It's Back to School Time

Megan, thanks for bringing up the topic of stress and asking helpful questions that invite others to share practices that have proven effective in reducing anxiety, especially during the start of the new year. What responses do you readers have to any or all of the questions?   It is well known that we humans stress over change even when we know that the change is beneficial. We believe that is easier to stay where we are even if that position keeps us in a negative environment. Look at stats relating to abuse!    In adult ed, students face great stress when they enter our programs throughout the year. In seeking help, they face the stress of failing and facing the "ghosts" of their past, as Megan put it . They face the stress of performing in front of others. They face the stress of meeting obligations over taking drugs or spending time with friends and family, as negative as those experiences might be to some.    My suggestions for students? Talk about how stress happens during intake or during initial class experiences when classes run year around. Help students recognize what is happening inside. Give examples and case studies. Initiate guided discussions. Ask for student input. Of course, reading and writing provide ideal tools for helping students come to terms with stress and anxiety. One writing topic that always revealed a lot to me was to have students write about their most embarrassing/fearful experience. The reports were incredibly revealing and opened wonderful avenues for discussion. In my opinion, talking about fears can be very therapeutic, and reading about anxiety and stress caused by fears can encourage excellent reflection and healing. I have read that often our students don't write well, not because they can't write but because they don't connect to the topics we give them. Writing about stress is certainly a familiar topic to them.   My suggestions for instructors? Provide inviting ways to welcome instructors back to "work." Humans love community. Provide ways for teachers to reconnect in fun and supportive ways, starting with food, of course! :) (Same for students!) Don't get too serious too fast. Play, reconnect, support, and reward right off the bat! For programs that have open enrollment throughout the year, do the same on a regular basis, maybe even monthly. I would call it Teacher Play Day! For programs that don't provide that opportunity, maybe teachers themselves could take roles in launching the event!   In the Professional Development LINCS community, Kathy Tracey posted very interesting information and links on the Customer Centered Design Approach to Service Delivery, which relates a lot of this topic. The Approach suggests dealing with the stress faced by clients prior to addressing job services by using "empathy and emotion" to better develop services. Perhaps the same would apply to working with our students prior to diving into job training or academics in our programs.    Readers here, what do you think? Leecy