When students can join school, it is a significant milestone since they prepare themselves to be productive members of society. The students are taught basic skills such as reading and writing, forming the foundation for building their future. It may take a few years for the child to finish primary school. If well passed, it allows them to further their studies, and a few years later, the student becomes a doctor, musician, and even the president of the country, and the student helps to grow the country(Rodrique et al.,2020). However, once the student is in primary school, different aspects of their life are considered to ensure that the child is modeled to become well-rounded, which means that apart from academic achievement, the whole issue of student wellbeing is paramount in ensuring that the students can benefit from education and also get lifelong benefits from the different wellbeing programs. For the students, their physical, mental, intellectual, social, and even environmental well-being must be encompassed to ensure an overall aspect of well-being for the students(Okur et al.,2023). In the same line, when it comes to student wellbeing, the different stakeholders play a massive role in ensuring that the different objectives that ensure the student’s wellbeing are met. This essay will explore strategies to ensure student wellbeing, why student wellbeing in primary school is paramount, and the role the different stakeholders play in ensuring that such objectives are met.
Student well-being is a joint effort between the government, teachers, parents, and the community. The government should work to ensure enough facilities and resource persons in the school who are well-trained to help the students. For example, every teacher should be calm since it makes them less effective and less likely to be there for their students. In some schools, for instance, in low-income areas, one will find over one hundred students in one class. In such schools, there are few teachers, and this means that even though the teacher may be putting his or her best foot forward to help the students, it may not be as effective as if the teacher had only thirty students to teach in a class(Anderson&Graham,2019). The government should streamline the education system by deploying more teachers in different schools because the country has well-trained teachers. If more than the teachers are needed, it can outsource from other countries and ensure their students’ needs are always met.
The government should also ensure that other resources are available in the schools, such as enough books and even other human resources, such as psychologists, who are essential in playing the role of psychological well-being. The government should, therefore, ensure that even as they work hard to ensure that the academic needs of the children are met, the other pillars of wellbeing, for example, psychological and physical wellbeing, are also included. For the teachers, parents who are primarily in contact with the students should ensure that they work hand in hand for the wellbeing of the students(Johnson,2020). There are different strategies that both stakeholders can play, which are of great benefit to the students. For example, the teachers can develop effective antibullying prices in the schools that will ensure the students’ psychological well-being. The parents can also provide emotional and financial support for the different activities needed in the school. The teachers can also work to ensure that the students have a voice and are heard across different capacities. For instance, if the students have complaints, they can always receive feedback. This marries the Australian Standards of Teaching, number one, which advocates that teachers should know students and how they learn(AITSL,2017). It means that the teacher will not just generalize the students but will go the extra mile to ensure that each student is considered since the progress of the different students is quite different, but all should be considered correctly.
The teachers can also ensure that they can create an accommodating environment for the students whereby the students feel seen and accommodated. This agrees with the Australian Standards of Teaching, number four, which states that the teacher should create and maintain supportive and safe learning environments for the students(AITSL,2017). For example, the teacher can invite student experiences instead of forming assumptions and biases. As a result, the teacher may need to pay more attention to the students and tend to their needs(Miller,2019). The teachers can also ensure that the students can build a community in the school. For example, forming school clubs and even discussion groups means that the students can learn from each other, build stronger relationships, and grow with each other. The students can also feel a sense of belonging since they can rely on their community and even the different resources in school for any help and know they will find the help they deserve(Gregory et al.,2018). The community is also included in pushing and even actualizing the well-being of students in primary school. Different professionals in the community can help students reach their potential. The professionals can plan for a day where they encourage the students and motivate them to work hard(Tudball,2020). There are even times when community members have chipped in to help needy students, which has pushed the students to continue working hard to reach their potential. The community members have helped put away the burden of not paying enough school fees and even for some students not having school uniforms. An organization for fundraising for such children helps the students since they do not have to worry about not sitting their examinations and even wearing torn clothes to school. This ensures they only have to focus on being students, leading to overall well-being and improved academic performance(Litteau,2021). The community also acts as a guard whereby they can be on the lookout for students who may run away from school and even help such students get back to school and counsel them and reach out in case the student is facing other struggles from their homes. When the community is moved, it also means that there is a high chance that the students can continue with their education to higher levels since the community can support them and even provide more avenues where the students can get support, for example, the different scholarships that institutions such as the banks can provide.
The term well-being is a huge umbrella term that covers different aspects. For example, while in school, the children can read in well-ventilated classes to ensure that they are not scorched by the sun or rained on as they attend the different classes. In this case, the students are well cared for in their physical well-being regarding education. The students can also have counseling sessions, if needed, through the lens of psychological well-being. It, therefore, means that some vital players and indicators must be present in the primary school to ensure the well-being of the students. Wellbeing in primary school becomes paramount since there is a strong link between academic progress and well-being. It is also important to note that where there is some academic achievement, there is also a general well-being. It, therefore, means that when the students are performing well, they are less likely to get stressed, meaning they can flourish psychologically. Along the same line, when the student can be well psychologically and even physically, the student can concentrate in class, attend all classes, and do the exams confidently, guaranteeing academic achievement(Kanonire,2020). The stakeholders who can support the students at this point include the teachers and even their parents. For example, the teachers have included physical exercises in the curriculum, meaning the students can go to the field and play for a few hours. When the students return to class, they are energized, and their minds are fresh, meaning they are ready to keep learning. Their interactions outside the classroom also become paramount in their accumulation of knowledge. When students perform well, they dare to dream even more significantly. They can also take on other opportunities, for example, the national student competitions, which build the students’ confidence in themselves. Through this, they can see the world through a new lens and get new ways of thinking, which proles their educational achievement.
Student wellbeing in the school also ensures that students can understand the life choices one has in life, and through guidance, they can be modeled into people who make the right choices for themselves. Apart from academic excellence, the children are at a stage where they grow and learn from the environment. In the school, a student may feel sad that they are not performing well compared to other students. The student may even become stressed, but in school, there are resources to help such a student. The teacher may notice it and refer the student to the school psychologist. It means that the student will grow up knowing that there is always help when needed and that one does not have to be alone as one goes through different storms.
Regarding healthy living, the students are involved in different games. They can learn how the different physical activities benefit their bodies(Grace et al.,2022). When the students visit the school cafeteria, they are also served healthy foods, which form a basis for the lives of many students even as they grow up to be adults who are leaders in different capacities. They can also understand the different things in society, such as the importance of planting trees, not littering everywhere, and even simple things like kindness to others. The different resource people in the school, such as the teachers, the cooks, and other professionals in the schools, can cultivate such things in the children, meaning that the children can be all-rounded individuals since they are people who have been given different avenues of wellbeing and this manifests in the way the children can interact with other members of the society and even take initiatives.
To conclude, a student’s well-being in primary school is essential, with the different stakeholders playing a vital role. Apart from academic excellence, there are also essential aspects in a student’s life that well-being should be able to manifest and even be cultivated. It is also essential to keep in mind that for the student’s well-being, it will not only benefit them now that they are in primary school, but it will even form the basis upon which they can apply other things in their life even as they progress with their education. The different strategies by stakeholders and even other resource persons will ensure the students’ overall well-being. For example, having an environment where they are encouraged by the community members, taught well by the teachers, and have ample support from their parents means that the students will be well rounded and well equipped for the different things that life may throw onto them as they progress with their education and even as they aim to become productive members of the society. It is, therefore, crucial for all stakeholders to recognize their role in the well-being of the students and ensure that they have rolled the different strategies in place for the prosperity of the children.
References
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