Free Resources Archives - Project School Wellness

Why Financial Literacy Is Important for Students

Janelle Kay — Mon, 19 Apr 2021 17:00:32 +0000

Why Financial Literacy Is Important for Students

10 Reasons to Teach Financial Health

Financial Health Impacts Everything

I wholeheartedly believe that Financial Health should be a fundamental part of every health education experience. Now, I know this may seem a little odd, but hear me out. Money is one of those things that permeates every aspect of life. If we don’t know how to manage money (no matter our income level) and don’t have access to enough financial resources it can be a huge stressor, deeply impacting well-being.

It can create conflict in relationships. It can deteriorate a person’s emotional and mental health. It can motivate people to stay in jobs they hate. It can push people into dangerous and desperate situations. And the stress of all of this can wear down a person’s physical body. Simply put, money profoundly impacts well-being (read more).

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Wait, But What is Financial Literacy?

The basis of living financially healthy is understanding financial literacy principles. The term financial literacy refers to the skills and knowledge that allow a person to make educated and thoughtful decisions relating to their money.

While there are many skills and pieces of functional knowledge needed to build financial literacy, these are the five I focus on teaching my students: budgeting, giving back, investing, spending wisely, and saving. Practicing these skills on a regular basis help bring financial stability!

10 Reasons Why Financial Literacy is Important for Students

If I haven’t convinced you yet, let me quickly share 10 reasons why financial health needs to be a part of your health curriculum.

1. It's a basic survival need - We need money to survive, therefore learning how to manage money is a fundamental life skill

2. If kids aren't learning it at home, how are they going to learn? And if they are learning it at home, school can help reinforce good behavior

3. Financial literacy is relevant and practical, something students will need to practice every day of their lives!

4. Teaching students how to secure a good salary does not insure Financial Health and stability or guarantee that they know how to manage money (it just might mean that they have more margin for error). They have to actually learn the basic skills.

5. Starting young can help prevent a major financial crisis before it actually happens (especially when it comes to credit cards and building bad debt)

6. The financial system is actively working to take advantage of financially illiterate people (think credit cards, high interest loans, etc)

7. The stress of financial insecurity is soul-crushing (not an exaggeration)

8. Financial security plays a key role in empowering people to thrive as it connects to all of the dimensions of health

9. Even though kids aren't financially independent now, one day they will need to be and they won’t automatically learn financial literacy skills, they must be taught and nurtured

10. Financial literacy is complex and complicated and by integrating it into the health curriculum throughout the entire school experience, we can build a lasting foundation

Moral of the Story: Teach Financial Health

Truthfully, the list could go on and on. But hopefully, I’ve made a compelling argument not only for why Financial Literacy education is important but also for why Financial Health should be an aspect of every comprehensive health education program. If our goal is to empower students to build sustainable health and happiness, becoming financially literate is fundamental.

Free Intro to Health Unit Plans

We've got you covered! Get instant access to five free health lesson plans for in-person or digital instruction.

Hello. I'm Janelle!

A middle school health teacher turned curriculum developer (and #WAHM). I'm on a mission to share the easiest-to-teach, most impactful health lesson plans on the Internet. Because your time and energy is better spent on teaching and connecting, not on planning and prep.

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The post Why Financial Literacy Is Important for Students appeared first on Project School Wellness.

Jimmy Fallon’s Unexpected Anti-Bullying Lesson Plan

Janelle Kay — Mon, 15 Mar 2021 03:03:00 +0000

Jimmy Fallon’s Unexpected Anti-Bullying Lesson Plan

A quick and easy anti-bullying lesson plan

A Prank That is Actually the Perfect Tool for Teaching Anti-Bullying

I'm not sure if Jimmy Fallon realizes this or not, but this clip of Yankee fans booing Robinson Cano is quite possibly the perfect discussion starter for a talk on cyberbullying.

The fans are happy, even giddy, to boo a picture of Cano. But as soon as he's standing in front of them, they instantly change their demeanor. They are friendly and kind and they stand in awe.

It's a perfect look at how easy it is to become a bully when we're hiding behind a screen. We feel bold enough to say things we would never say to another human's face when we don't have to acknowledge the pain and hurt we cause.

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A Simple Discussion & Anti-Bully Learning Activity

So how can you use this clip as an anti-bullying lesson plan in your classroom? Here's an outline for using this clip to launch a discussion on cyberbullying in your classroom (of course, adapt however you see fit!):

Watch the video clip (Please preview it first as there are some bleeped out words).

Then, in pairs, ask students to discuss the following:
- What did fans do when they saw a photo of Robinson Cano?
- How did the fans treat the real Robinson Cano?
- How were these two interactions different?
- What caused fans to act differently?

Next, as a class, connect the video to cyberbullying. Explain how the fans' actions are similar to posting negative comments, sharing photos/videos with a person's consent to boost your social capital, talking about a person behind their back, etc. The video shows just how easy it is to say things about and to people when it's just a screen when you don't actually have to acknowledge the impact your actions and words have on another person.

Wrap up the discussion by challenging students to always ask, "Would I say this to their face?" And if the answer is no, then don't post it.

I hope this quick and easy anti-bullying lesson is impactful for your students! And if you have other clips that make for great discussion starters, please send them my way!

Free Intro to Health Unit Plans

We've got you covered! Get instant access to five free health lesson plans for in-person or digital instruction.

Hello. I'm Janelle!

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Sexual Health Education for the 21st Century

The post Jimmy Fallon’s Unexpected Anti-Bullying Lesson Plan appeared first on Project School Wellness.

Sexual Health Education for the 21st Century

Janelle Kay — Tue, 03 Nov 2020 14:59:38 +0000

Sexual Health Education for the 21st Century

Five Must-Have Elements of Modern Sexual Health Education

Modern Sexual Health Education

Let’s talk about Sexual Health education and what it should look like in the 21st century!

But before we dive into what Sex Ed should look like, let’s take a look at the definition of Sexual Health. Too often being sexually healthy is reduced to using protection and asking for consent (not that those things are unimportant, they just don’t represent the whole story). So I think it’s time we open up the conversation and expand how we think, talk about, and teach Sexual Health. To do this, let's begin by defining Sexual Health.

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Sexual Health refers to embracing and enjoying your sexuality throughout life by building confidence and security in your identity; engaging in meaningful, pleasurable, and healthy sexual experiences; nurturing enriching relationships; exercising autonomy over your sexuality and body; and keeping your body working at an optimal level

I know it’s a long definition, so let’s break down the various pillars of Sexual Health:

Elements of Sexual Health
Build confidence and security in sexuality and identity
Engage in meaningful, pleasurable, and positive sexual experiences
Nurture enriching relationships
Exercise autonomy over your sexuality and body
Keep your body working at an optimal level

Holisitc Sexual Health

As you can see, this definition greatly expands the narrative surrounding sex and sexual health. No longer is the message, “use protection and you’ll be sexually healthy” or “learning how to ask for consent is all you need to know about establishing consent.” Again, using protection and asking for consent is vitally important. But just this simplified approach doesn’t actually speak to the underlying skills needed to establish consent or to the reality that using protection doesn't guarantee a meaningful, pleasurable, and healthy sexual experience.

By taking a comprehensive approach to sex ed, we open up the conversation to actually get to the heart of understanding what knowledge and skills empower an individual to truly live sexually healthy lives. Lives where people feel in control, are connected, experience truly positive sexual experiences, and can take ownership of their sexuality.

So with this definition in mind, let’s examine how we, as health educators, can nurture each of the core elements of Sexual Health and empower our students to live a lifetime of optimal sexual well-being.

Five Necessary Elements of Modern Sexual Health Education

#1: It's a Safe Space

First and foremost, students need a safe space to talk about sex, sexuality, and sexual health. Teachers must establish a shame- and judgment-free space and cultivate a culture of kindness, empathy, and respect.

Teacher Tips

Acknowledges that sex is a healthy and normal part of life
Intentionally cultivate a shame- and judgment-free environment
Creat space for open and honest discussions about a variety of relevant and relatable topics

#2: It's Inclusive

Each person’s sexuality is individual and unique. No two people experience and express their sexuality in the same manner, and our classrooms should reflect this reality.

Teacher Tips:

Be inclusive of all genders, identities, sexual orientations, and expressions
Present an inclusive view of the definition of “sex” (a.k.a. expand the definition of "sex" to more than vaginal intercourse).
Teach healthy relationships and sexual practices relating to different orientations and types of sex

#3: It's Holisitc and Comprehensive

Sex Ed should speak to the core elements of Sexual Health. Students should understand what sexuality is; learn how to exercise autonomy and advocate for themselves; understand what makes a sexual experience meaningful, pleasurable, and healthy sexual experience; have the knowledge and access to services and products to prevent pregnancy and protect against infection; have the skills to build healthy relationships.

Teacher Tips:

Explore an inclusive definition of sex by examining more than just vaginal intercourse for the sake of procreation
Present sex (the act of two people physically connecting their bodies together and experiencing pleasure) as a normal and healthy part of life
Connect sexual well-being to a variety of aspects of life
Teach concepts related to strengthening emotional and mental well-being, relationship building, medically-accurate sexual functioning, the health skills, and more.

#4: It's Positive

Sex Ed should be positive and talk about pleasure. Now, this doesn’t mean it’s our job to specifically teach students how to experience pleasure.* Rather, it’s about setting the expectation that sex and sexual experiences should be positive and bring pleasure. Setting the expectations that sexual experiences should be positive and pleasurable plays a key role in empowering individuals to exercise autonomy of their body, sexuality, and sexual experiences.

Also, it's a more accurate education on sex. Because let’s be real, even though the biological purpose of sex is to reproduce, there are very few times in life when sex is experienced for the sole purpose of procreation.

Teacher Tips:

Keep the conversation around sex and sexuality positive and uplifting
Teach medically-accurate information on the sexual response, specifically highlighting the clitoris, not the vagina, as the pleasure center in the female body
Have a shame- and judgment-free conversation on masturbation

*A Note on Pleasure - By pleasure I'm not just talking about having an orgasm. Sure an orgasm is a great way to experience pleasure. But it's not the only thing that brings a person satisfaction and enjoyment during sexual activity. More importantly, the idea of pleasure connects to making sure that a person is having a fun time and that they feel good physically, emotionally, and mentally.

#5: It's Medically Accurate

Sex Ed must be medically accurate. This means we share evidence-based and accurate information about things like the sexual response, pregnancy, contraceptives, masturbation, etc.

Teacher Tips:

Teach medically accurate strategies (beyond abstinence) for preventing pregnancy and infections
Talks about the basics of sex functioning and the sexual response
Debunk medically inaccurate myths promoted by mainstream media, pornography, and ill-informed commentators

It' Not Just About Sex!

Ultimately, Sexual Health education for the 21st century isn't just about sex. It's all about empowering students to experience the following:

Confidence and security in sexuality and identity
Meaningful, pleasurable, and healthy sexual experiences
Enriching relationships
Autonomy over their sexuality and body
A body working at an optimal level

Together, each of these core elements of Sexual Health leads a person to live sexually healthy and thriving lives. And for too long, society has set the bar incredibly low in terms of what it means to be sexually healthy. It's time we raise the expectation and equip students with the knowledge and skills to live with optimal sexual well-being.

Free Sex Ed Lesson Plans & Printables

Get instant access to free inclusive anatomical printables and two sexual health lesson plans: 1) Defining Sexual Health; and 2) What is Sexuality?

Hello. I'm Janelle!

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