• ‘It’s not the kids who fall and break an arm who have a fear of heights, it’s the ones who never climbed a tree.'

    The majority of my day as a school nurse is spent working with students experiencing anxiety.  This was not a "thing" when I was growing up so I am always seeking answers about why this is occurring and how to manage it effectively at school.  Nordic children (and society) are considered to be some of the happiest in the world, so I gravitate toward their philosophies on parenting and child-rearing.  The Nordic concept of encouraging a level of risk-taking is intriguing to me and I believe has a place in our culture as well.  I'm not advocating reckless abandon, lawlessness, and disregard for all safety, but I am advocating for allowing students to have some modicum of risk.

    Students now may snowboard, play hockey or lacrosse, travel the world - many things we did not have when I was growing up.  But these activities are done under adult supervision.  And I'm surprised how often the lessons learned from these activities do not translate to new situations for students.  They may have no issues going down a double-black diamond ski run on the weekend, but they want to go home if a basketball unexpectedly hits them during PE.  It seems to be the unplanned or unscheduled situations that cause the greatest amount of anxiety.  Is adventurous play the answer?  I'm not sure, but I think it can help. ~ Nurse Lisa

    Click on the picture below to start the video.