Helping Students Cope With Setbacks In The Classroom
At one time or another, we’ve all experienced setbacks in our lives. Whether at work, school, or in your personal life, it is inevitable. Everyone hits rough patches, but the question is—
What do you do when you pick yourself back up?
Life can throw unexpected curveballs or setbacks; from minor obstacles like receiving a low grade on a test or fighting with a friend, to more significant ones like illness or loss. These obstacles are difficult for everyone, but they can be especially tough for students who are learning how to balance their personal lives with schoolwork.
Here are a few tips that can aid students in times of distress:
–Planning: This can be helpful to regain perspective after a setback. When things are more planned moving forward, feelings of uncertainty can be reduced.
–Seeking professional advice: If the problems are still persisting, students should have the option to seek help from their schools through counseling services.
–Social support: Support from peers can be a great buffer of negative emotions in students.
–Resiliency: Understanding that setbacks happen more often than students realize. A key thing to keep in mind is that resilience is correlated with success.
–Saying no: Knowing that it is OK to say no to things that make students feel overwhelmed.
–Learning from setbacks: Allowing setbacks to serve as a learning opportunity for the future.
These are just some of the ways students can overcome setbacks and bounce back from them. Most importantly, students should try their best to not take failure personally – as it is a huge part of who they will be later in life.
It’s also super important to come up with the right words to say to students when they are upset. When everything seems to be going wrong for them, these motivating reminders can help.
Remind them that bad times won’t last forever
Teach them to be open to change
Convince them to take chances and trust their instincts, even though the outcome is unpredictable
Emphasize the importance of tuning the negativity out and remaining optimistic
With support and encouragement, students can conquer anything!
We are an educational student tour company, specializing in highly engaging in-person and online experiences. We partner with schools, community-based organizations, and college access programs that serve underserved students, to address critical issues experienced in these communities.
Resources:
https://spsp.org/tips-dealing-setbacks
https://www.edweek.org/leadership/opinion-how-to-help-students-handle-setbacks/2022/10
