Pandemic stress has affected students and teachers in more ways than one – more students have reported experiencing anxiety and isolation amid an uncertain COVID-19 landscape while teachers’ mental health has suffered too. How can schools better support student and teacher well-being? Mdm Koh Seok Hwee, Lead Teacher (Learning Needs) from St. Anthony’s Canossian Secondary School, shares what her school’s approach is to well-being.

Cultivating a Feedback-Rich Culture

“At SACSS, we strive to be a ‘happy’ school where staff and students look forward to coming every day,” Mdm Koh Seok Hwee from St. Anthony’s Canossian Secondary School (SACSS) shares. “We do so by empowering teachers and students to make the school a better place for working and learning.”

The school, however, acknowledges that the evolving COVID-19 situation in Singapore has seen more students with increased signs of mental stress and fatigue. The demands brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic have also increased the workload and stress of teachers.

To tackle these challenges, SACSS sees value in regularly seeking feedback from staff and students. The school’s Year Head team conducts regular wellness surveys with the students. From there, SACSS form teachers, who have undergone training on positive education, can identify students who show symptoms of poor mental health and provide early intervention.

“Additionally, as a Catholic school, we are privileged to have nuns who offer emotional support to both students and staff,” she remarks. “The nuns speak to students during their recess time and keep a lookout for students who are alone or seem unhappy. Staff may also turn to the nuns for support and advice when needed.”

A Safe Space to Share

Raising awareness of mental health issues and equipping students with the necessary skills to manage themselves are crucial in bolstering the psychological resilience of students. When students know more about the various mental health conditions, they are able to seek help early if they are experiencing mental health struggles themselves or observe it in their peers.

“The conversation on mental health need not be heavy and awkward,” Seok Hwee states. “An interesting way we found to encourage our students to talk openly about this topic was by screening an online musical ‘The Monster in the Mirror’. It deals with mental health issues among teenagers, and allows us to open up a safe space where our students can discuss what it means to have ‘monsters’ in their head.”

“One thing to note,” she continues, “is that we often assume that students will naturally acquire the right skills and knowledge to navigate through life as they grow older. This is unfortunately not always the case. Those with poor executive function skills, such as organizational, planning or time management skills, for example, may often face anxiety and stress when dealing with task completion.”

To help students improve their overall well-being, SACSS makes it a point to share with the students important self-management and self-care skills such as improving executive function skills, knowing when and how to seek help, the responsible use of electronic gadgets and stress management.

Peer Support is Important

While support from the school and teachers is important, peer support is equally vital. Thus, Seok Hwee shares, SACSS provides student leaders with the essential skills to help identify and support classmates who may be facing challenges. As part of their leadership training programme, all student leaders are also trained in active listening and peer support.

“Our Student Council has been instrumental in helping to support their fellow students,” she notes. “This also extends to digital well-being. For instance, some students may start comparing themselves to their peers based on what they see on social media, and this may lower their self-esteem. We hope to equip students with the necessary skills to navigate the cyberspace landscape safely.”

As part of a school-wide cyber wellness initiative, the Student Council has conceptualized the “SAC Cares” programme. Some of their activities include encouraging their schoolmates to share uplifting notes on social media as well as organizing a school-wide bingo game, played over the PA system. The latter, Seok Hwee remarks, certainly helped lightened the mood in the school and put a smile on everyone’s faces.

Safeguarding the Well-Being of All

To ensure well-being for both students and teachers, Seok Hwee suggests that as a start, schools should find out what their staff’s needs are and try to meet them – highlighting the need to exercise flexibility when offering support to different personnel. She also encourages teachers to celebrate successes – even those that may seem small, like a note of appreciation from a parent.

“We should recognize that we must first help ourselves before we can help others,” she advises. “Teachers need to prioritize self-care no matter how busy they are. Like the saying goes, you can’t pour from an empty cup. No well-being programme for students will be successful if it is run by stressed-out teachers.”