Parents go to great lengths in their endeavors to fulfill a satisfying and enriching education for their offspring. Sky-high tuition, hours of commute in the morning, and the occasional barking down the hallway to finish homework- these are occurrences that are common and soon stated.
But what if, in the grand scheme of schooling career minutiae, somehow these parents didn’t discern and construct a path of well being? Of healthy schedules, and of a comfortable aura of familiarity between child, teacher, peer, and family? In the aftermath of an outbreak, as we step out together, squinting in the sun and flaunting nails that resemble sushi knives, it can be hard to come to terms with the psychology of an adolescent brimming with ideas and rebellion.
This week, on the second episode of Out Of The Box with Beyond 8, we convene with two professionals equipped to handle the waves and the breeze of the teenager mentality. Dr. Kannan is a child and adolescent psychiatrist who has over 15 years of experience working as a mental health professional in advanced facilities in India and Australia, while Aayushi Srinivasan, a graduate with a degree in psychology from the University of Edinburgh, helps us delve into her past and capture personalized snippets and lessons from her experiences with, well, the ‘psychogenic’ side of things.
In any case, we ought to disabuse ourselves from the antiquated stigma of mental healthcare for the bloomers and the Millenials- individuals that will jettison ourselves and the world into the next paradigm shift.
Skill-building (Or lack thereof):
According to Dr. Kannan, schools ought to present students with a wide range of activities to promote growth outside of the intellectual sphere. Here, incidentally, schools could stumble upon and, with the best of intentions, advocate for and engage in the multifaceted intelligence of a child. For example, a session or two with instruments and rhythms would do good to accelerate the musical/artistic capacities of a child, while daily exercise and sports periods would ensure that the child’s physical growth and spatial intelligence spurt unhindered. Research shows that a slow, sure approach to building foundational skills that make up the terra firma for each sphere of intelligence, can stimulate children to unprecedented levels of well being. By broadening the availability of several activities, schools can boost children by giving them what Dr. Kannan refers to a ‘sense of competence’, which would boost self-esteem.
Sense of Belonging (Or lack thereof):
We all suffer from trying to belong somewhere. For teenagers, a daunting environment is made less steep when they search and sense for resolve and validation. Both of these motives are what drive students to new heights, and unfortunately, what also brings them down to clutches of depression and manic frenzied texting-in-the-middle-of-the night episodes. It was what drove Aayushi to transfer schools 5 times before she found HLC International. By feeling a part of a group, and by feeling accepted, even encouraged, can give children a cemented positivity in terms of mental well being.
Ecosystem (Or lack thereof):
Children sign up for schools. Parents sign up for ecosystems- in the rawest sense of the word. According to Dr. Kannan, school ecosystems do more than impart education; they shape the development of the personality and wellbeing of children. When curators don’t establish an ecosystem that is familiar, comforting, and dynamic, schools see an upsurge in teenage counseling services for symptoms like exam stress and academic fallback. The school environment plays an important role in being a nurturing facility that embeds sensitivity to issues, respect, and many other features of a responsible human being- these are services that parents tacitly pay for.
If you missed the episode live, catch the entire recording here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kd9VwIwsLEk
Join us next Saturday, September 19 for another exciting episode on Out of the Box with Beyond 8 live on our Facebook page.
About Out of The Box with Beyond 8
Be it the way we learn or teach, there are always better ways to do it and often they lie out of the box, on the paths less taken. Out of the Box with Beyond 8 is an initiative that encourages the education fraternity to push the boundaries and challenge the status quo.