I’m finishing my last online class to obtain my clear credential; Health Education. One assignment was to create a fact sheet on a health issue facing the students of our schools. Most of the other teachers hail from the USA so they are all dealing with the issue of obesity. The students here in Japan do not have this problem so I addressed a different issue.
Reducing Stress in Third Culture Kids
Focusing on 4th Grade
A “Third Culture Kid” or a “TCK” is a child who is growing up in a crossroads of culture. My husband, for example, was a TCK having grown up in Japan, the child of Lutheran missionaries. He grew up fluent in both Japanese and English, appreciating the culture, foods and traditions of his host country but missing out on many of the social and cultural experiences of his native country. Because many TCKs feel caught between cultures and often end up feeling alienated from both, the emotional stress can lead to health problems, both mental and physical. Not only do the students have to adapt to a foreign culture and language, they often have to do so frequently as their parents may be transferred between assignments in different countries every few years. My fact sheet targets the 4th grade population at the international school in Japan where I am currently working as a substitute teacher.
Stresses Specific to TCKs:
High mobility; being forced to adapt the new cultures frequently
Being the outsider; trying to find ways to fit into the new peer group
Language fatigue; stress related to learning a new language
Acute world awareness; often well-informed on world-changing and stressful events
Alienation; sense of belonging to neither home nor host culture; loss of identity
Results of TCK stress:
Inability to connect emotionally with others (fear of separation)
Rebellion and rejection of the new culture or denial of personal history and identity
Mental and physical fatigue; stress reduction sought through substance abuse
Anger at global events turned outward as violence or turned inward as depression
A sense of belonging nowhere can result in suicide as the last cry for help
Proactive TCK Coping Strategies:
Making Connections:
Teachers in the international school classroom can foster new friendships and help facilitate healthy connections by introducing students to each other and creating projects that group students into study and research teams. Keeping communication lines open between school and home is important to keep abreast of any personal stresses that may be manifesting themselves in the classroom.
Cultural Education and Affirmation:
Study units that focus on the surrounding culture and history can help orient and ground the newly arrived students. Students should be allowed and encouraged to share with their classmates about their own native countries and the cultures of which they have been a part. Diversity of language, culture and traditions should be welcomed and celebrated.
Stress Reduction through Physical Activity and Health Education:
Physical exercise is essential in allowing elementary students to reduce stress and increase the production of endorphins and the chemical phenylethylamine, which elevate the mood and increase the powers of concentration. Students should also be intentionally taught the importance of physical exercise for their mental health and general well-being. They should also be taught about the dangers of substance abuse and shown healthy alternatives for dealing with stress, such as exercise, hobbies, healthy family relationships, social activities and service projects.
Emotional Health Education:
Students can be taught self-monitoring of emotional health through regular classroom session with a school counselor. Dealing with difficult emotions, such as anger and depression, can be openly discussed and coping techniques introduced. Class discussion can be facilitated by the counselor to deal immediately with specific problems in the classroom before they become serious. Students should be comfortable with going to the counselor to discuss anything that is bothering them.
Creating Community:
The school can become an important resource in creating a vibrant and welcoming community. Besides inviting students and their families to the school activities, they can provide information on various other organizations and activities going on in the surrounding area. Families with similar interests and backgrounds can be connected to each other through the use of surveys and interest questionnaires.
Resources:
“Third Culture Kids; The Experience of Growing Up Among Worlds†by David C. Pollock and Ruth E. Van Reken
Wikipedia Entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Culture_Kids
http://www.emporia.edu/recsport/newsletter/Newsletter_1_Jan_19_2006_files/page0001.htm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/1565230.stm
http://www.neahin.org/programs/mentalhealth/Stress-Guide.pdf
http://www.mustangsonline.org/es/Counselor.htm