I agree. A mentor can change the state of a studen't mentality by just being a great mentor. I see this on a consistent basis. The mentor is there for the student, and the student adjusts his or her mentality to adapt to the school surroundings. It doesn't work for every student, but it works for enough to know you can make a difference.
Albert,
Just want your described is exactly what we mean by being in the "mental health" business. It's not being a psychologist, but creating healthier attitudes and changing those mental states.
Thomas,
This is a great point. We are somewhat responsible for preparing students mentally for academic areas.
While I do not consider myself qualified to made a call on a person's metal health, I do feel qualified to determine the attitude any person displays during one of my classes. It is this that I try to influance in a positive manner. More easily said than done, but EVERY interaction, especially the one-on-one type can move the student towards a "healthier" attitude. And occaisionally, puts one over the threshold to a new "mental" state. I have changed a life!
Most cerently agree, We as teachers /educaters have a responsibilly to be mentally prepared to take on the task of helping other in both the acidemic areas as well as in Mental Health aers, so that we may assist in getting the student the help needed or to the correct person if it is required. even if it simply means to just listen ,sometimes that does wonders. just listen
I believe that we are definitely part of the "mental health" profession in being educators. If you think of what happens in the doctor's office, it closely relates to what we do on a regular basis with our students: we see changes in behavior that can signal problems in the classroom or elsewhere and check with the student to see if everything is all right, listen to the student's issues and make a non-biased analysis of what is going on, and finally give the student advice based on what we know and have experienced.
Yes, we are not only in the business of teaching people how to service and repair motorcycles but also in the mental health business. We change lives daily by sharing our life and work experiences with our students and try to make them more socially acceptable and more hireable which makes them happier and gives them a healthier outlook on life in general.
Donald,
I'm glad you are agree and understand that we are in the "mental health" business. It's not really the mental state, but the student's subconscious; where their beliefs about their abilities reside.
I would agree that we are also in the mental health business. Before becoming an instructor, I never realized just how many people I would be coaching thru so many various life challenges. It is almost unusual lately to find a student who is NOT struggling with something in his/her life, and needs a little coaching to help them thru it.
yes we are more than a school we are also the adult prsent they do not have when not at home. we get many things bounced off of us.
Yes I do agree with that because you are dealing with the mental state of every student.
You are correct that students have to be accountable, but we (faculty and staff) can have a major impact on their success.
It is good to enourage students but ultimately they have be accountable for what ever action they take.
Matthew,
I agree that students will need coaching and mentoring. If you look back in the post you will see that by mental health we simply mean reprograming their thoughts.
James,
This is a great point! It is as simple as listening and individualizing each problem for that person.
I don't know if I would agree with the term "Mental health" but many students will need coaching and mentoring in the basic social behaviors relating to their area of training.
As a shop owner/service writer, I always knew I was partially in the "mental health" business. In the repair business you may find yourself the scapegoat for a multitude of problems beyond your control and you have to figure out how to handle each customer. In the business of education it really boils down to listening to your customer - in this case, the student - and doing what's necessary to help them be successful.
Lucy,
This is a great explanation of what we mean by "mental health". All of our students, and even we have baggage that we bring with us everyday and must understand how to deal with that to accomplish our vision and goals.
I like that description. When we offer students, for example, time management workshops or stress management workshops, this is all about mental health. I was recently researching various student services offered by colleges and was surprised at how I only found one college that offered nutition classes and "brain diet" kinds of courses. This would be helpful to students. There needs to be a balance between study skills and such and life skills types of workshops.
This can only work if the student stays constant and doesn't change. What if a student undergoes change while in the program? I believe it is the obligation of everyone in the school to be aware of a studen'ts mental state. It may be better to error on the side of wrong than ignore something that seems to need attention. Mental health is not necessarily a negative things, but it does describe a person's state as we can perceive it.
