Alimi (MS3) on Oct 27, 2016 7:19:34 GMT -4
As an individual with quite some background in teaching, this article has provided some insight about the undisputable relationship between mental health and early education and I absolutely agree with the fact there should be more awareness about this issue. Before coming to medical school, I have taught some students with learning difficulties and struggling with mental health and I have got to say the level of support is quite underwhelming. Just like the article said, most teachers are not equipped with the appropriate tools and knowledge to assist students struggling with mental health. I think it would be of immense benefit if teachers and other educational providers do get enlightened about how prominent these issues are and appropriate facilities are provided to further assist students with learning and mental disability. Teachers are more focused on the educational side of things but I think being a teacher requires way more than that. Some students would actually reveal traumatic experiences and other substantial issues to teachers before their parent get to know about them, if they ever do and I think teachers should be more aware about these situations as this might go a long way to building a better future for our young ones.
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Post by Daniel Atashsokhan on Oct 28, 2016 17:42:17 GMT -4
Evidence-based mental health interventions play an integral role in the classroom setting for students who have developed symptomatic behavioral issues. School teachers can be viewed as the "first responders" for their students when a psychological disorder or personal conflict has affected a student's daily ability to absorb their education for academic enrichment and promotion. In the article, I found it very interesting when it was referenced that approximately 80 percent of school teachers were not even aware of some of there own institution's behavioral assessment regulations for understanding student mental instabilities. Many students come from different backgrounds and not every single one of them will have a perfect childhood that consists of discipline, love, and a proper nutritional guideline. Each of these factors are essential to mold a child's brain and soul. I remember growing up in a NY school system and having a few teachers, from primary school to high school, who helped me better understand my true academic potential and steer my focus on my own personal goals. Another reference that I found compelling from the article pertained to teachers enrolling in certification programs in order to be accustomed to different methods that can help "diagnose" a student's problem (i.e. Substance abuse, physical abuse, mental abuse, etc). This event displays that an emergency does not always have to exist in a hospital setting and that some teachers are not aware of a problem unless they are trained to decipher it. The sad reality is that there have been students in the past who have never been helped along the way and it is their statistic, as the minority, which helped paved the way for progress in behavioral assessment today. There needs to be an awareness of this truth and a motivation amongst America's educational system to not lag behind the next generation's future problems, whether in the classroom or at home.
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Post by Williams Azubike on Nov 1, 2016 18:48:55 GMT -4
I agree with the writer that teachers need to be trained on understanding then recognizing signs of mental health problems before they become a full blown mental health problem. The article also touched on the need for teachers to understand what services are available and where to attain such services. In my opinion, this is key because the teacher cannot really do much but knowing the signs and knowing where to get help is of utmost importance. Outside of the article, another point to note is that it takes a village to raise a child and as such, parents should be more receptive to what the teachers and neighbors say about their children. Parents also need to start paying closer attention to their children’s behaviors in order to detect when there is significant change.
WA (MS3)
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Post by jacquelinep on Nov 2, 2016 9:45:16 GMT -4
I definitely think the issues of mental health need to be addressed in teacher training. As the article mentions, from grades K-12 teachers spend a great deal of time with these children. It is common for children to start experiencing mental health issues around age 14, meaning high school teachers should definitely be clued in on what signs to look for. Furthermore, schools that have developed programs aren’t being utilized properly if teacher’s aren’t able to refer the students who need it most. Mental health issues can severely affect a child’s performance in school, catching these problems early could help these children excel through academic programs and get them on the right track early on. Implementing these programs early on in a child's education could also help prevent drug use and other maladaptive behaviors associated with coping with a mental health disorder.
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Post by Ashif Molla on Nov 3, 2016 16:41:05 GMT -4
Most often, children spend more time with their teachers, especially in an educational setting. Therefore, teachers are able to interact and monitor children in specific developmental and learning areas such as reading, writing, communication, and social interactions. If teachers are properly trained to effectively monitor children, then any developmental delays can be caught early and proper, effective treatments can be implemented, thus improving the quality of life for the child and saving millions of dollars in healthcare cost. Students may also be more open to discussing sensitive and personal family matters with a trusted teacher, because it may be more difficult to bring up such issues with family members, especially if it is the family member who is causing the harm or abuse. Thus, if a student is able to verbalize their need for help and receive it, they can finally make a change in their lives, otherwise it may be kept hidden for many years if not for a lifetime. If teachers are properly trained they can be prepared to recognize and handle sensitive and delicate matters, and thus notify proper professionals so that the child can get proper professional help at a soon enough time. If teachers are properly trained to identify mental-health issues and other forms of physical and mental abuse, then they can adequately refer the student to the proper services they require in a timely manner. Once the mental-health concerns are met for the particular child, then they can properly continue their education and reach their academic goals without further hindrance from their mental-health issues. Many mental-health disorders begin to manifest in early childhood, and therefore the signs and symptoms can be picked up early by trained teachers. Also, since suicide is the number two cause of death in children and teenagers, early intervention and mental-health treatment can save lives. According to research done at the University of Missouri in 2011, “more than 80 percent of teachers, who held undergraduate and graduate degrees, had never heard of some of the interventions or strategies their own school utilized”, therefore the lack of proper training is a serious matter and should be addresses for the sake of all the children’s futures. Being certified in Mental Health First Aid is a good start to look for warning signs of underlying mental health disorders. Thus, providing teachers the proper tools and training to help identify and intervene in children’s mental-health issues will benefit everyone in society as a whole.
Ashif Molla (MS3)
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Post by Michael Roberts on Nov 4, 2016 20:56:42 GMT -4
This article was kind of scary more than informative. I think it's one thing for a teacher to be aware of a student's mental health, and another to recognize that there is a psychologist through the Electrostatic Discharge to do a functional behavior analysis. Teachers are now the "Failing First Line of Defense" because America has a huge mental health crisis. Teachers need a bill of rights for their profession which should be that "under no circumstances should it be assumed that every national crisis and the problem facing society is the responsibility that the public school teacher to correct"
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