Montana City School teachers could soon be better prepared to address students’ mental health needs through trainings specified in the school’s professional development plan.
The Montana City School District 2022–2023 Professional Development Plan, adopted by the school’s Board of Trustees at its April 13 meeting, includes training on controlling and managing personal emotions when dealing with students. State law requires school districts to annually approve a professional development plan that “focuses on teachers as central to student learning” and “enables teachers to develop further experience in subject content, teaching strategies, uses of technologies, and other essential elements in teaching to high standards.”
Teachers will also participate in a “There’s no such thing as a bad kid” presentation. According to Superintendent Tony Kloker, this presentation will assist teachers with guiding students facing emotional or behavioral challenges by encouraging positive mindsets and building their self-esteem. Kloker explained that how teachers react in these situations impacts the child’s outcome.
“When a kid’s really struggling, it’s never about the kid,” Kloker said. “It’s about what we as adults can do differently.”
Kloker explained that student mental health is a districtwide focus because it impacts students’ ability to succeed academically. Family-specific events such as divorce, student diagnoses like autism, and worldwide events such as coronavirus shutdowns can affect a student’s development, he said.
Due to social distancing requirements, students couldn’t practice their social skills, and the limited interaction impaired their maturity levels, he said.
“We are finding that many students are dealing with many things in their life that impact their day,” he said. “Our focus on mental health is in an effort to support students in these many areas.”
Montana City School is a member of the Prickly Pear Cooperative, which provides mental, physical and emotional services to schools that can’t afford those services individually. Because the services are expensive, smaller schools formed the co-op to share the costs. The Montana City School board appointed Kloker as the district’s representative to the co-op at the April 13 meeting. The county’s seven other public schools are also in the co-op.
