What we should be advocating for as Educators! by Jillian Nunnery

Mental Health for Our Kiddos!

jnunnery1 — 2025-08-25 13:19:57 UTC

Increase students’ access to school-based mental health services.

https://www.ncforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Top-Education-Issues-2024-25-Print-Ready.pdf

Salary, Flexibility, and Extra Support.

jnunnery1 — 2025-08-25 13:47:46 UTC

Advocate for improved salaries, flexibility, and the support needed to be effective in the classroom and community.

https://learningattheprimarypond.com/blog/how-to-be-an-advocate-for-yourself-as-a-teacher/

Informative-Decision Making as a whole group.

jnunnery1 — 2025-08-25 13:50:41 UTC

Asking the teachers for their advice in decision making instead of assuming.

Work-Life Balance for Teachers. Mind Matters.

jnunnery1 — 2025-08-25 13:56:14 UTC

Teachers can struggle with this. Sometimes it is important to be our own advocate in this scenario.

Inclusion and services for Special Education.

jnunnery1 — 2025-08-25 14:03:08 UTC

Often times, Special Ed is overlooked. These teachers and kiddos need just as much support as everyone else.

Parents believe we should advocate for:

jnunnery1 — 2025-08-31 22:29:06 UTC

-More funding for our schools and extracurricular activities.

-Extra support for our teachers and those struggling students with things outside of school.

-Mental health counseling for both students and teachers.

-More funding for extra supplies and support for a more hands-on environment.

-Salary increases as a teacher.

Teachers believe we should be advocating for:

jnunnery1 — 2025-08-31 22:32:16 UTC

5th Grade Team:

-Student attention span and involvement.

-Correct training and assistance for the special education department and learning accommodations are the minimum.

-Student motivation and growth.

-Work-life balance. School hours vs. family hours.

Our assistant:

-Extra support for the new assistants in the buildings.

Administrators believe we should be advocating for:

jnunnery1 — 2025-08-31 22:36:32 UTC

Counselor:

-Student mental health

(Geared towards trauma)

STEM Teacher:

-More funding for STEM classes.

Vice principal:

-Not leaving students behind. Overall, student success and growth.

Instructional Coach:

-Ron Clark Houses

(The family and community atmosphere for all students, all of the time, no matter what.)

Librarian:

-Equitable access to all of the books and technology needed for a child to succeed.

Steps for Advocacy!

jnunnery1 — 2025-09-08 22:46:21 UTC

Peer-Reviewed Article

jnunnery1 — 2025-09-15 02:18:52 UTC

Survey results showed that a majority of teachers (99%) believed that addressing students' mental health needs was part of their role but felt somewhat burdened by these needs, especially in classes with students who exhibited greater difficulties.

This article hit close to home, being 5th-grade teachers who were surveyed.

Teachers say that mental health can be a burden on student learning. Noticing which ones of our students need these services also helps us help them.

Peer-Reviewed Article

jnunnery1 — 2025-09-15 14:20:03 UTC

Because of formidable access barriers to conventional sources of care, an estimated 80% of the millions of children and adolescents needing services for psychiatric or behavioral problems receive these services only at school (Burns et al., 1995).

Most kids only receive access to mental health counseling at school. While this is good, we still need more. Classroom disruptions along with no motivation to learn are usually students struggling with mental health. As a teacher, we need to close this gap and help these children as much as we can because you never know what is going on at home.

Project Rubric

jnunnery1 — 2025-10-01 17:22:18 UTC