SPHE: Growing and Changing

January and February bring a change to the theme of SPHE and this time around we have to focus on growing and changing, which can be a difficult topic to teach. The most important thing is to teach it with confidence. To introduce the topic, I got the students to brainstorm ‘what is growing and changing?’ We then held a group discussion on it. I first discuss how we go through different changes. I focused on physical change and emotional changes. As a class we made our own definition of what puberty is.

To get the students involved, I lay out sheets of paper on the ground. Then one student lay on the ground and the others drew around the shape of their body. I got them to make two body shapes. One was labelled ‘boys’ and the other was labelled ‘girls’. I split the students into two groups. Then I asked the students to label and list any changes that they are aware of. Then after a few minutes we stuck the images on the whiteboard so that the whole class could see them. The students were then encouraged to identify any changes that happened to both males and females. The students understood that change happened to everyone, it just might happen at different times.

The students were then given out strips of paper with changes on them. They had to decipher which happened to girls, boys or both. I then gave the students an opportunity to write any questions that they may like to be answered over the next few sessions.

Every day begins with an act of courage

A video created by Sligo IT Student Union popped up on my newsfeed earlier. As soon as I watched it, I knew I had to share it. Mental Health is such an important issue in today’s society, and although it is talked about more I do not think it is fully understood sometimes. This video takes a simple approach to shooting a video about mental health. The simplicity of the video really aids its success in getting its message across. Although it applies particularly to Sligo IT students, I think it is a video that one could use in an SPHE class to help show students that every day begins with an act of courage. It will help them to see that it is ok to feel down sometimes, but that they are surrounded by people who they can talk to. This video helps reiterate the idea that no one is alone, life is a battle that we are all fighting and help is always at hand.

As teachers, we need to try make our students feel safe so that they can talk to us.

‘Mental health is not a destination but a process. It’s about how you drive, not where you’re going. The therapist is like a driving instuctor, not a chauffeur.”
― Noam Shpancer, The Good Psychologist

Love From Future You

Over the last few weeks I have noticed the importance of SPHE in the school environment. Students at such a young age are starting to grow and develop as adults. They begin to think and ask more questions about life, learning and much more. It is an exciting time in their life, however it can also be quite scary. Students begin to grow and develop as they mature. However, a lot of students can become quite self-conscious and can feel down about themselves, their appearance, their ability to learn, their friends and much more. Their head becomes clogged up with all life’s worries and they become quite depressed as they reflect on their life.

SPHE is a important subject that helps teachers to confront these issues and talk through things with students that might worry them. Over the past few weeks I have been focusing on self-identity and how we need to be able to identify our strengths, as well as our weaknesses. It is quite worrying how students shy away from talking about themselves because they do not feel important. This week I incorporated many activities into the lesson to help students begin thinking about themselves. I first got students to write a description about themselves, i.e. who they were, what they are interested, etc. I then wrote each student’s name on an envelope and in the envelope I had left a compliment about the student. Then I told the whole class that they had to write a compliment about each person in the class and then they would put the compliments in the envelopes and the students would bring the envelopes home and read things about themselves that they never would have considered. I got this idea from another blog http://muinteoir-valerie.blogspot.ie/.

My students can be quite a worried bunch as their self-confidence is quite low. I found a wonderful video that I cannot wait to show them next week. It is titled Love From Future You. I think it is a wonderful video that really helps encapsulate the idea that life may be tough now, but it will get better. It reiterates the idea that there is light at the end of the tunnel and I think it will really help show the students that its okay to have worries, but we cannot let them take over our lives.