In the last 5 out of 14 years that I have been teaching, I have observed a significant rise in levels of anxiety and depression among my students. It seems year after year I have more students succumb to serious and debilitating episodes, causing them to miss school for a variety of mental-health reasons and leading many to drop out of rigorous programs designed to enrich their learning, not stifle their education.
It is not unusual to have one student every year decide they don’t want to deal with the stress of honors/AP/IB level courses, but to have several students in increasing numbers every year face debilitating panic attacks, practice self-harm or even contemplate suicide – the rise seemed extraordinary.
I am not alone in noting this rise: in December 2015, Hanna Rosen wrote about the rise in teen suicides in the Silicon Valley for The Atlantic Monthly, and in November 2016, Time Magazine featured “Anxiety, Depression, and the American Adolescent” on its cover. While many of the root causes appear to be beyond one person’s control – those which are social, cultural, or even political in nature – one area of teen life is consistently referenced as a contributing factor: school.
As a reflective educator, I have considered how my curriculum, instruction, and classroom management might contribute to anxiety unnecessarily. As one who has suffered from her own episodes of depression and anxiety, I recognized the need for support for these students, in my case high-achieving and usually driven (if not pushed) individuals who have their sights on big futures. Although I have always been intentional in making my instruction, assignments, and assessments as fair, engaging, and meaningful as possible, I couldn’t help but feel what I had been doing wasn’t enough to stave off the growing problem.
In 2015 I began to look for more direct and effective ways to mitigate, reduce and even help prevent the slide that happens to more and more teens every year. About 18 months ago, I was introduced to the work of Martin Seligman and the University of Pennsylvania’s collaboration with a prestigious private school in Australia, where the concepts of positive psychology were integrated with the curriculum. Teachers were trained in ways to educate the whole child, to instruct well-being along with academics.
Shortly thereafter, I stumbled upon IPEN: the International Positive Education Network (http://www.ipositive-education.net/ ), a related group dedicated to helping students flourish: “People flourish when they experience a balance of positive emotions, engagement with the world, good relationships with others, a sense of meaning and moral purpose, and the accomplishment of valued goals. The aim of positive education is to equip young people with the knowledge and life skills to flourish and contribute to the flourishing of others” (IPEN Manifesto Mission Statement).
In July 2016, IPEN held its first “Festival of Positive Education”, a conference which featured the who’s who of this new and growing movement. I attended with a colleague of mine, a psychology teacher who shares many of the same students and who noticed many of the same trends. Together we experienced one of the most transformational conferences – personally and professionally – that we’ve ever attended. In addition to Martin Seligman, keynote speeches were given by authors, researchers, and film makers such as Angela Duckworth, Sean Achor, and Tiffany Shlain. Topics discussed included Growth Mindset, Resilience, Grit, Happiness, Strengths, and Character: the—all aspects largely missing from our current educational structures.
According to Shawn Achor, Harvard-educated “happiness researcher” and author of The Happiness Advantage, it takes 21 days to begin to rewire the brain. In his keynote address (which largely echoes an earlier, enlightening TEDTalk (2011)), Achor argued that our culture’s approach to happiness is backwards. We think we’ll be happy after we accomplish our goals, as an end to be achieved after all the hard work. However, whenever we meet our goals, the goal post moves and we need the next goal, which in essence pushes happiness “over the cognitive horizon” such that happiness is never found, only pursued. Instead, Achor’s research demonstrates that our brains function significantly better in a reversed formula: find happiness now, success will follow.
Furthermore, Achor’s research found that we can rewire the brain to work more optimistically and more successfully by dedicating a mere two minute span of time 21 days in a row. He offers 5 research-based practices that help rewire the brain: 3 gratitudes, journaling, exercise, meditation, and acts of kindness.
On our return from the “Festival”, my colleague and I were determined share what we learned with colleagues and to put it to work in classrooms as quickly as possible. We put together a workshop for teachers, introducing them to some of the concepts we’d gathered from the conference and from our knowledge of positive psychology in education. We piloted a 21-day wellness practice, where we invited teachers to practice one aspect of well-being each day for 21 days. We offered the same wellness workshop to our Associated Student Government class, asking them to consider how we can focus on our strengths, maximize the “happiness advantage”, and spread awareness of simple ways to improve positivity and well-being. I began hosting a weekly yoga class for teachers, held in my room after school. And we planned ways to integrate what we learned into our curriculum and instructional practices.
In another post, I’ll outline what I did in my classroom, what students thought, and what I plan to do in the coming school year. Suffice it to say, I know this movement is onto something. Not only have my students benefited from the focus on their well-being, but I have noticed a significant shift in my own ability to stave off burnout and depression. I find the bright side and find it easier to accept those things I cannot change.
