Empowering teachers and students for a safer learning environment

Braylon picked up the chair and threw it across the room, shouting “Why did she have to die?” It was almost Mother’s Day and his emotions about his mom’s death got the best of him as we sat in our morning circle to check in on how each of us was doing. I gave Braylon, who said he was a “1” on our 1-5 wellness check-in scale, space and did what I could to calm the rest of the class. Later on that day, I asked the behavior specialist to come to my room and give my 6th graders a lesson on how to deal with death and grief.

As a parent of a son who struggled in school with behavioral issues, like social anxiety and impulsivity, I know that it is important for teachers to recognize triggers. After attending my son’s therapy sessions, I often sent his teachers information on which strategies were successful at home, so that everyone was on the same page. But I had no such information from Braylon’s parents and that day in my classroom, I felt helpless to truly support Braylon’s emotional needs.

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, in Arkansas one in six young people ages 6-17 experience a mental health disorder. In a recent survey by the National Education Association, worsening student behaviors is one of teachers’ biggest concerns. We must prioritize comprehensive mental health support within schools to improve student well-being and academic performance, beginning with training for educators.

According to the Arkansas LEARNS Act, schools should prioritize safety “by focusing on physical security, additional resource officers, mental health, and training to implement best practices.” Educators like me need to know how to recognize and respond to students’ mental health challenges by creating a safe and inclusive classroom, one in which students feel understood and supported. A yearly training for teachers would help us stay informed about mental health issues and strategies to de-escalate students in mental crisis.

School districts could provide initial training for all staff, including mental health awareness, understanding the basics of mental health, common disorders, and how these manifest in our students. Tips on how to recognize signs of distress should center on how teachers like me can identify early warning signs of mental health struggles, such as having clear, step-by-step procedures for handling mental emergencies, information on how trauma impacts learning and behavior, and strategies for creating a trauma-sensitive environment. If I am able to recognize when my students are in distress, I can take proactive steps to minimize disruptions and prevent crises, reducing classroom management challenges and fostering a more positive atmosphere for all students.

In addition to training, school districts must hire more mental health staff like counselors and behavior specialists who partner with external mental health professionals to support classroom teachers. With the resources and expertise this collaboration brings, schools can tailor strategies for individual student needs. Having a behavior specialist in my building enabled Braylon and my other students to feel supported emotionally, while giving me the opportunity to learn how to react in these situations. Having a mental health professional like this should not be the exception but the norm in all schools.

Finally, there must be strong communication systems in place between teachers and parents to support students at school and at home, both academically and emotionally. The communication between my son’s teachers and me helped me to feel comfortable sharing and discussing my son’s issues. It also helped my son because he was surrounded by a supportive community. The teacher-parent communications should focus on developing an emotional support plan for the student, with teachers and parents clearly communicating needs around accommodations, therapy options, or adjustments to academic workload.

Braylon graduated from high school and is working as a hospitality manager for a hotel company. He has found success, but his journey would not have been as difficult if we had been better equipped to provide holistic mental health support during Braylon’s formative education years. We owe it to today’s students to help them thrive in school so that their futures are bright.

Editor’s note: Kimberly Trotter is a Project Lead the Way teacher for 6th and 7th-grade students in Little Rock and a 2024-2025 Teach Plus Arkansas Policy Fellow.