I am a new school counselor at a low-income, low parent involvement school on the Westside of Chicago. Our students come to school with the weight of the world on their shoulders. They deal with lack of food, neglect and abuse, bullying, and students fear for their safety. Exposure to violence and other traumatic events can disrupt youths’ ability to relate to others and to successfully manage emotions. In the classroom setting, this can lead to poor behavior, which can result in reduced instructional time, suspensions, and expulsions. I know my students want to become successful but face many obstacles.
My students don’t always know how to control their emotions or have a safe place to learn these skills, but they are willing to learn how to use coping skills to deal with the issues they may face in their lives.
My students are very resilient although they face trauma daily. They just need the skills to cope with the trauma they deal with every day. As they learn coping skills, they learn how to express themselves in a more positive way and they are able to teach these skills to others. They will grow in understanding and empathy.
My Project
Students are often told to calm down. This is something I hear often as a School Counselor when students start to get agitated—answering rudely, refusing to work, making insulting comments, or whining. A teacher might tell a child to go somewhere calm down or go to the counselor's office to simply “relax.” The problem is, many students don’t have anywhere to go. An area with bean bag chairs and rugs to sit, and lay on will create a calm environment.
Our students need a place where they can collect themselves and self-regulate their emotions.
Having an area that students feel is a safe place to collect their thoughts and control their emotions is of great importance. All children will benefit from learning self-calming skills. With the bean bags and rugs, I will create a area of peace, where students will reflect on their behaviors.
Students who are just learning to identify their feelings of frustration may need frequent reminders to utilize a particular strategy. The calming strategies I have found to be most useful with elementary school students include:
Reading a book, Deep breathing/ Meditation, Listening to music, Drawing and Yoga stretches
Students need an area to practice these skills.
To make the practice most effective, students need to practice these skills in the area they most likely to go when students are actually upset, such as the reading area or Calming Corner. When students go there in a moment of frustration, they will be able to use the correct strategy in that space more efficiently. Not only can it prevent challenging behavior in the future, but it is an essential skill for success at school, at home, and in social settings.
Nearly all students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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