During my eight-year teaching career in Colorado, I’ve heard many schools and districts claim they want to “develop the whole child.” For example, the Colorado Department of Education supports statewide infrastructure and systems to promote a whole-child approach called Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child . Furthermore, Denver Public Schools Ends Policy requires all students to demonstrate a well-rounded educational experience.
These policies can be found in many educational settings, but they do not do enough to prepare all children for the rigors of life. To best prepare them, I suggest we are more purposeful in incorporating multiple dimensions of wellness into our children’s learning experience.
The concept of wellness encompasses various interconnected dimensions of our lives, aiming to achieve a balanced and fulfilling state of well-being. Wellness involves nurturing not only our physical health but also our emotional, intellectual, social, spiritual, environmental, career, financial and creative dimensions. Within these dimensions exists an opportunity for our children to build resilience, grow in their learning and development and create a harmonious relationship with themselves and the world around them.
I firmly believe our failure to teach our children across all the dimensions of wellness has left them unprepared to tackle life’s challenges in and out of the classroom. We don’t hold our schools accountable to a high standard of excellence beyond standardized testing and uniform learning standards. We owe it to our children to do so, and we must be unapologetic in our commitment to a more holistic approach to education.
Recognizing the Need for Wellness
A classroom is more than a place for learning algebra or geometry; it’s more like a barbershop or a family gathering, where moments become a part of the infinite stories teachers can tell. Those stories are like a guide, showing us how vital it is that we teach across many dimensions of wellness.
When I think about students’ wellness needs, I think about two young, amazing Black boys, Rob and Nas, whom I had the chance to work with as a math teacher and basketball coach. Both were brilliant and charming, but each showed up in the learning environment in vastly different ways.
Rob was a gifted middle school basketball player. He took coaching well and could jump out of the gym. He understood the role athletics could play in his goal to become a psychologist; it was refreshing to see when so many kids had no idea what they wanted to do in life. He participated in the Capitol Hill Challenge, a national competition for the stock market game, and accompanied me to the State Capitol to meet state representatives and senators. I remember him asking early in the school year, “How can I be on a 10th grade math level by the end of the year?” This young man had a strong foundation in physical, career, intellectual and financial wellness but his wellness needs could still be nurtured further to ensure his longevity and well-being in all categories. This was especially true for his social and emotional needs; in my opinion, all middle school students need constant care in that area. To ensure he continues on an upward trajectory, continuing to tend to his holistic wellness and not assume that those needs have already been met is necessary.
On the other hand, Nas was less connected in the educational environment. Nas was more involved in the disciplinary process. He often told me he knew he could do better but did not feel up to the challenge. He felt like he was never fully supported. He was a child who would perform well on tests, but struggled to be on task and complete assignments. I saw a little of myself in him—a student that I saw as gifted but never had that gift nurtured. Due to circumstances outside of school, I knew he needed emotional support. To help, I would host small groups for boys like Nas to express themselves. I don’t think his academic or intellectual needs were being met either. We spent too much time demanding he follow arbitrary rules like dress code instead of ensuring his brilliance was elevated. He played sports but did not tend to his physical wellness, especially on his steady diet of noodles and Takis.
These are stories of two young men I had in one school year but I can think of countless other stories that show how diverse our students’ needs are. Those stories justify the need to provide comprehensive wellness education. Every student would benefit from learning within any combination of the dimensions of wellness, and educators must start finding ways and resources to support our students while they matriculate through school.
Wellness in Our Schools
Our children are showing increases in anxiety, depression, and behavior problems. I see these increases firsthand, and I believe it is worse than we even realize. It is also why our children must know how to be emotionally and socially well, especially in a digital age. Imagine a school setting that operates more like a greenhouse instead of a manufacturing facility, where every student is a plant, and each plant is given exactly what they need to grow.
Data shows that academic outcomes can be strengthened by incorporating various approaches to wellness, and there are many ways we can incorporate wellness into our school day. At a minimum, educators should be unabashed in their commitment to interventions that support all students to be socially, emotionally,and intellectually well. It is a requirement of the Multi-Tiered System of Supports and schools should treat it as more than just a checklist.
Other opportunities exist beyond those three wellness dimensions, as well. Imagine if children could learn about saving, investing, credit and budgeting throughout their primary and secondary school experiences. Being financially well would set them up for the life they deserve. Also integrating nutrition and healthy lifestyles into our physical education can improve physical wellness.
Students should also recognize that the environment is more than just the forest or ocean; they should learn to be the caregivers for all the spaces that they exist in. They should understand caring for those spaces contributes significantly to our environmental wellness. Routine opportunities to explore their creativity, explore career possibilities, and strengthen their connection to their spiritual selves through mindfulness are all ways to engage in holistic wellness.
As part of a fellowship project, I was tasked with finding ways to support students’ social and emotional well-being post-COVID. I came up with the idea to transform a typical school day into a full day of wellness workshops with my middle school students, where they get to experience learning across multiple dimensions of wellness. For example, instead of math, they could sign up for a healthy eating workshop, taekwondo training, art therapy, emotional regulation classes, or even a gratitude workshop. There were over 20 course offerings for the more than 200 middle school students who showed up to choose from. As it is becoming a regular experience for our middle schoolers, staying in touch with what they want is important. When asked, they said:
“Other things I would like to have available to wellness day is more martial arts classes like karate, taekwondo, boxing, and MMA.”
“How to have good mental wellness and financial wellness and environmental.”
“More interactive workshops.”
The feedback I’ve gotten from my students shows their desire to learn about other things beyond our core subjects. The need and want are there, and my program is just one example of how we can create a holistic wellness program.
For Our Children to Be Well
Well children exist in an environment where they feel welcomed, supported and empowered to achieve. Student experience within the dimensions of wellness provides us with a context to do so. Building these dimensions into a normal school day is crucial for fostering the holistic development of students. Schools should be dedicated to integrating them more deeply into the school experience and allowing our communities to participate actively in that process. In doing so, we can build bridges that bring access to opportunity for our children. This comprehensive approach helps students to thrive academically and personally, setting them up for success in all aspects of life.
When we ask ourselves, “How are the children?” we will be able to respond, “The children are well.”
