Mental health is an issue that’s getting more attention these day, and deservedly so! As the day-to-day stresses of life can get to us all, it can be extremely hard on our children. In fact, kids can suffer from both anxiety and depression, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
To address the mental health of kids today, one teacher created a brilliant system for her classroom kids.
Erin Castillo began teaching special education about six years ago. She is also married and has a son, as well as a beagle, named Kyla. She enjoys “being crafty, watching Netflix, and getting outside for a hike or a walk.”
Castillo created a “Mental Health Check In” poster that includes sections for “I’m Great,” “I’m Okay,” “I’m Meh,” “I’m Struggling,” “I’m Having a Hard Time and Wouldn’t Mind a Check-In,” and “I’m in a really dark place.” The poster is hung on the classroom wall with instructions for students to “Grab a Post-It, write your name on the back, and place it next to the heart that matches your feelings.”
Castillo then checks in with the students who post their note in the two bottom sections: “I’m Having a Hard Time and Wouldn’t Mind a Check-In,” and “I’m in a really dark place.” Those in the “I’m Struggling” section are instructed to talk with another adult or try to work through the issue themselves.
“I … like that students could visually see that they aren’t alone in their struggles. It was a beautiful minimum day focusing on self-care and mental health,” Castillo said on her Instagram page after putting up the poster.
Castillo was inspired to make the poster for her students after seeing a digital version for teachers online. And the new mental health poster had an immediate impact.
“I was able to start some check-ins today, and holy cow these kids. I love them. My heart hurts for them. High school is rough sometimes, but I was happy that a few were given a safe space to vent and work through some feelings,” Castillo said.
Castillo now offers the “Mental Health Check In” poster for free to those who’d like to download a PDF. You can find the free poster here. Other teachers thought the charts were great and started using them in their own classrooms
https://www.instagram.com/p/BvqL1BKhuhw/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
“I have taken my classroom anchor chart and created a digital version that allows you to print it out as a poster to be used in your own classroom! Along with this poster are detailed instructions approved by my school psychologist and a school counselor. Please be sure to carefully read these as this is a delicate subject,” Castillo said.
The poster is also available in many other languages, including German, Korean, Romanian, Russian, and Spanish.
Castillo’s inspirational teaching process doesn’t stop there. She also has many other mental-health boards that she uses in her own classroom. She created “A Better You Interactive Bulletin Board” to help students who struggle with managing stress, as well as maintaining relationships.
It also helps students focus on how to put themselves first. The board focuses on those three categories “by giving them an affirmation to say to themselves and providing a strategy to improve that area.”
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What’s great about these bulletin boards is that you could even customize them to use at home with your own kids. It’s a great way to stay in touch with your kids are feeling on a daily basis.
