Wellness in Secondary Schools: Know the Pulse

By Katie Gaylord, School Counselor

As a professional school counselor for the past eighteen years, I have worked closely with students of all ages in the academic setting. With experience at the elementary and secondary levels, I have seen firsthand how deep and wide the social and emotional gaps are, particularly following the pandemic. While at times the mental wellness of our society appears complicated and uncertain, practicing a few simple habits has the power to leave a positive impact long-term. While the examples below are specific to secondary students, these structures are easily adaptable to all educational settings in K-12. Before I share, I credit the hundreds of educators and leaders I have worked alongside, as they are the true masters of this craft and exhaust all measures to support student wellness.

Sense of Belonging

Students must know they belong from the moment they step foot onto campus. A non-negotiable, creating a sense of belonging is paramount to student success because when wellness is prioritized, academics fall into place. From my year of service in New York, I quickly realized the importance of having an All Are Welcome sign outside my door. This simple yet powerful message allows students to visually take note of the welcoming atmosphere, so they then feel completely at ease and free to be themselves.

Being intentional with using student names, honoring requested pronouns, and making eye contact while conversing with students, pausing until they are ready to meet your eyes as well, certainly gives students the calm needed to adjust to vulnerabilities.

While the wait time may seem daunting and uncomfortable, it’s through this patience of the pause where true authenticity is practiced, and trust formed.

Belonging begins with having access to the basic needs of survival, so humans may then reach the thriving threshold. Please keep snacks and hygiene products on hand in your spaces. Community partners are happy to support a food bank and/or care closet, and this comfort and nourishment give students the energy to regulate emotions appropriately, no matter the day-to-day moments. I often find students in a better mind space once I have offered water and a snack, as a belief in the ‘a little goes a long way’ mentality holds true.

For families who may need additional supplies dropped off at their residence, involve a community outreach coordinator and social worker to aid in these efforts. Home visits break down barriers and are proven to be a driving force behind keeping students connected to their school family, especially for those on the brink of giving up. Utilizing a team approach is essential in sustaining this model of support, given the strain it will place on educators individually.

Belonging is established when all are welcome.

Attendance Matters

Regular student attendance lends itself to a more positive sense of self, which then correlates to an increase in student achievement. When professionals show up each day at their place of work, students are motivated to do the same. While there exists specific scenarios to prevent colleagues from having regular attendance due to circumstances, keeping students informed of the weekly schedule sets an expectation for consistent communication, which then grows the connectedness of the entire school community.

Working with employers on flexing time for medical appointments, family experiences, and individual needs drives a reliable environment for kids. Employees are motivated to show up to their place of employment when they feel validated and valued. Individualized positive praise and kudos, raffle drawings during professional development activities, and weekly updates via email in addition to pop-in visits from leadership absolutely build a positive culture where educators want to spend their time, which in turn directly impacts students’ ambition to perform and their overall self-worth.

Daily attendance, both with staff and students, translates into healthy mindsets for all.

Students need to be reassured that caring adults in their lives will show up for them, and keep showing up, time and time again.

Secondary students are more inclined to be on time for class when they are certain the receiving end will be their safety net. When students are present in class and engaged in learning, less time is available for negative thoughts and rabbit hole worries to move into the forefront. Once gains are made regarding attendance matters, integrating a solution-focused mindset helps students problem-solve efficiently to move along to the next task at hand in a proficient manner, making up for any lost time in navigating emotional setbacks.

To be alert of wellness ebbs and flows, school counseling teams adopt the strategy of tracking student visits electronically. Counseling sessions are then tiered appropriately based on academic, career, and social/emotional needs, and students are supported accordingly based on the data collected, without losing huge gaps of instructional time and falling further behind, which only leads to increased anxiety.

Professionals who work together to design a thoughtful approach in tiering mental health services understand the importance of showing up, for without their dedication and presence, students would face a much more difficult journey in isolation.

Genuine Kindness

Modeling daily kindness through staff and student interactions encourages and stabilizes wellness in a school setting. Start with maintaining an open-door policy in your office or classroom, being ready at a moment’s notice to greet students with a genuine smile, a simple yet extraordinary habit that creates lasting confidence.

Laying roots of kindness early on catches secondary students by surprise and how joyful it feels to watch as their faces light up each new day a kindness is shared freely, without prompting a return.

The look of amazement when an educator picks up the phone in front of a reluctant student as a call home is made, with the goal of affirming the student’s attributes aloud. With little hesitation, a childlike grin on the scholar’s face appears upon hearing the excited response of the parent/guardian. Additionally, be open to setting up a soft-toned safe space within the classroom or office, to include sand garden mindfulness tools, an array of flexible seating options, and decorative kindness inspirations for students to gaze at as they contemplate their academic and career plans, all while they courageously stay emotionally sound.

Affirming secondary students for who they have become is the real magic behind many mental health success stories. Personalized note cards taped to lockers, kindness quotes passed along to those who need it most, or hand-delivered affirmation letters to homes serve a purpose in celebrating a student’s mental wellness, which in turn enhances opportunities for academic excellence.

Model the way by having a stack of blank cards reachable for students to take as they wish, encouraging them to write a note of praise to a classmate, coach, teacher, mentor, leader, family member, or friend. Reflect on the number of times cards are reread once received and it will be easy to quantify the reasoning behind this treasured gesture. The written word will always have a place at the table, for it truly lays hope for a better tomorrow and serves as a reminder to look for the good.

Genuine kindness builds the capacity for emotional wellness.

Know the Pulse

If you choose to implement these strategies, be prepared to build a kind culture, grow a more mindful and connected community, and successfully increase graduation rates by the time students pass through the doors of senior year, moving on to their next career or college adventure.

Create a sense of belonging, set high expectations for follow-through, and be genuine in your approach to student wellness, and the pulse of the community will beat strong. For stakeholders interested in offering immediate support as the 2023–2024 school year begins, please send a note of thanks to your local superintendent, school principal, school counseling team, lead custodian, and/or favorite teacher leader, acknowledging their dedication to this noble profession and kindly thanking them for keeping the beacon of light burning brightly, for the wellness of staff and students is linked directly to those who bravely lead from the heart.

Katie Gaylord is approaching her 19th year as a professional school counselor, with experience at the elementary and secondary levels, in Virginia and New York State. A graduate of Providence College, Saint Bonaventure University, and the College of William and Mary, Katie has degrees in English, School Counseling, and Educational Leadership. She enjoys spending family time with her husband Jeff, who is a school administrator, and their three young children. Recognized by the Governor of Virginia in January 2021 for creating a kindness fundraiser campaign during the COVID-19 pandemic, Katie and colleagues helped raise over $13,000 dollars selling “Virginia is for Kindness” t-shirts to benefit the Virginia Peninsula Foodbank. To date, $22,519.75 dollars has now been raised and 2,207 shirts sold through the #vaisforkindness campaign, as Virginia Kindness Week is celebrated annually in Virginia schools. Katie’s efforts in modeling kindness as a way of life continues to inspire positive human interaction. She can be found on Twitter @KatieGaylord1.

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