As part of my teacher’s college program, I have two Alternative Field Experiences to complete that give me a chance to volunteer in areas outside of my teaching area. For my first AFE I have been working with mindyourmind for the past three weeks and I have learned a lot about mental health and youth!

I’ve been able to explore my interest in mental health and connect it with my passion for teaching in many ways. I learned about the many resources available to youth, and I’ll be able to direct my future students to these resources if they need help. I also learned a lot about self care and specific wellness strategies that can be used in classrooms as well as my daily life. I was able to write social media and blog posts that will be posted on the site. I created lesson plans that integrate information about mental health with the curriculum. I really enjoyed writing for mindyourmind; writing has been another one of my passions and it’s been great to use this passion to share information about mental health and wellness.

It was great to see how much work is going into creating resources and awareness about mental health for youth. I think that there are a lot of improvements happening in schools, and I think these changes will help students’ overall well-being. One of my goals during this placement was to learn more about how to make a classroom equitable for students with mental health issues. The knowledge I’ve gained over these three weeks will definitely help me create a safe and equitable classroom for my students.

After this AFE ends, I will be off for the holidays and then back at school to finish my final semester before I graduate. I can’t wait to start my career as a teacher and to use this experience to help students and raise awareness about mental health. I appreciate the opportunity I had at mindyourmind and enjoyed my time here with the wonderful staff!