I got my certificate in the Everyday Anxiety Strategies for Educators (EASE) program that is offered in British Columbia. This was a four-hour course that taught me a lot of useful tips and tools that I can use when teaching that will help with a wide range of mental health strategies. By taking this course, I got useful information that will help me with anxiety management and resilience-building resources for students in K-12. Taking this course has also taught me strategies to use when it comes to addressing the thoughts, feelings, and behaviours of students who are dealing with anxiety. This program has helped me understand the concept of setting the stage for success for my students. This involves creating the environment in the classroom and learning about my students’ worries. I learned that I can use strategies such as calm breathing exercises, mindful exercises, and movement breaks which will help diminish the students’ worries. Through this exploration and the use of materials, this program is thoughtfully designed to support the social learning, emotional learning, as well as mental health of the educators. What I thought was super amazing was that this course also complements the First Peoples Principles of Learning, and it is adapted so that this course also applies to Indigenous perspectives and aspects that align information that is easily and readily understandable. What really stood out to me while taking this course was the iceberg analogy that is shown in the image below. What we see above the water line is the behaviour that is shown to us, and everyone else that is in the room. But what we don’t see is what is below the waterline which is students’ thoughts and feelings. I think that this photo brings up many real-life situations that may occur in the classroom if a condition has not been addressed. Overall, I think that this is a very informative course that provides many useful tools for me to use as a future educator.
Iceberg Analogy