Supporting the Whole School

One of the state committees that I found myself on this year is the Whole Child Committee. It is a group built of mental and physical health professionals, school support coordinators, policy leaders and K-12 educators. The goal is to guide policy related to all of the non-instructional needs that students face today. If you're thinking that encompasses a lot of things, you'd be right. I had an opportunity to speak yesterday to the group about issues that I currently see related to this need. In Greene County we are more fortunate than most in this area despite our economic status and rural designation. Having access to physical and mental health providers on campus is a huge deal. But even with the access that we have, it somehow never seems like enough. So after bragging about all that we have, I reminded the panel that this is a tough time of year for several reasons. Students needing access to our health providers, specifically mental health providers, often don't have the same level of access due to all of the other students that are currently being treated. There simply are not enough resources to match the needs. So when students need to talk to someone, they often turn to teachers instead. They trust us as people that care about them, are willing to listen to them, and as someone that can provide advice for them. And while that is an amazing relationship to have, it also has it's limits. When students regularly disclose their mental health needs to teachers, the impact comes in the form of secondary trauma. We mentally and emotionally carry the burdens of children that disclose them to us. And because we would never turn a student away, those pile up on us on top of the regular stresses that come with the job. Too often in the time of negotiating policy and budgets, education people can only see direct impacts on themselves. But right now, I think that one of the best things that we can do to support teachers is to provide students with the mental and physical wellbeing that they need. Supposrting the whole child really means supporting the whole school, you and I included.