Student Perspective: Impact of Human Health’s Experiential Learning Program, Part 6

Editor’s Note: This piece is the third student essay about Human Health students’ experiences participating in Health 1, 2, 3’s classroom to community 4th level component. See here to learn more about this new program.

By: Kathryn Wright

“Sleep is good”, “Stress is bad,” “Eat all of your vegetables.” As children, we are all told some variation of these phrases by the adults in our lives. It was not until I took Health 100 as a first-year Emory undergraduate, that I realized there was scientific evidence supporting these claims. I had always seen healthcare as taking care of people when they are sick. Never had I considered it from a public health perspective. I suddenly realized how my daily behaviors could determine the trajectory of my long-term health. Prevention was empowering. I instantly wanted to share this information with others so they too could feel empowered. When I was presented with the opportunity to share these lessons with students at King Middle school through the 4th Level of the Health 1,2,3 program, I readily agreed. I immediately noticed the schism between my college textbook knowledge and the application of knowledge in a classroom full of middle school students.

Health is a unique journey for each individual, and they must discover what it means to them.

Teaching is more than communicating facts. It includes engaging the students in ways that gets them excited about the information. My group (consisting of myself and two other Emory students) was tasked with teaching topics titled What is Health?, Nutrition, and Positive Mental Health.

One of our first activities included breaking down the concept of “health” into the 5 pillars of physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual health. If you would have asked me a year ago how to define spiritual health to a 13-year-old boy, I would not have known how to respond. Now I know the answer: you don’t. Health is a unique journey for each individual, and they must discover what it means to them. Perhaps one of the greatest lessons I learned from teaching at King Middle School is that I am more efficient when I lead people to answer their own questions, rather than telling them what I think is right.

Eating is a common pastime in middle school and college students alike. On one of the Nutrition days, we had the privilege of cooking in the classroom. I was just as excited as the students were because I had never cooked in a classroom setting. We created recipes with ingredients students may have readily available at home. I was in charge of the pizza station. A small group of middle school boys worked to cut, decorate, and cook enough mini pizza bites for the entire class to try. They were amazed that they could make healthy snacks that still tasted good.

Our final topic was positive mental health. This was a difficult topic because while many of us are familiar with mental illness, we rarely discuss how to be mentally healthy. We began with an activity where the students shared something that negatively impacted their mental health. Students discussed everything from losing a family member to having the bread rip when trying to make a sandwich. I was amazed how the boys listened to each other whilst sharing some of the greatest stressors in their lives. For the rest of the class we let the students experiment with different coping techniques that promoted positive mental health. Students at my station made DIY stress balls. Other stations included playing Pictionary with friends and writing thank you cards to someone who has made a significant impact in their life. Students were very open to discussing how some of these activities could improve their mental health even if they are not stressed or mentally ill.

The most rewarding moment of the experience was after everyone left and we discovered a thank you card a student had left behind. It was addressed to all three of us. During many of the activities, students frequently shared that they had never done anything like this before, and frankly, neither had I when I was their age. I realized how much my health education (or lack thereof), had influenced my choices. I never had a bedtime and I judged food solely by its taste. It is my hope that our presence at King Middle school will be the beginning of a paradigm shift towards increased awareness of the way in which the simplest of choices today can lead to a healthier and happier life in the future.