Question: 

How does our student’s mental health affect their headspace and their ability to learn, their ability to retain information, and their ability be an active participant within the classroom?

How did this question arise?

The classroom that I am doing my practicum in is an extremely vulnerable class. On the first day that I was there, in October, I was introduced to a large number of students that had unique home-lives. Additionally, I myself as a student experienced an home-life that did not fit under the traditional family model that is expressed in literature, commercials, and in our everyday society. Thinking about my experiences as a student in middle years made me wonder about how my 30 unique students were feeling about learning and if they were able to focus in the classroom. My SA and I sat down and did a class review and a student-review, so I could get some background knowledge on each of the students that made up the class. From our discussion, I learned that a large number of my students were obtaining food from the food bank, some students were in foster-homes, and others were from single parent homes that were in lower socio-economic neighbourhoods. To add to my unique group, a few of the students in my class had parents who were terminally ill. This group of 30 students was so diverse that I was a little taken back and thought about their situations for a long while. From this initiation visit I knew I wanted to focus on mental wellness in my classroom. How was I going to create an environment where my students could focus in my class with lots going on at home? This thought process led to my inquiry question and I believe this question  will be a forever learning and growing question for the rest of my career.

Philosophy behind the question:

My teaching philosophy is based upon the importance of knowing my students. My teaching focus is on the development of personalizing learning for each individual student, fostering self-regulation, and social emotional learning within the classroom. My goals are to meet the individual needs of each and every one of my students to ensure that their learning journey is positive, engaging, and thought-provoking. I teach to the heart and then to the mind, ensuring that all my students feel like they belong in our classroom. I want to challenge my students and foster critical thinking. I will give students every opportunity that they need to thrive, succeed, and meet all their learning goals inside and outside of the classroom. I, as an educator, know that my students will gain knowledge, life skills and self-confidence within my classroom.