“This has been such an unprecedented journey, and what we need coming out of this is also high levels of compassion for our children who are navigating these challenges," says Dr. Crooks, who spoke on the topic on April 12th.
Dr. Claire Crooks Takes Part in Community Speaker Series
By:
Gerry Rucchin
Thursday, April 14, 2022
The COVID-19 pandemic has been stressful. The hardest-hit group, in particular, has been children and youth, as there have been severe disruptions in learning and essential resources with lockdowns and school closures.
CSMH Centre Director Claire Crooks addressed these challenges and how school communities can achieve post-pandemic well-being. During the Faculty of Education's semi-annual Let's Talk About Education event, Crooks presented 'Focusing on relationships as an evidence-based approach to promoting post-pandemic well-being and achievement.'
Crooks' presentation focused on how the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated many children and youth's mental health challenges. Her presentation also stressed that everyone – parents, teachers, students, policymakers, friends, families, and researchers – must be at the table to help children optimize their mental health in a post-pandemic world.
"This has been such an unprecedented journey, and what we need coming out of this is also high levels of compassion for our children who are navigating these challenges and also compassion for parents and educators because everyone has been impacted," Crooks said.
Crooks highlights how the pandemic has created disproportionate outcomes for marginalized groups. For example, Crooks cites the potential struggles refugee families might face. They could experience reminders of difficult times, such as lining up for food, restricted movement, or not having access to resources. When they are open, schools often provide community resources to families.
In addition, Crooks said schools must focus on mental health because when they emphasize it along with numeracy and literacy, students achieve academic success.
"Our brains aren't hardwired for the stress of a pandemic," Crooks said. "But understanding the neurobiology of stress can help children's well-being." She added that neighbours, mentors, and coaches could also help children get back to the best version of themselves.
Crooks used examples from the Centre for School Mental Health to show how Western researchers partner with educators and community members to apply research for children's benefit. Crooks highlighted the MindUP program, which focuses on social-emotional learning and relationships.
Crooks' research found that children who received this teacher-led intervention in their kindergarten classes had more positive outcomes and less problematic behaviours, such as acting out and internalizing. They had better executive functioning, which is needed for people to learn how to make good decisions. Crooks added that this training also helped educators, as those that implemented these practices had lower levels of burnout and higher self-efficacy in the classroom.
Let's Talk About Education is a complimentary speaker series open to the general public where Education researchers share their work and facilitate discussion around important topics in education. To learn more about the series, and other upcoming Western Education presentations, click here.
