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While June heralds the official start of summer, it also marks the beginning of Canada’s National Indigenous History Month and Pride Month. These celebrations are dedicated to recognizing and commemorating two historically marginalized groups — Indigenous and 2SLGBTQI+ people — and are an excellent opportunity for educators fostering inclusive environments in their schools to acknowledge and address the challenges they face.

Educators are committing to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) for all students — especially groups that endure higher rates of mental health challenges as a result of the discrimination they face. For example, according to The Trevor Project’s 2023 National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health, 41% of LGBTQ+ youth say they “seriously considered attempting suicide” in the past year. The group also reported that 22% of LGBTQ Native/Indigenous young people had attempted suicide, double the rate of white young people, and the highest rate of any group. According to the Canadian Mental Health Association, LGBTQ individuals face higher rates of depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive and phobic disorders, suicidality, self-harm and substance use issues than non-LGBTQ people. Additionally, Statistics Canada reports that suicide rates among First Nations people, Métis and Inuit were significantly higher than among non-Indigenous people, with the rate among First Nations people three times higher than that of non-Indigenous people.

An inclusive approach can help all student groups feel welcome at school. Here are five ways educators can create a more affirming student environment.

There’s no question the pandemic took an incredible toll on K–12 students. They endured social isolation, an abrupt shift to remote learning and disrupted routines. Combined, these factors contribute to an alarming rise in mental health conditions, most notably a surge in anxiety and depression. In fact, two-thirds of parents polled by UNICEF Canada in 2021 reported their child’s mental health had worsened during the pandemic, with nearly half saying their children were experiencing new mental health challenges since the onset.

Students’ families, of course, have a significant stake in addressing this growing concern. But, educators and schools also play a critical role in addressing it by prioritising mental health support and identifying appropriate interventions to ensure the wellbeing and success of their students. Read on for some ways your school can help students cope, especially as summer approaches.

“Not enough hours in the day.” That's a lament of most educators — and most moms and caregivers. As a result, caregivers who are also educators are especially familiar with this struggle. It’s one I can relate to, as a former school psychologist and current mother of two, with another on the way. The truth is, it’s common to feel as though there's not enough of you to go around.   

As an OTR (registered occupational therapist) and Director of Portfolio Management and Delivery at Pearson Clinical Assessment, I have extensive experience working with students who have been diagnosed with a variety of conditions. And, as a mom of an autistic daughter, I understand on a personal level how challenging it can be to get the diagnosis that’s needed — and why it’s imperative that schools join caregivers in their quest for answers.  

In testing and in research, you must have an effective and reliable way to measure change. While raw scores have typically been the go-to for this important role, Growth Scale Values (GSVs) are quickly becoming the preferred method.

Our Director of Pharma Sales, Lynsey Psimas, had the opportunity to speak with Mark Daniel, author of Growth Scale Value (GSV): Theory, Development, and Applications to discuss the importance of GSVs. He spent some time explaining GSVs and their importance in test scoring and pharma research.

You may be feeling the added pressure at work these days, and most days it probably feels like everyone wants some of your time. Here are a few easy tips for maintaining your positive attitude and protecting your headspace in your professional life. After all, you can’t pour from an empty cup!

1. Set manageable boundaries. Blocking your calendar for lunch or focus time and not responding to emails after hours are great ways to protect your “downtime”. Last-minute meetings, impossible deadlines, and covering staffing shortages are all common occurrences in today’s world but reducing as many of them as you can and setting clear boundaries for your valuable time can help give you some sense of control over your day.
2. Take regular “brain breaks”. While our smartphones are often dubbed “tools of mass distraction”, they can be an invaluable means of temporary escape. Taking short, regular breaks can help reset your brain, increasing your overall productivity. Download a few quick games that interest you or keep a light read loaded on an e-reader app and allow yourself a few minutes to decompress when the opportunity strikes.
3. Tackle one thing at a time. If your to-do list should be relabeled as a “must-do-NOW" list, remember that the best way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time. Prioritizing your tasks, writing them down, and crossing them off in order of importance can give you some sense of control over your day and keep you focused.
4. Help your neighbor. While this advice may seem counterintuitive to #1, taking some time to voluntarily help a coworker — instead of being “voluntold” to do so — feels good! If you see someone struggling under the weight of their obligations, ask if there’s anything you can do to help them. Even if you simply shine a little light on a task that seems overwhelming to them, the resulting sense of community will brighten the day for both of you!
5. Keep your visual spaces clear. Much like the chair full of clean laundry mocking us from the corner of our bedroom, we’ve all got “that pile” of paperwork on our desk that’s begging to be dealt with. Just looking at it probably makes you stressed! Schedule 15 to 30 minutes every day to tackle that pesky pile, and (if possible) keep it out of sight.

If you find these tips to be helpful, check out our previous Five tips for improving your mental health post!