Wellbeing

Term 2 has started and we are well and truly getting used to being back on campus. This has taken some adjustment after 2 years of interrupted learning. Students have all faced this challenge differently, and hence their presentation over the last term has varied. 

In general terms, we have seen a decrease in empathy.  Empathy is the ability to understand the emotions of others. Empathy helps us understand how others are feeling, what their motivations are, and what their perspective might be. Encouraging your child to consider these things when interacting with others might help them understand why engaging in bullying behaviour is hurtful to others. Students have not had to consider classmates feelings, have not had to compromise or to work closely with others. 

Here are some tips that will help you build empathy in your child;

• Talk often about feelings in life. Talk about feelings in real-life situations, or examples on television.
• Ask what they notice. What do they believe people are feeling, based on their non-verbal communication – facial expressions, body language, and tone of voice? Labelling these feelings will help them think about and understand others.
• Be a positive role model for connecting with people. Give full attention to your child, and other people around you often. Turn off the TV or put down devices, and focus your full attention on the person you’re with. Encourage your teenager to do the same when talking to you.
• Help them understand the other person’s point of view. Ask them what they think the person they are bullying might be thinking, or how they might see the situation. Ask them what the other person might want to happen and why.
• Encourage them to come up with ways everyone can get what they need. Get them to come up with different and interesting ways they could go about it. Help them choose options that work best for everyone and put them into practice.
• Ask them what they’re trying to achieve when they’re engaging in behaviour that could be bullying. Try and work out what their underlying need is, and reflect this back to them.

Our student counsellors, Year Level Leaders and teachers are all working hard to build our students' capacity to be aware of the feelings of others and their impact on others.

As per usual, referrals can be made to wellbeing through;

marianne.mcewen@education.vic.gov.au or 5990 0283 

Kind regards,

Marianne McEwen