VIEWS & OPINION


Better ways to think, study and live


Comment by ASH LUCHMUN, Audience & Content Manager, Innovation and Product at InterActive Pro


Life is stressful, in many ways. At any point in our lives, we might be exposed to stress, anxiety and issues that we don’t know how to identify, let alone deal with. This is also the case for students taking on a years-long experience away from home, subject to academic and social dynamics. As bombarded as we are with numbers, data and research, some of


these are important to understand within the context. According to a Unihealth survey, 8 out of 10 students experience stress and anxiety, with almost half of them (45%) having feelings of depression. Three- quarters of students don’t actually ask for help simply because they don’t know where to find it, are embarrassed to ask about it, or think that it is a waste of time. But our health, whether it is in our minds or in our bodies is


important to discuss, share and understand. When it came to their studies, they actually found 1 in 5 students didn’t feel supported by their university and felt they were not prepared. Unfortunately, mental health services are failing to support students


at this critical time. They are calling for urgent action so that national and local government, schools, colleges, the NHS and universities join up their services. However far this is from the ideal situation we need, we can all take some action of our own to re-dress this balance. Mental health is a real issue affecting real people, raising public concern across the world; not just because of the causes and long-term


effects on people, society and countries as a whole, but also because it is silent. And, because of this, it is important that we talk about it freely and openly, as if we were talking about falling over and scraping our knees. If we plot the journey of life, being at the start of your educational


life as a student certainly exposes us to areas that affect the health of our minds. We might be within a certain age bracket, where expectations are thrust upon us not just from our families, but from friends and acquaintances. In education, we will tend to look at our peers and judge ourselves


against them, adding additional stress when we try to understand how well we should be performing. We also have coursework deadlines, exams, trying to juggle work with other commitments. All of this adds to the pressure of trying to achieve! You may find that working with others might create feelings of


sudden anxiety, since you'll meet people with different views and opinions. On the positive side, we can develop ways of understanding others and opening up ourselves to new possibilities. This can then give us the courage to try and dampen anxiety in positive ways. Overall, well-being is of utmost importance, and when beginning on


the path of learning that leads into higher education, it is important to prioritize good mental health, which will become a good and valuable foundation for the rest of your life.


Bullying – is “restorative justice” the answer? Comment by FELICIA JACKSON, Chair of The Learn2Think Foundation


That bullying is a problem in schools is clear. What’s less clear is if current policies and practices are helping to solve that problem. Most schools today have strong anti-bullying policies but there are times when nice words are simply that, words. What matters is the action that is taken to address the problem, and the impact it has on those it involves. The challenge is that a policy is one thing but policies don’t always play out


on the ground. What to do when a problem is systemic but treated as an isolated incident? What to do when the situation is he said, she said? What if children are too scared to speak up, or their parents don’t want any trouble? How can you know what actions to take? Are frightened children supposed to become detectives, with schools insisting on ‘proof’ or refusing to listen. While it is vital that children should not be unfairly accused of bullying, it’s


equally important that those who have experienced bullying are treated as if that experience matters, and that they are being heard. Our children need to be taught that it’s not OK to pass the buck, or assign blame to someone else – they need to learn the importance of taking responsibility for actions and their consequences. Bulllying involves action but it also involves inaction. Who stood up and


took a stand, who let bad behaviour go because it wasn’t coming at them? We need to teach children that we can work together to solve problems – and the way in which bullying is handled sends messages to all the children it affects. One of the most potentially damaging issues is perhaps that of defining


July/August 2018


children as bullies or victims. Those that bully usually have other problems, at home, with self-confidence, with how they have been taught to address problems. Those who are bullied are made to feel helpless and disempowered. Most of all it’s a system which points fingers at individuals, rather than addressing the systemic problems behind the behaviour in the first place. There are other ways in which bullying behaviour can be addressed and


one of these is to take the idea of restorative justice and support children in solving their problems themselves. As Jenni Newcombe, founder of The MindTrust says, “The restorative justice idea is quite simple: those who have been harmed are able to convey the impact of harm to those responsible; those responsible acknowledge this impact and then take steps to put it right. In order to use the methods and skills, it is important for those involved to practice (learn) these and to understand the principals for both prevention and for resolution when conflict results in harm.” The purpose of restorative justice is to provide a practical and effective


approach for resolving conflict. It can be used by all members of the school —it’s not just for children. Learning the skills and principals of restorative practice are essential tools for life. It is effective in not only helping to mend relationships but also in building respect, improve thinking and problem- solving skills, and to foster effective interpersonal skills. These are all the tools that we should be equipping our children with as human beings, and they should certainly lie at the heart of education.


www.education-today.co.uk 23


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