I often speak with school teachers, and school nurses. The majority of them tell me that they are very stressed, and they feel helpless about problems in school and student health. I have spoken with children too. Some of them told me that they hate school, or don’t like school. Others are “OK” with school, but are sick often. In other cases, students have changed from public school to private school.
Common school issues for children are discipline problems, focus issues, bullying, low self confidence, peer pressure, and emotional difficulties. Many children are on medication, and the kids are often ill. At the same time, school systems demand that teachers push kids to achieve high academic scores on state tests.
If we take a moment to think, all of this leads to stressful situations. If we don’t feel well, we will not perform well. If kids don’t feel well, how can we expect them to perform well?
Wellness and self care should start at a young age. Children’s healing ability is greater than adults; children learning ability is also better than adults. With the right methods and teaching, children can not only perform better in school, but also have improved emotional stability, immune function, focus, and balanced energy. More importantly, they will have less medical problems later in their life.
School should be a place for kids to learn, to socialize, to share, and to grow together. How can we make this happen? As a doctor of holistic medicine, I highly recommend schools bring wellness programs and start teaching self-care in the school system.
This training will raise awareness of the mind body connection, guide children to have a better and more balanced life. I am sure we would see a big difference in a short time.
