Dealing With Anxiety in the Classroom

1. Dealing With Anxiety in the Classroom Presented by Colleen Daugherty Our Lady of the Presentation Inclusion Specialist Email: cdaugherty@olpls.org February 19, 2019

3. Objectives of this Session • Prevalence among students • Recognise triggers that can cause anxiety • Recognize signs and symptoms of anxiety • Strategies to manage anxiety

4. Anxiety by Age https://www.cdc.gov/childrensmentalhealth/data.html

5. WHAT IS ANXIETY? • Type of fear or strong feeling about a situation • Thought of a threat or something which may go wrong in the future • Causes fright and uncertainty • Lasts a short time or can be prolonged • Can affect our ability to eat, sleep, concentrate, travel, leave the house, go to school and work • Can interfere with our enjoyment and take over our lives our life and control thoughts and behaviours

6. Why do we get anxious? • Social Stresses • Teachers • Friends • Bullies • Over scheduling • Lack of Family Time • Not Enough Sleep • Work That is Too Hard/Too Easy • Learning Style Mismatch • Homework Problems • Test Anxiety ………………...Just to name a few

7. Brain Break

8. Social Stressors Many kids experience some level of stress or anxiety in social situations they encounter in school. • compete for a teacher’s attention. • They also work collaboratively and competitively with peers at different times of the year as friendships solidify or retract. • social awkwardness ranging from shyness to a true disability with understanding conversation and body language.

9. Teachers A good experience with a caring teacher can cause a lasting impression on a child's life—so can a bad experience. • While most teachers do their best to provide students with a positive educational experience, some students are better suited for certain teaching styles and classroom types than others.

10. Friends While most students would say that friends are one of their favorite aspects of school, they can also be a source of stress.

11. Bullies Things have changed in the world of bullies. The good news is that the days of teachers looking the other way and parents leaving kids to deal with bullying on their own are mostly over.

12. Over-Scheduling Much has been said in the media lately about the over-scheduling of our kids, but the problem still continues.

13. Lack of Family Time Due in part to the busyness of kids’ lives and the hectic schedules of most parents, the sit-down family dinner has become the exception rather than the rule in many households.

14. Not Enough Sleep Unfortunately, this isn't just a problem that adults face. As schedules pack up with homework, extracurriculars, family time and (hopefully) some down time each day, kids often get less sleep than they need.

15. Work is Too Easy Just as it can be stressful to handle a heavy and challenging workload, some children can experience stress from work that isn't difficult enough.

16. Learning Style Mismatch You may already know that there are different styles of learning—some learn better by listening, others retain information more efficiently if they see the information written out, and still, others prefer learning by doing.

17. Test Anxiety Many of us experience test anxiety, regardless of whether or not we're prepared for exams.

18. Works Too Hard There's a lot of pressure for kids to learn more and more and at younger ages than in past generations.

19. Anxiety in Children

20. Strategies to Implement • Have predictable schedules and routines • Manage your environment-seating • Provide a break space • Flexible seating • Fidgets • Teach mindfulness and relaxation • Music • Brain breaks

21. Yoga-Cosmic Kids

22. Be POSITIVE • Praise your child for “brave” behaviours, such as trying new things, being kind to others, and facing scary situations. Give them specific feedback e.g. “I liked the way you….. • Try to share a “happy thing” that happened that day. It can be something big or small! This encourages focussing on the positive. • Validate your students emotions.

25. Student’s Want • Consistency • An empathetic teacher • To learn successfully • To be recognized • To be held accountable

26. In Closing…. • Making a positive difference in the lives of students is what makes teaching most rewarding. While helping students become academically strong is a top priority, helping them become socially and emotionally strong is just as important.

29. Websites CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/childrensmentalhealth/data.html Youtube: Cosmic kids