Why is it a Big Mistake to Label Kids?

By Anthony L. Hubbard

We have all been through high school. As a junior, we are sure you remember the fellow student in your class who was always glancing up at the clock. You might have caught yourself wondering – “Is he anxious to get to work?” “Does he want to go smoke a cigarette?” “Is he waiting to leave the classroom?” Would your perception change if you knew that the student was being assigned to an alternative school where students who were “at-risk” of not graduating were being sent? Would it change if you found out that he just got accepted into a prestigious college?

Look closely at the above example. Firstly, you are making an attribution about the student’s cause of behavior. Secondly, you are implicitly considering the characteristics of the person exhibiting the behavior. Thirdly, the descriptions that are provided about the student sets in motion a host of beliefs and stereotypes about the causes of the said behavior. This should give you a fair idea of the kind of negative impact that can be caused by labeling students as “at-risk”. 

Effects of an academic label on attributions

Attributions are made because they are convenient cues and the human brain is primed to follow the path of least cognitive stress. However, the subtle cascading effect of negative labeling is something that we should better acquaint ourselves with. Let us take an example. How many times have you found yourself in a situation where someone put you down unfairly and it just threw you off your rhythm for the rest of the day? We’d venture to guess that it has happened at least once in the last two months. Now imagine if that were to happen on a daily basis. Just think about what that would do to your morale? 

Behavioral psychologists have a term called the Pygmalion effect, which refers to a phenomenon where higher expectations lead to an increase in performance. The more we expect from our kids, the more motivated they are to live up to the expectation. SO, it is always for the better to call them out on their strengths instead of admonishing them for their weaknesses. Worse still, if we categorize children by their family’s income bracket, ethnicity or special education needs, then we are making the assumption that the child has a deficit. How would you feel if you were called an ‘at-risk’ educator because you failed to reach out to a kid?

Labeling faux pas educators should strive to avoid

• Never discuss children in front of other children or parents. They listen to and understand a lot more than we realize.

• Comment on their behavior, not on their character. For instance, it is always better to say “Lisa, you have put a lot of hard work into your art project” instead of saying “Lisa, you are a great artist”. 
• Never use labeling as a motivational or a behavioral tool. You cannot motivate an overweight kid to exercise by calling him fat. Similarly, you cannot get them to perform better by calling them stupid. 

• Encourage kids to explore all kinds of activities. They should never be limited in their opportunities just because it does not fit our ideas of what their weaknesses or strengths are. 

What are educators missing out on?

If we want our mental health and education systems, which should be operating in collaboration, to better serve our diverse and multicultural youth population, we must make sure that they are adapted to be culturally responsive, strength-based and youth-centered. 

A lot of the time, educators fail to take into account that most kids from underprivileged urban areas beat some really great odds to show up to school. From lack of parental support to growing up in tough neighborhoods without enough money, they go through a lot every single day of their lives. They must be encouraged for braving their daily ordeals instead of being put down for not living up to the standardized set of rules and behavior. Labeling them as delinquents, at-risk or hopeless is not doing anybody any good. It does not give us or the student a better understanding of the situation.

You need to put yourself in the shoes of those kids. For them, the microaggressions they face in the classroom is not very different from what they have to face in their daily interactions. It creates a hostile and invalidating climate in the school campus, perpetuates the stereotype threat, assails their mental health and affects the problem solving abilities and the academic productivity of the kids. 

How can we reduce instances of microaggressions in the classroom?

Racial ignoring and racial spotlighting are two of the most common instances of racial microaggressions. Racial ignoring is when students of color do not receive any recognition or acknowledgment by the white students or teachers. Racial spotlighting is when these same students frequently find themselves being the object of uninvited attention, like when they are asked to give their opinion on racial matters just because they are a part of that racial group. It happens more often than most teachers would like to let on. 

To make a difference, educators need to be more self-aware of their own conduct in the class. As long as the microaggressions remain invisible, hidden, unspoken and excused as an innocent slight, people will continue to demean, insult, alienate and oppress the marginalized groups. It is up on the educators to make sure that they take every step to recognize and address instances of microaggressions when they see them. 

Mental Health in Urban Schools

Mental Health in Urban Schools

When it comes to the issue of mental health, urban schools have a lot of untapped strengths and assets which reside within the students and their families, the school staff and the community resources. Urban schools are ripe for exploration as we understand the importance of promoting a healthy emotional development and also because of the critical issues faced by students during the school year. Some of the students misbehave, some go through physical or sexual abuse, some of them are emotionally upset and others have difficulty getting along with their peers or adjusting to the school requirements. The central question behind any mental health approach should be – How can the schools engage these challenges?

What is it all about?

A lot of people think “mental illness” when they hear the term “mental health”. Others think it is all about counseling and therapy. But that isn’t the whole picture. Mental health is also about:

·      Instituting programs to promote emotional-social development, preventing the occurrence of psychological problems and enhancing the protective buffers and resiliency of students.

·      Providing services and programs to intervene as soon as behavior, learning and emotional problems are detected.

·      Supporting and nourishing the mental health of school staff and families.

·      Engaging in capacity building so that school staff can address the barriers encountered in learning.

·      Addressing the systemic issues which affect mental health, like high stakes testing and practices which lead to bullying, alienation and disengagement from any form of classroom learning.

·      Drawing on the empirical evidence to develop a multifaceted, cohesive and comprehensive continuum of community-school interventions to address the barriers to learning and promote a more holistic development.

What does the urban school system currently provide?

Most of the urban schools have some programs in place to address mental health and psychosocial concerns, like school adjustment, problems with attendance, dropouts, sexual and physical abuse, substance abuse, emotional upset, relationship difficulties, violence and delinquency. Some of them are funded by the schools themselves while others are a result of links with youth development agencies and community service. Some of the programs are district-wide while others are linked to specific schools. The intervention might be offered to all the students or those recognized as “at risk”. The recommended activities might be implemented in either regular or special-ed classrooms or even as a pull out program. They are designed either for an entire class, individuals or groups.

The personnel who assist with mental health concerns include “support services” or “pupil services” specialists, like counselors, psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers as well as a number of paraprofessionals. Most of them focus on the student as a problem or as having a problem.

The students and the staff who work in schools are a diverse bunch, They vary in gender, ethnicity, race, national origin, migration and refugee status and experiences, spirituality, religion, disability, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, language, communication modality, group identity, levels of assimilation/acculturation, developmental stages, workplace culture, lifestyle and family, and popular culture.

Interventions must consider the significant group and individual differences. The personnel must be competent enough to deal with diversity in their daily practice. Despite the range of activities, few schools have actually come close to having the adequate resources to deal with the complex mental health and psychosocial problems through the traditional responses.

What are the emerging trends?

The central problem is that activities that are related to mental health and psychosocial concerns are not given a high priority in schools. They gain visibility in the case of an event, like a student suicide, shooting on campus or an increase in the bullying of students. The efforts that are undertaken are developed in a piecemeal, ad hoc, and marginalized way. This has led to redundancy, fragmented approaches, and inadequate results.

Modern approaches focus on much more than the one-on-one interaction of the older models. It advocates a more comprehensive approach that strengthens the families, schools, students and the neighborhoods in ways that can maximize caring, learning and well-being. We need to fully integrate an agenda for mental health into the urban school framework.

Although one-on-one interactions with troubled students are effective and must be appreciated for the amount of clinical work put in by the counselors and psychologists, we need to focus on building better bridges so that we avoid problems even before they occur. However, many people still believe that education must be the primary concern of schools and mental health is not their business.

How can schools use the natural opportunities to improve the mental health of their students?  

We can group the natural opportunities available at schools for countering mental health and psychosocial problems into two major categories:

1.     Daily opportunities – Schools are a vibrant and active social milieu. Students get to interact with many of their peers and adults during the day. All the school staff, especially the teachers, must be trained in ways to make use of the encounters and minimize transactions which work against positive growth. Are students being instructed in ways that strengthen the development of interpersonal skills? Is their understanding of themselves and others getting better? Is sharing and cooperative learning promoted? Is the climate supportive, safe and caring? Are the interpersonal conflicts suppressed when they happen, or are they used as learning opportunities? Is every student given a role to be a positive helper in the school and the community at large? How safe do the staff and students feel when they are at school? Having metrics to answer each of these questions will be the right way to go forward.

2.     Yearly patterns – The beginning of a school year is a period of hope. As time progresses, a number of stressors emerge, from increasingly difficult homework assignments, interpersonal conflicts, and grading and testing pressures. Holidays, sports, social events, grade promotions and graduations give rise to additional stressors with their own developmental experiences. Having monthly themes to reduce the stress would be a great way to go.

a.     September – Get off to a good start.

b.     October – Enable adjustment to the school.

c.     November – Respond to referrals in a way that can actually stem the tide.

d.     December – Re-engage the students and use their time off in a way that will pay off.

e.     January – A time for a new start for everybody.

f.      February – The mid-point of the year accompanied by conferences and report cards. It presents another challenging opportunity.

g.     March – Reduce the stress and prevent burnouts.

h.    April – Springtime can be a period of high risk for the students.

i.      May – This is the time to help families and students plan for a successful transition to a new school/grade.

j.      June – Summer can be a great time for the kids to get a taste of the world of adults and learn to be independent by getting some seasonal work.

k.    July – Use the down time to plan for better ways in which everyone can work together to provide a better learning support.

l.      August – Develop ways by which you can avoid burnouts.

How can schools provide a mentally healthy living environment to their students?

Schools should be more proactive in developing a positive atmosphere for their students and staff. Literature advocates:

·      Providing a caring, welcoming and a more hopeful atmosphere.

·      Social support mechanisms for the staff and students.

·      Offering an array of options so that students can pursue their goals.

·      Meaningful participation by both the staff and students in decision making.

·      Changing the infrastructure of the classroom from a bigger set into a number of smaller units that are organized to maximize the intrinsic motivation of students for learning.

·      Providing instruction and responding to the problems in a more personalized way.

·      Using a number of strategies for addressing the problems as soon as they arise.

·      An attractive and healthy physical environment which is conducive to teaching and learning.

Every school needs a welcoming induction and continued support for creating a more positive sense of community. It will facilitate student and staff adjustment and performance. The strategies must be school-wide and must enable the students, staff, and families to positively interact with each other and identify with the school and its goals. 

References:

1.     https://www.epa.gov/schools/implementing-coordinated-school-health-guidelines

2.     http://www.maine.gov/education/mainecshp/tools/advocacy/practices.doc

3.     http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/dec09/vol67/num04/Coordinated-School-Health@-Getting-It-All-Together.aspx

4.     http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1207/s15326985ep3304_1

5.     http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/teaching-and-learning/promoting-student-success-through-collaboration/

6.     http://www.ocde.us/PBIS/Documents/Articles/Addressing%20Barriers%20to%20Learning.pdf

7.     http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/schoolsupport.htm

Poverty and Brain Development

How Does Growing up in Poverty Affect the Development of a Child's Brain

It wasn't long ago that scientists believed that the brain was a predictable organ with rigid confines, not that different from the liver or the lungs. They postulated that genetics pre-determine the learning ability, baseline intelligence and problem-solving capabilities of an individual.

However, with the latest research shedding more light on the neuroplasticity of the brain, scientists are beginning to acknowledge that the brain is highly responsive and constantly evolving, with the innate ability to change at large-scale and cellular levels due to experiences and environmental influences. Already, this research has gone a long way into explaining certain phenomena, like how people whose vision is impaired can re-allocate areas of their brain meant to process sights for analyzing sound.

The brain of children is particularly vulnerable to changes – research has demonstrated how growing up in a poor household under strained conditions can impair a child's cognitive abilities that last their entire lives. Let us take a look at some of the ways poverty can affect brain development in children:

·       A recent study employed fMRI (to detect the flow of blood in different areas of the brain) to study how emotions are regulated in young adults. They were part of a long-running study on the effects of poverty. The study showed that the participants who grew up in dire circumstances showed more brain activity in their amygdala (associated with fear, anxiety and other emotional disorders) as well as a marked drop in their prefrontal cortex activity (which plays a key role in restricting the amygdala and prioritizing long-term decisions over impulsive reactions) when they were shown disturbing images. Researchers postulated that chronic stressors, like noise, crowding, separation or family turmoil could affect the brain's development and explain the observed correlation.

·       Another study examined the relationship between childhood nurturing and brain tissue growth in a controlled age group (6-12). Children whose parents were known to have poor nurturing abilities showed slowed growth in gray matter, white matter as well as reduced volumes in parts of the brain involved in coping with external stress and learning skills. The children were similar in all other aspects except the nurturing skills of their parents, which practically retarded their mental development at least by two years. The study also found that impoverished parents had poorer nurturing skills. To an objective observer, it might seem heavy handed to judge the parenting style, but the researchers took into account chronic stressors as well – children who were brought up in a poor household, but did not have as many stressful events (the frequency of which was determined by annual assessments) showed smaller reductions in their neural development.

·       Some studies have looked at more specific effects. A recent study conducted by the Northwestern University found a correlation between children who came from disadvantaged backgrounds had less efficient auditory processing skills – the part of the brain that was responsible for processing daily sounds responded to distracting noises more than the main activity compared to control participants. According to the researchers, it could be explained by the well understood correlation between noise exposure in more urban areas and low income households. However, it is not yet established as to whether the observed effects are temporary or permanent.

·       Dishearteningly enough, a recent study published in Science showed that being preoccupied with the concerns of poverty – struggle to pay the bills, for example – taxed the brain and left less bandwidth to make long-term decisions and solve complicated cognitive problems. It was observed that just getting the volunteers in the study to think about their economic problems led to a much poorer performance on the IQ and impulse control test.

Although the problem of less bandwidth is a temporary one, it does go a long way in explaining how making decisions can be considerably harder for someone who is mired in poverty. Parents should make sure that they don't inadvertently contribute to an environment which keeps their kids from overcoming their difficult circumstances.

An Effective Response to Trauma and PTSD Among School Students

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD is a mental disorder that affects an individual after a traumatic incident that poses a threat to their well-being. This condition is often overlooked in schools.  In school students, PTSD can be caused by numerous incidents ranging from bullying and abuse to school shootings. Many students, especially those from the urban core communities experience extreme violence either by being a victim or witnessing crimes on a daily basis.  Many of these students live in constant fear for their lives as they travel to school through gang-infested neighborhoods.  With those barriers to get over on a daily basis, it is understandable that PTSD students don’t fare well in school.

Students suffering from PTSD often seem distant, irritable and short tempered. Depression is one of the most common side-effects of PTSD. Students that are suffering from PTSD often show a drop in academic performance, become anti-social, and are more likely to drop out of school. Trauma intervention for students is becoming a major health concern and the intervention of parents, teachers and counselors play a vital role in the well-being of a traumatized child. Here are a few tips on dealing with students who have PTSD:

• Listen

Provide the student with the opportunity to talk about the incident openly and express their worries, anxieties and so on. Have an open mind, be empathetic and listen to what the student is saying. Don't ask them too many questions as going too deep into the logistics, right after the incident, can lead to more stress for the student.

• Teach

Teachers and counselors must help the student understand the normal stress reactions along with coping and problem-solving techniques. Teachers/counselors need to make the student understand that it's OK to be sad, angry and moody in general, after a traumatic incident. If students are chastised for their reactions, instead of being taught how to deal with them, they tend to internalize it and get even more stressed/ depressed.

• Re-establish relationships

Students who suffer from PTSD often tend to isolate themselves and not talk to parents, relatives or friends. This will add to their feelings of loneliness, sadness and numbness. It is vital for them to re-establish these relationships and build an effective support system. It is an essential part of providing support for traumatized students.

Once they are more comfortable, normal routines such as going to school, extracurricular practice can be re-established.

• Protect the student

Help the student understand the circumstances related to the event in an age appropriate manner. It is important to protect the student from further physical or psychological harm either from bullies or in some cases, by repetitive and excessive coverage by the media.

Teachers can also help by engaging students in safety drills to make them feel safer.

• Showcase positive behavior

Teachers and staff can help students by showcasing model behavior. When the student is irritable and moody, teachers and counselors need to remain calm and show balanced emotions. While dealing with traumatized students, adults need to be positive about the future and assure them that things will get better. The more the negativity the more stressed the student becomes.

• Getting the parents involved

Once the student is comfortable talking about the incident, it is advisable to get the parents involved as this makes the recovery process easier. The parents need to understand what their child is going through and deal with it accordingly. It is important that they understand to never belittle their child's problems as it can deeply affect the child's psyche.

So with united efforts both from school officials and relatives/guardians, a traumatized child will recover well and not have any residual trauma.

Strengthening the Socio-Emotional Development of Boys of Color

Providing an educational environment that will work extremely well for Boys of Color can be a great challenge especially when they enter the transition to high school/college and career. Research indicates that the ideal educational setup is a combination of important factors which include high standards of education, commitment of the entire school community, and setting higher level of expectations. The learning environment should be sensitive to address the social and emotional factors that affect the development of Boys of Color which can be done by helping them to have a sense of belonging and leading them to relate their identities to their rich cultural and historical heritage. The students should also be taught to become responsible members of the society through delegation of tasks that will allow them to serve their communities.