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Erin
Castillo, an English and peer counseling teacher in California, came up with
a unique way for her students to disclose how they’re doing mentally and
shared it on her Instagram page — and now, fellow educators from North Dakota
to New Zealand are following suit.
Castillo put up a “mental health check-in” chart in her classroom, where
pupils can take a Post-it, write their names on the back, and put it next to
a series of options, ranging from “I’m great” to “I’m in a really dark
place.” The last one warrants a conversation with Castillo or a school
counselor, offering a way for the students to get support without having to ask
outright.
“I never expected it to get beyond my following,” she told Good Morning
America. “To see this being used in multiple countries around the
world, having [teachers] reach out from New Zealand and Africa ... to hear actual
stories of people helping their students, I’m really overwhelmed with joy.”
Clinical psychologist Stephanie Samar praised the method as a manner of
“destigmatizing” mental health struggles. “It gives the checks and balances
that everyone isn’t fine all the time — the way that social media and YouTube
and all these platforms make it seem,” she said. “Seeing their
classmates having good days and bad days really taps into what reality is.”
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