The case for wellness in schools: A TED Talk
April 16, 2020
Kaitlyn Flanagan
THE MIRROR
Having connections to people is quite crucial in the mental health area. Everyone has a story that makes them who they are. Sometimes life gets people down and all they need is for someone to help them get back on their feet with their kind words. Even the smallest number of words said can change someone’s life greatly and for the better.
Antonio Castro is a professional mental health manager whose job is to educate upcoming professionals on how to connect. Through his work, he hopes that he can shed light on suicide and mental health to help teachers understand what to do so teachers can make a connection with their students.
Castro said, “You don’t have to be a mental health professional, you don’t have to be a therapist to make an impact on a young person…. To make an impact on the wellness of our youth is to make an attempt to connect.”
Castro uses a tree to symbolize mental health in his TED Talk. Each part of the tree is a representation of mental health. He uses the branches and leaves, the trunk, and the roots to help get his point across.
Teachers don’t always have the right things to say to a student but Castro emphasized that just trying to make a connection is worth way more to someone than not trying.
“Kind words and gestures can go a long way towards emotional wellness.”
Castro successfully taught other people how to connect to students and his story is beautiful. His TED talk is worth checking out.
https://www.ted.com/talks/antonio_castro_the_case_for_wellness_in_schools
Brian Kraege • Apr 24, 2020 at 2:11 PM
This article really drives home the point of attempting to help can be a success which is especially important with mental health which is something that takes a long time to and a lot of effort to improve. Overall the article was pretty good and made some nice points.
Larson Lewis • Apr 24, 2020 at 1:10 PM
Mental health illnesses and awareness of mental health is something that gets a lot of attention now but didn’t many years ago. The more we can understand it the more we can treat it.
McKenna Coyle • Apr 23, 2020 at 2:56 PM
I liked you introduction paragraph and your transitions, overall this was a good inspirational piece and showed how one person can impact many.
Wyatt Cornell • Apr 23, 2020 at 2:53 PM
I think it is very important for teachers to make connections with students. During a school week, some kids may spend more time with their teachers than anyone else. That is why teachers trying to connect with kids is such a big deal.
Kenny Schultz • Apr 23, 2020 at 9:23 AM
This made me realize that our teachers are always trying their best to bond with us, their students. It sounds like Castro knows what he’s talking about and the example as the tree that he used was very cool and really expressed his point of view. I will definitely check this TED Talk out. Great job!
Noah Viegut • Apr 22, 2020 at 2:36 PM
So many people struggle with mental illness so it is important to know that you are not alone. This article did a good job explaining how you can get help and how to prevent it.