Educational Blogging: What I Have Learned

On the surface, the purpose and meaning behind an educational blog seems obvious. An educational blog is a blog that is written about education or for educational purposes. Despite the simple definition provided above, educational blogging can fulfill a much deeper purpose for both the educators and the students involved. Educational blogging provides students and teachers with educational support. For students, as stated by NSU Florida, blogging assignments can help improve critical thinking, self-expression, and writing skills. For teachers, educational blogging promotes communication between teachers as well as an opportunity for the teachers to develop their own skills. 

While reading some of the blogs of my peers, a came across some really important ideas pertaining to the educational field. For example, Amanda Fintak wrote about the benefits of smaller classrooms and the ability of teachers who teach in those classrooms to provide students with more individualized attention. She noted that allowing teachers to teach in smaller classrooms would be more expensive, but that the amount of attention that each student would be able to receive in a smaller classroom would be well worth it. I also learned a lot from Katie Kee's blog concerning virtual learning in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, Katie addressed the ways that she was forced to learn and adapt during the pandemic, and how those lessons will stay with her and benefit her throughout her educational career. Lastly, Joe Ogle wrote about the controversial topic of standardized testing. I found his writing to be very interesting and educational, especially the information he gave about the inconsistencies that are prominent between what teachers are actually teaching in the classroom versus the material that is involved in standardized tests. Ogle's statement that "work ethic and interest carry more weight than the scores a student gets on a test" really impacted the way that I think about standardized tests and whether or not they are an accurate predictor of the future success of a student. 

In my experience writing blog posts this semester, I have been encouraged to research topics related to the educational field that I may have not associated with education previously. Through writing blog posts, I have engaged with new material that I would not have naturally sought out. I have been inspired throughout this semester to continue learning and expanding my knowledge of the educational field as a whole. 

Social Justice in Education

The term social justice encompasses the ways in which the inequalities that we see between individuals, as well as between whole groups of people, impacts the day to day lives of those individuals or groups. The view of of individuals who strive for social justice is that all individuals deserve the same rights and access to opportunities. For example, a common social justice issue would be the ways in which gender can affect an individual's access to certain resources, jobs, etc. While social justice issues are important, the connection between social justice and education may not be automatically visible to many people. How can an idea as broad as social justice be relevant to the educational setting? In addition to this question, we must also ask ourselves, after we have connected social justice to education, how can we apply what we have learned to education in a useful and transformative way? 

We can define social justice as being a force or movement that strives for equality for all individuals. Applied to the educational setting, this means treating all of the students whom we encounter equally, regardless of gender, race, sexual orientation, or economic status. In providing equal support to all of our students, we can help those students feel safe and stable in their learning environment. In treating all of our students with respect across the board, we also model respectful behaviors for our students. Another way that we can apply social justice concepts to the educational setting is by acknowledging that the social circumstances of an individual can affect their ability to access education. As educators who understand the impact that education can have on the lives of individuals, it is important that we strive for equal access to free, public education for all students. Through access to education, students go on to become important contributors to our economy and society as a whole. By ensuring access to quality public education, teachers have the ability to contribute to the growth of responsible, respectful, educated citizens.       

LGBTQ+ Students

Today, LGBTQ+ issues are politicized from every angle. Because of the constant arguments and legislative conversations pertaining to this topic, it is easy to dismiss LGBTQ+ issues within the education system as being trendy, but not vitally important. However, there is an aspect of the LGBTQ+ community that can easily become lost in the political noise: the students who identify as LGBTQ+. Students who identify with the LGBTQ+ community have been found to have higher rates of stress associated with school than their non-LGBTQ+ peers. These feelings are brought about by higher rates of bullying. This harassment can come in many different forms including name calling and even physical violence. Because students who are forced to deal with the stress that being the victim of a bully causes are generally more likely to drop out of school, skip school more often, and have low self-esteem, we know that LGBTQ+ students are more likely to experience these educational difficulties. 

Now the question remains: what do we do with this knowledge and information surrounding the experiences of LGBTQ+ students in schools? It is important for educators to strive to create a safe learning environment for all students, including LGBTQ+ students. In order for educators to provide these safe spaces and support the students, the educators must themselves be supported. Educators need to be provided with educational resources and training pertaining to dealing with and potentially stopping bullying and harassment in schools. For example, the Center For Disease Control provides a list of resources for teachers specifically related to the emotional and academic support of LGBTQ+ students who may be facing adverse situations at school. Access to information and resources is vital in order for educators, school administrators, and school counselors to provide appropriate support and assistance to every student who walks through their door. Let us not forget to include every type of student in our pursuit to provide a safe and effective learning environment in our schools.   

Mental Health Care in Education: An Overview

The phrase "mental health" describes an individual's emotional and psychological well-being. A person's mental health can impact their daily life including how they think, how they feel, and how they interact with those around them. Given that individuals are perpetually thinking, feeling, and acting, it is clear that mental health is a relevant and crucial factor in the overall health of individuals. Mental health issues, such as depression, have even been linked to physical health conditions as well as low graduation rates. Keeping the importance of good mental health in mind, as well as the related physical health issues that can arise for those with poor mental health, it makes sense that mental health would be a relevant issue in the field of education. 

Schools have increasingly become a common safe space for students to receive mental health services, such as counseling. Since kids spend the majority of both their days and weeks in the school building, it is understandable that the mental health of students has become an important subject in K-12. With the the majority of children's time being spent in the classroom as well as the school building in general, the reliance of students on thew support of teachers and staff is to be expected. In addition to school counselors providing important support and guidance to students, teachers can also play an important role in providing emotional support to their students. In my experience, teachers often become an unofficial pillar of emotional support in the lives of many of their students. The consistent presence of teachers in the lives of many students is oftentimes the most consistent positive relationship that some students have with an adult. The public school system seems to be the ideal setting in which to provide children with different types of mental health services. However, it is important to remember that, although schools are uniquely suited to providing students with mental health service and support, the right training and resources are still needed in order for these services to have the desired positive impact on the students who receive them. 

In addition to professional training, we need to remember to support those who support the students: teachers, counselors, and other school staff members. In order to provide students with the proper amount of support and services, increasing the number of school counselors, psychologists, etc. compared to the number of students that they serve would benefit both the students and the adults involved in this process. Increasing the involvement of the parents of students in their education process could be one of many ways in which the educational system could provide support, not only for the students, but for the teachers and school staff as well. The promotion of parent involvement, as well as a shift in focus to personal outcomes for every student, represent ways in which we might see the educational setting approach the mental health of the students who attend these schools.  

 

As we as a society become more open to acknowledging the importance of mental health, the dialogue surrounding mental health continues to grow and expand. In recent years, the topic of mental health has become more and more normalized. Through more open, honest discussions about mental health, the overall awareness of the impact that mental health can have on an individual's physical wellbeing continues to spread. As we learn more about how to support the mental health of individuals in all settings and provide those individuals with the appropriate mental health services, we must continue to keep the field of education front of mind as a vital pillar in supporting good mental health for today's students.