Author: Alice Peel
-
Episode 5, Season 3 is here: Ouch this hurts
Star of the show: The Wise Owl (prefrontal cortex) 3 character strengths: Perspective, Self-Regulation and Perseverance. Last year we received an email from a primary school in Sydney’s inner west “Help! How can we support students who miss out on a leadership role in year 6?” Regardless of age we are all familiar with the…
-
Episode 4, S3 is here: Generous Assumptions
Star of the Show: The Sifting Sooty aka the Reticular Activating System Focus Character Strengths: Social Intelligence, Curiosity and Generosity Do you think people are doing the best they can? For example, someone cuts you off in traffic. Or a friend doesn’t call you back in a timely fashion. Perhaps a person in the street…
-
Episode 3, S3 is here: The Invisible Line
Focus strengths: Respect, Empathy and Confidence. Star of the show: The Sensitive Octopus (aka the insular cortex) In this episode the 12 year old hosts zoom in on boundaries, knowing them and setting them. Boundaries are simply what we define as ok and what is not ok. Easy enough definition but a huge struggle for…
-
Episode 2, Season 3 is here: Keep it but free
Focus strengths: Courage, Flexibility and Honesty. Star of the show: The Guard Dog This week’s episode begins with musings around saying sorry. The kids being interviewed are asked if they find it easy or hard to apologise, whether it is even important to say sorry when you have done the wrong thing and if an…
-
The key to student wellbeing is…
by Alice Peel November 23, 2020 LOVE? NO! (although we are fans of the stuff) MONEY NO! (also fans) STAFF WELLBEING? YES! You can stop reading now. Still here? Need more convincing? Here…
-
A cultural shift in how we think about mental health
by Alice Peel October 14, 2021 Let us begin by saying: BRING IT ON! BRING ON the National Children’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy, an initiative of the Australian Government’s National Mental Health Commission. BRING ON the fact that this is the first time a national government has developed a strategy that considers mental health and wellbeing…
-
Does mental health + wellbeing education need its own swimming lane?
by Alice Peel October 1, 2021 Mental health and wellbeing tends to be tucked tidily into the PDHPE curriculum. This to date has highlighted to all that it is a requirement of Australian schools to teach mental wellbeing. However, as I sat and listened to Christine Morgan (the CEO of the National Mental Health Commission and National…
-
A ticking emotional time bomb: being a school principal in 2021
by Alice Peel July 5, 2021 we meet serving the wide variety of schools that Grow Your Mind is in. Even if you are not a leader the reasons why this particular role may be stressful are glaringly obvious: Students! Parents! Staff! COVID-19! The ACU’s 2020 Principal’s Health and Wellbeing report found that our school leaders are not only overwhelmed by the…
-
Primary school classrooms are where mental health education must begin
by Alice Peel May 12, 2021 Guess what the largest burden of disease effecting children aged 0-14 is? Mental health problems. In fact: 50% of adult mental health conditions begin by the age of 14 1 in 7 primary aged children are experiencing mental health problems today Society is experiencing major and rapid changes and this is…
-
A FREE social + emotional wellbeing tool is waiting for your classroom
by Alice Peel March 8, 2021 Oral storytelling is as universal as it is ancient. Most of us grew up listening to the soothing, mesmerising, entertaining words and sounds of the voices closest to us. We know how the voice can bring a more personal, informal and often engaging touch to what is being said and…
