For there is always light if only we’re brave enough to see it. If only we’re brave enough to be it.
As a culminating lesson for this curriculum, students now have the opportunity to pause and reflect on what they’ve learned about emotions, and the methods they can draw upon when life feels tough. It can be challenging to remember how to support ourselves in the midst of our difficult moments, so this lesson is an opportunity to compile the methods students have learned throughout the curriculum. Students are also asked at this time to think about the approaches to well-being that, in the past, have worked for them. The hope is that students can add what already works for them to this “toolbox” that now has some new tools as well. This lesson reviews the techniques taught in this curriculum as well as sharing a few additional research-backed methods for increasing well-being. However, it also honors the wisdom young people have about their own individual experiences with navigating life. This lesson, in particular, will help students gather the tools they find most helpful so that they can return to them later when needed.
· Develop a list of “supports” that students can draw from when they are experiencing difficult emotions or when they want to increase their feelings of well-being.
· Value and honor the healthy methods students have already used to navigate life.
Prior to teaching this lesson, watch the expert video and make the example creative activity that you plan to share with your students.
Dr. Neha Chaudhary offers several practices for managing and “reeling in” very intense emotions when they are overwhelming: breathing, listening to music, moving the body, writing, drawing, and finding a healthy distraction.
Dr. Arjune Rama describes how important it is to reach out for support, and he shares a story about how and when he decided to see a therapist to help him with his own challenges.
Peiman Raf and Mason Spector, founders of Madhappy, describe tools that support them with their mental health. Peiman describes the way journaling helped him after a skiing accident, and Mason shares the way therapy supported him after his parents’ divorce.
Emily describes the mental health tools that helped her with body image issues and anxiety during the pandemic.
Josephine talks about a time she experienced performance anxiety during a test, and how she took the brave step to go to her teacher for support.
Nathalie shares the way writing and basketball supported her when her moms were going through a divorce and during the pandemic.
A student from the non-profit organization Harmony House in New Delhi, India, shares about the loss of his father and how he navigated his grief.
Ethan Levy describes the way Dork Dancing has supported him with his mental health and has helped him navigate his journey with Bipolar Disorder.
Display the ‘welcome slide’ from the Lesson 13 PowerPoint as you begin.
*Slide 1
As discussed in the teacher training, remember to make the suggested language below authentic to yourself and meaningful for your students.
* Slide 2
Share the goal of today’s lesson, which is finding tools for support when life gets tough. Introduce the expert video who shares additional methods for promoting well-being.
Example of What You Could Say:
“Today, we’re going to reflect on methods for improving well-being and expressing your feelings when life gets hard. Like Kevin reminded us, ‘Everyone is going through something we can’t see.’ It is totally normal to feel all of these feelings; it’s part of what it means to be human. So, this means at some point in all of our lives we will feel these tough feelings again, and it will help to have tools in place that can support us when life feels hard. Let’s watch a video from a mental health expert who will give us examples of additional tools that you can use when times get tough.”
The expert describes tools we can use to help us cope when things get difficult.
Play whichever additional video you believe will resonate most with your students. Before you play the guest artist video, remember to give students a description of the video content.
Ask students to share tools that they use in their own lives that promote well-being, and write their ideas down on the whiteboard/blackboard as they share.
Example of What You Could Say:
“As you saw in the videos, there are many tools we can turn to when life gets tough. Even though we have already learned many emotional supports, I want to pause and ask if there are other things outside of this curriculum that you feel should be included in this discussion. These could be tools that you like to utilize in your own life. Let’s compile a list, as a class, that is not just from our recent discussions or from these artists and experts, but from your own experiences. What are some healthy emotional supports that you all know of?
(Write the students’ ideas as they share them. If there is a lull in the conversation, add a few ideas of your own – exercise, eating well, calling a friend, reading a book, cooking, drawing, spending time outside, playing an instrument, etc. The list of healthy emotional supports can be individualized.)
This is a great list! These ideas can act as inspiration as you complete the creative activity today.”
*Slide 3
Introduce the creative activity. Explain that students will choose one of the creative mediums that they have explored in this curriculum (poetry, drawing, protest art, music playlist, etc.) and use that medium to create a list of the most important tools/lessons they have learned. Share student examples and your own personal example of the creative activity. Encourage students to create this project so that they will have something they can refer to later when they are having a difficult time.
Example of What You Could Say:
“For today’s creative activity, you’re going to create a ‘toolbox’ that reviews the tools and themes you’ve learned throughout this curriculum. First, choose your favorite artistic medium from the lessons, whether it be drawing, writing, collage, music playlists, or any other medium we learned. Then, use this medium to review your biggest takeaways from the curriculum, specifically about what you can do when you’re experiencing challenging emotions. Let’s take a look at some student examples… (Show student examples.) As you can see, the student examples showed comforting or uplifting songs, methods for feeling grounded, and tools you can use when feeling overwhelmed. Now, I would like to share with you what I created… (Share your creative activity.) This creative project is really meant to be a review of the most important lessons you’ve learned throughout our conversations and activities. This is something I hope you can look back on in a hard moment so you can remember what works for you.”
Students should be given approximately 20 minutes to complete this activity. If you have additional time, you might consider extending this part of the lesson. Circulate the room and support students as needed.
“I can’t wait to see your projects. Does anyone want to share the way they organized the tools they plan to use and the medium they chose to express it with? (Allow students to share.)
Thank you so much for sharing. I hope you that enjoyed today’s lesson and that you found some great supportive tools to add to your emotional ‘toolbox.’ Don’t forget, you can use this ‘toolbox’ whenever you experience a tough moment, and I hope you feel inspired to apply these methods in your life even after today’s lesson.”
If you or your students would like to learn more about the ideas in this lesson, additional resources and third party links are included below.