Course Syllabus

Teachers are responsible for educating and caring for our nation's children, not just academically, but also physically, mentally, emotionally, socially, and behaviorally. Children come to school with varying backgrounds and experiences, good and bad, and addressing the nuanced, individual needs of each child can be daunting. If you've ever wondered how you can better serve your unique set of students, this course is for you. While maintaining the well-being of students can seem like a herculean task, an understanding of the challenges children face prepares teachers to gauge the appropriate course of action for prevention and intervention. Additionally, knowing what changes to make on a larger scale will improve the environment and experiences of children without becoming a crushingly time-consuming endeavor for the teacher. A supported, prepared teacher is better equipped to educate and protect children.

This course introduces some common threats to a child's well-being, like poor nutrition, trauma, and bullying (cyber or otherwise). In the discussion of what students are up against, there are also concrete examples of how teachers help can mitigate these problems. Our society and the world are changing rapidly, as are the experiences of childhood. How can teachers keep up? An understanding of how to efficiently plan the physical classroom, atmosphere, and lessons means an overall safer, more effective learning environment for all students. This course also covers when to transfer an intervention to another professional. Teachers are not meant to do everything alone, but it is sometimes difficult to know when to ask for help.

This course is intended for teachers and other education professionals looking for a way to better understand and support the overall well-being of students.