PROMOTING MENTAL AND EMOTIONAL WELLBEING OF PUPILS TOWARDS CREATING A HEALTHY SCHOOL

PRILOG IZGRADNJI ZDRAVE ŠKOLE

Abstract

The author promotes mental and emotional wellbeing of teachers and pupils in an effort directed towards creating a healthy school. He used a projection method called “Draw and Write” to offer proofs that pupils, during their growth, pass through critical periods. The analysis of the pupils’ answers demonstrated that young people today have a very different values and attitudes from the grownups they come in contact with. The young people care most for the members of their families. They care when “father left”, and when “mother cannot find a job”, they say they worry about politics… they also worry about the events they cannot control and cannot influence. These findings help teachers to have more understanding for “normal crisis” and “normal stresses” their pupils go through. They help teachers plan a learning process in a way that would enable each pupil to be involved and motivated. The author explores the question of how far can the teachers go in a teaching process without overwhelming pupils. Self-confidence building can be an ultimate measure.