Teacher Counseling Strategies

Teaching Idea

Stopping Test Taking Anxiety: For Teachers

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Testing makes a great deal of children nervous and uncomfortable. Here are a number of ways to help students through this difficult time:

  1. Tell students to take deep breaths.
  2. Have a motto for your class. Something they will repeat when they feel the stress.
  3. Develop a "tell" between you and the student with the difficulty.
  4. Crunchy and chewy snacks help.



Teaching Idea

Helping Children Cope with Tragedy"
Jeff Heinz: New York, NY

  • Listen to children's concerns without interrupting.
  • In a patient and reasonable tone, reassure them that they are safe.
  • Explain what happened and try not to disguise or avoid it.
  • Note that this is something done by some bad people, and that most people can be trusted.
  • Emphasize that the victims did not deserve to be hurt, especially when it's a hate crime.
  • Talk to children about telling an adult when someone is behaving in cruel ways.
  • Say that such events are rare and unusual.