Mental Health Awareness Bulletin Boards and Lessons on Mental Health Topics
Several years ago when I was the alternative education director and lead teacher in our high school, I spent a lot of time developing curriculum to use with my students that dealt with health and wellness. I developed a unit on the topic I incorporated into my Life Skills course and by my last year in the program, I was teaching a semester-long course on mental health. I created lessons inspired by TED Talks on the topic of mental health and I created units based on podcasts and NPR stories on topics dealing with mental health.
One of the most useful resources I created was a mental health awareness interactive bulletin board. I hung one up in my classroom at the beginning of the year and it stayed up all year. I also hung one up outside my classroom, in an adjacent hallway (a high-traffic hallway). I often witnessed students engaging with both my classroom bulletin board as well as the bulletin board I hung in the hallway. (I am currently teaching in the same district in a different school. I just visited the high school to attend an event and I saw that my Mental Health Awareness bulletin board is still up!)
The main reason I created the bulletin board was to de-stigmatize mental health issues. I also wanted to educate and encourage involvement in the issue. I believe I achieved that goal. Many students and staff in my high school commented on the bulletin board. (I've also received many positive comments from educators and counselors in other schools who have used my bulletin board.) I am encouraged by educators around the country who are committed to raising awareness about the issue of mental health as well as providing services to those who need it most.
My Mental Health Awareness bulletin board includes a lot of vocabulary in addition to statistics and quotes that are relevant to high school students (and staff). I also included information for students seeking advice, support, or more information about topics relating to mental health. My goal in providing these resources was to make information accessible (easy/fast/discreet) therefore most of the links are in the form of QR codes that can be quickly and discreetly scanned.
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If you'd like to learn more about my Mental Health Awareness bulletin board click here.
One of the most useful resources I created was a mental health awareness interactive bulletin board. I hung one up in my classroom at the beginning of the year and it stayed up all year. I also hung one up outside my classroom, in an adjacent hallway (a high-traffic hallway). I often witnessed students engaging with both my classroom bulletin board as well as the bulletin board I hung in the hallway. (I am currently teaching in the same district in a different school. I just visited the high school to attend an event and I saw that my Mental Health Awareness bulletin board is still up!)
My Mental Health Awareness bulletin board includes a lot of vocabulary in addition to statistics and quotes that are relevant to high school students (and staff). I also included information for students seeking advice, support, or more information about topics relating to mental health. My goal in providing these resources was to make information accessible (easy/fast/discreet) therefore most of the links are in the form of QR codes that can be quickly and discreetly scanned.
.jpg)
If you'd like to learn more about my Mental Health Awareness bulletin board click here.
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