Managing Student Anxiety in the Classroom
From a broad perspective, anxiety disorders are chronic and if untreated, they lead to life interference. Most anxiety disorders are unrecognized and so not treated. Thus, deeper comprehension of such disorders is vital in ensuring sufficient provision of mental healthcare to minimize anxiety disorders in children or adolescents.
Anxiety signs displayed by some students in my class
Two students in my class are displaying anxiety disorder signs. The first case involves a student who is afraid of meeting new children. Besides, this student cannot speak in class or places with many people and is afraid of addressing people in authority. These factors make the student quiet, reserved, and well behaved.
The second student is usually worried about the quality of her work and sometimes thinks that the work is substandard. Her performance in academics, games, and new situations is always met with approval teachers and peers. Besides, the girl exerts control over her peers to avoid a reprimand and maintain the status of a well-behaved student.
Why I need help in handling this situation
I need help in my situation so that I can easily identify anxiety behaviors among my students and address them at the early stages. Moreover, I wish to avoid stigmatization among learners and thus I believe external help will assist me in addressing the avoidance of stigmatization. This aspect will be useful in providing a learning environment capable of producing desired academic performance.
Assessment of the Friends program
The FRIENDS program is universal and usually incorporated in the school curriculum to prevent the development of anxiety and depressing signs in children and teenagers. Its implementation in schools involves ten, 1 hour weekly periods with two follow up sessions held 1 and three months after the main session. The syllabus of the program involves cognitive tactics, experience exercises, relaxation techniques, and handling of anxiety-provoking situations. Besides, parent and peer group sessions encourage peer support, peer learning, and expansion of friends network.
On the other hand, trained classroom teachers have three sessions with parents at a convenient time of the school calendar. Whereas the first two sessions emphasize information that children learn in the program, the last one offers child management skills that reinforce newly acquired skills and planned ignoring.
Why the program is worthwhile implementing in the classroom
The FRIENDS Program is capable of enhancing resilience in all youngsters irrespective of risk status. Importantly, the program allows the incorporation of the whole class instead of selection thus minimizing stigmatization. Therefore, there is no need for screening and assessment thus no precious time is lost.
Attending the training
As a classroom teacher, I will attend the FRIENDS Program training that my school is offering. This training will empower me to implement the program professionally to all learners with no stigmatization and prevent reactive intervention. Besides, the training will provide useful insights on implementing follow up sessions with parents to reinforce skills that children acquire in class. As a result, my students will be socially fit and will thus focus on their academic achievement.
