1/1/24 blog post
classroom champions spotlight: mental health mondays boost student’s scores and confidence
On Our Sleeves in Action shows innovative ways community members are using our resources
Tracel Leavelle MA, BSN, RN is an Allied Health Instructor at David H. Ponitz CTC. Leavelle is a member of the Classroom Champions community and has found an innovative way to use On Our Sleeves materials including the Conversation Starters with her students.
We want to give her a big round of applause for establishing Mental Health Mondays as a way to encourage her student’s and improve their test scores.
Leavelle started Mental Health Mondays with another colleague, Mrs. Ross, during the pandemic and virtual learning.
“We realized it was important to incorporate Mental Health Monday journaling prompts to increase the need for expressive writing opportunities to expand student's thoughts and increase their end-of-course exam scores,” explains Leavelle.
"Students are capable of writing but lack the encouragement to write enough information. We knew it was vital for our students to write to the conversation starter prompts from On Our Sleeves that I received at a youth seminar.”
Leavelle says so far, the students have been enjoying the Conversation Starter writing prompts and expressing how they feel.
“We make sure we incorporate a place where students can talk and collaborate with each other to boost their confidence, knowledge, and understanding. They understand that we are their village. We are listening to them and when they need us, we are available to them with open arms,” says Leavelle.
We are so proud of this classroom champion for her extraordinary work making a difference in her student’s lives.
On Our Sleeves' Classroom Champions has created resources, guides and activities to help educators address mental health in the classroom and take care of their own mental wellness. Get signed up to receive free, monthly resources by clicking the button below!
