New Approach to Mental Health in Our Students

This is the first year of Woodstock Union High School and Middle School’s ‘Social Emotional Teacher.’ Mrs. Smith, who was previously the White River Valley Middle School’s health teacher, works to teach students about their own well being and stress management, in a fun, welcoming way.

The position focuses on grades 7th-9th. "The plan isn't to just come in with a stack of paperwork and say ‘this is the program, this is what it is.’ Instead what we are doing is working with what the students actually want and need," Mrs. Smith says.

Mrs. Smith is starting with visiting classrooms and lunch groups to teach about where stress comes from, and the science behind it. She plans to create human interaction classes, destress groups, and "emotional toolkits."

"The job was created in response to COVID, to prioritize our emotional well being as much as our physical," she says. "We have more permission to acknowledge these struggles and address them as a community."

Mrs. Smith believes that students cannot prioritize their education without the balance of both mental and physical health. "Kids can't just leave their stress or struggles at the door and do a math test, none of us can, so were trying to make an environment were kids can discuss it and feel supported."