5 Tips for Teaching Self-Awareness and Rethinking Priorities

Given the trauma experienced through the pandemic, our society is more open to discussing mental health than ever. The topic is trending on Twitter regularly, is featured on morning shows weekly, and is the biggest concern in education for students and teachers alike. What do we do with this fresh revelation of the connection between body, mind, and heart? Let’s talk about 5 Tips for Teaching Self-Awareness and Rethinking Priorities.

As an educator and a mom, I have regularly asked my children and students this question: How’s your heart today? More often than not, they are taken by surprise. Sometimes they inquire with a puzzled look, “What do you mean?” Other times they dismiss me with a huff and a shrug, “Fine.” My goal in asking this is to spark reflection and conversation. More often than not, kids will ponder the question even if they don’t articulate a response. 

Self-awareness is knowing your strengths and weaknesses; knowing and understanding how you feel.

In 2015, Disney released a movie called Inside Out that chronicles the life of a young girl forced to move across the country with her parents depicting all of the emotions accompanying that type of big change. The main characters in the girl’s head are Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust, and Sadness – the five core human emotions. As a result of this film, children, parents, and caregivers have a visual reference and a vocabulary to express their feelings. For younger children, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood has been a fun and engaging show that provides similar tools for dealing with anxiety and other emotions. No matter how old we are, when we can label what we are feeling, we can process it healthily rather than acting out dysregulated.

One of the most important things to communicate to children is that it is okay to feel how we feel. Feelings are guideposts. What we do with those feelings can be right or wrong. For example, it’s okay to feel angry because your parents are getting a divorce. It’s not okay to hurt yourself, destroy property, or hurt others when angry.

Emotions can seem overwhelming, and they can sometimes cloud our vision, keeping us from seeing the next best step. That’s why it’s imperative that we teach kids to identify what is going on in their heads and hearts so they can make wise choices about what they do and say.

Tips for teaching children about self-awareness:

1. Prioritize connection. – Set aside regular time to talk with students about how they are doing. This can be during homeroom, advisory, or desk chats.

2. Offer an emotion wheel. – Provide a visual. Talk through what emotions look on our faces or feel in our bodies. 

3. Journal or draw. – Play some classical music and allow students to free write or draw for 15-20 minutes. Creativity provides a healthy outlet for big emotions.

4. Ask questions. – Whether in conversation or due to students sharing their creative work, dig deeper with questions, such as “Can you tell me more about that?”.

5. Listen. – Sometimes, the best thing is to be there without giving advice.

One of the gifts of the pandemic is that it has allowed us to slow down and re-think our priorities. Ensuring our students are healthy in body, mind, and spirit is preeminent.

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