Across the globe, schools judge the abilities of their students by conducting assessments. The students who pass with flying colors are considered brilliant and outstanding achievers. On the other hand, the ones that fail to do so are considered average or below average. However, research suggests that good grades do not necessarily mean a better and successful career or a good life. Being successful in life requires much more than just that. One must have patience, integrity, passion for success, and many other similar skills and traits.
As vital they may be, students cannot learn these traits and skills by cramming books. A student needs counseling to develop and enhance their skills and academics. Moreover, they need counseling to overcome problems they encounter during their journey to become better professionals. Educators must provide students with an atmosphere that sparks curiosity and enables thinking. This environment will help students with their academic, professional, and personal growth. That said, listed below are a few steps that you may take to encourage your students to identify and overcome real-life challenges.
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Encourage student counseling
Student counseling is perhaps the most obvious way to help students overcome challenges they may face in a diverse learning environment. If you work in school administration or are a teacher/professor, you may pitch in the idea of bringing a counselor on board. You may also become one yourself. If you don’t know how to become a school counselor, a quick search on the internet can help you clear all your queries. The path includes specific educational qualifications, experience, and licensure. But the time duration and professional requirements vary from one state to another. Once you do get the credentials, you can help students in countless ways.
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Create a healthy and nourishing environment
Creating a space where the students can grow is one of the crucial roles of a teacher. For instance, as a teacher, you may have observed that some students refrain from participating in-class activities. They may be scared that if they get an answer wrong, everyone will laugh at them. If students feel their peers are judging them, they will remain afraid of making mistakes. This fear will tie them up and prevent them from learning and prospering. Therefore, it is essential to create a safe and healthy environment that is tolerant and conducive to personal and academic growth.
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Encourage a growth-oriented mindset
When you allow the students to develop a growth-oriented mindset, they are likely to excel at problem-solving. The phrase “I cannot” causes a lot of damage. Therefore, modify it to “I can.” Let your students know that the only thing that stops them from succeeding is the boundaries they create for themselves. Once they can look and act beyond these self-created boundaries, they will be able to identify challenges and take steps to develop solutions for them.
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Promote collaboration
Even though some students thrive as lone wolves, collaboration is essential in real life. Humans are social animals. They need to collaborate to get things done. And this is also true for academic life. Teamwork helps students share ideas and help each other in times of need. It will help them overcome educational roadblocks and excel at group assignments.
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Bring the outside world to them
The world we live in is full of problems; some are easy to solve, and some aren’t. If students have difficulty tackling issues outside the school, try bringing them into the classroom via discussions. You can ask the student if they are comfortable sharing their problems with their peers. If they allow it, you may even include the rest of the class to pitch in some solutions. It will increase cooperation and empathy among the students. Some students who have personal problems that they would not share with you in private would also be encouraged while listening to others’ experiences. It will help them see that no one has it all figured out and, on some level, we are all looking for solutions.
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Share examples
Sharing all your problems may make everyone depressed. Therefore, it is always a good idea to share success stories. You may share success stories of famous people who successfully overcame hardships students can relate to. You may also share stories of people who solved world problems. Sharing stories is like telling examples. It will encourage individuals to believe that nothing is impossible if they put their heart and mind to it. You may also share examples from your field. For instance, you may share how previous mathematicians invented algebra to help them solve the problems of calculating inheritance shares. Learning about such examples will be a fresh blow of air that will encourage them to find solutions.
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Encourage networking
Networking can be a valuable tool to gather the information that will help students in overcoming challenges. Encourage students to build their LinkedIn or Indeed.com profiles. They may then find connections in their respective fields who can help them out. An early acquaintance with challenges that are yet to come will give them more time to be ready to face those challenges in the future.
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Arrange sessions with alumni
Arranging sessions with alumni will also be beneficial for the students. For instance, a student may be facing issues in deciding on what career path to take. By listening to the experiences of alumni and how they got it all figured out may help students figure out their problems. Additionally, the alumni may also discuss the concept of failing. It will help the students in seeing that failure does not mean the end of the world.
Conclusion
Education and schools play a pivotal role in shaping society. They are responsible for preparing responsible members of the community. Therefore, it is the responsibility of educators to prepare their students for their lives outside of school. The students should have confidence in the school’s faculty and share their problems with them. When teachers encourage the students to discuss openly, only then will students be able to begin looking for solutions. As a teacher, you must be supportive of your students and guide them through the journey.
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