Promoting well-being in my classroom is a priority for me. To me, the foundation of teaching is connection, and I’ve always believed that creating a safe and warm classroom environment is the first step toward promoting well-being. Students are under a great deal of pressure, and the pandemic only exacerbated students’ stress levels. Many of my students are also freshmen, so they are navigating the transition to college as well.

To promote well-being in my classroom, I aim to connect with my students as individuals, encouraging them to meet with me during office hours to discuss assignments as well as possible barriers to success. I often share information on the Student Well-Being resources on campus if our conversations indicate that a student could benefit from some support. Additionally, I make use of the UCARE referral system, submitting referrals for students who may benefit from outreach from a Care Manager.

In Fall 2022, Professor Goldberg and I partnered with Student Well-Being to design a narrative assignment with an emphasis on cognitive reframing. This assignment was very meaningful, and it provided an opportunity to add a beneficial component to the narrative assignment, with the goal of helping students learn skills to deal with difficult situations in the future, as well as learning to use cognitive reframing when examining past experiences. We are grateful to Senior Counselor, Amber Johnston, for visiting our classes to promote these skills.

After completing the narrative-based cognitive reframing essay, my student, Drew Appleman said, “Cognitive reframing helped me to understand and be able to describe the way that I was feeling at the time of the event that I used for my narrative. It was a good way to take a step back and think about the emotions and how they affected me on that day and moving forward. I think that I will use cognitive reframing in the future if I have very bad or very good days. I will reflect on them after and "reframe" the feelings that I was having.”

Another one of my students, Evan Boydston said, “[The assignment] was a good mental check for me because it gave me reassurance that I can do a lot more than I think I'm capable of at times. It will help me in my future because no matter what I will come across I know that I can overcome it. It will give me confidence to push through adversity. I'm glad I had the opportunity to write this narrative to be able to reflect on what I overcame.”

It is not unusual for me to tell my students that their well-being more important than a grade. I believe that once a student receives proper support and is connected to helpful resources, then the student can focus more effectively on assignments. I’ve learned some excellent strategies for talking to students in distress via the Mental Well-Being Champion training sessions that I’ve completed as my department’s Mental Well-Being Champion. I have reminded students that how they feel right now will not be how they feel forever, and I also employ the technique of mirroring, reflecting back what I hear a student saying. Being heard and seen is powerful.

I support student well-being in the classroom and learning environment by talking about the resources available to students on and off campus and by uploading well-being resources in Canvas. I also offer extra credit to students who complete some of the well-being online trainings such as Ask, Listen, Refer and Collegiate Recovery Ally Training. Most importantly, I try to create an inclusive and belonging environment by encouraging students to engage in discussions about sensitive topics, such as mental health and substance use, while using respectful language that recognizes our collective diversity.

I let students know that they can be their authentic selves in my classroom, lab, and office by being myself around them and to any extent that I can, flattening the hierarchical structure of academia. I remember what it was like to be 18, new to college, and from a very rural background, and I channel that empathy into my interactions: My students' experiences aren't identical to mine, but I can relate to the experience of being unsure, or of needing an advocate or advice, or of just wanting to talk about something with someone who will listen.

I also manage my classroom through mutual respect and trust. For example, if we want healthy students, we have to understand that sometimes their mental health or well-being requires that they miss class, much as we all occasionally miss work sometimes. We also have to understand that diverse people have diverse needs that may require them to miss class occasionally. Policies like requiring a doctor's note or proof of a death create inaccessible situations for many students and encourage deceit. I let my students know that I respect them and understand that sometimes they need to miss class-- I ask them to let me know that they won't be in class as soon as they are able and to make a plan with me to get the material they have missed. I ask them to not abuse this policy, because mutual respect fosters mutual trust, and they rarely do.

I begin every syllabus with this note:

"First and foremost, I care about each of you as human beings. I hope you will think of me that way, too. I'm here to support you however I can. Take care of yourself and your family. Whatever happens, we will work it out."

Later, when I talk about the importance of attending class (and, yes, 75% of success in life is about showing up and engaging), I add another key statement:

"If you begin missing class time, I’m going start looking for you—because, here’s the thing, I’m not going to leave anyone behind."

While I give lots of information about the various ways to get help at S&T, I want my students to know that I am part of that help. Too often students think that their professors are adversaries. We aren't. Much of my philosophy comes from the many years I worked in and directed writing centers. I always want students to know they can talk to me. If I can't help, I'm not going to shrug them off; I'm going to find someone who can help them.

Ultimately, actions speak louder than any words on my syllabus, but I think, even in my short time at S&T, students know I mean what I say. I'm not leaving anyone behind--no matter what.

In my own teaching I like to follow the ideas of Nel Noddings in her ethics of care philosophy. When we show students we care, and spend time actually listening to them, they are more likely to learn and, as instructors, our pedagogy will get stronger (Noddings, 2005). By learning about my students, their hobbies as well as how they learn best, I can create lessons that engage students in those topics they like or change up how I teach the content to address various learning styles.

If students don’t feel like a teacher cares about them then they are less likely to participate in class. I show my students that I care by showing up to class a few minutes early each time to engage with those students who also show up early and see how their week has been. I also incorporate a lot of discussion in my classes which helps increase students’ critical thinking, but also allows time for me to learn more about my students and their beliefs and thoughts about the content of the course.

As professors, it’s important to remember that our students are often juggling many different things and have stresses outside of our classes, so having compassion at times is important. If a student has something come up and misses a deadline once in my class I don’t penalize them, but rather listen to their situation and modify the deadline if necessary. I tend to think about it as how I would want someone to treat me if I was in that situation at that time. I want my students to feel comfortable coming to me when they feel overwhelmed and just need to talk. My office has many times become the “safe space” where my students just come to chill if they need a break from life. Providing that safe space, wherever it ends up being, can help students see you care.

These are just some of the ways that I support my students, along with sharing the many resources on campus with them. I still have more to learn about the resources available, but being a Mental Well-Being Champion for my department has given me the opportunity to learn more about these and have the knowledge to share with students who can benefit from them. I will continue learning about these resources because I know they are helpful to students, and the students are my main priority!

Theodore Roosevelt once said, “People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care.” I first encountered this well-known phrase during a keynote lecture at a teaching and learning conference, and it left a lasting impression on my perception of my students, both in and outside the classroom. Striking the right balance of teaching and learning can be difficult, especially when dealing with students who have diverse backgrounds, abilities, and interests. My goal is to create engaging, thought-provoking, and challenging courses that encourage active learning and collaboration among all students. Thus, addressing the individual needs of each student is critical for their overall well-being and success. For instance, by letting students know that there are no silly questions in my class and that all inquiries will be treated with respect and answered truthfully, creates a positive and supportive environment. Individual student needs can also be met through additional learning opportunities, such as LEAD sessions (Learning Enhancement Across Disciplines, lead.mst.edu), and ample opportunities for one-on-one meetings with faculty members.

During my term as department chair of chemistry, I followed the advice of Dr. Scott Miller (Materials Science and Engineering) and relocated my office hours to the Student Success Center at 198 Toomey Hall. This change allowed me to avoid frequent interruptions from individuals just seeking signatures or the completion of other quick administrational tasks. However, the Student Success Center offered much more than a distraction-free environment. In addition to giving students my full attention, it also created the welcoming and non-threatening atmosphere that promotes student well-being outside the normal classroom time. The number of students attending my office hours has significantly increased and at times, students will drop in for a casual conversation about their academic progress or just to have a chat over a cup of coffee.

Wellbeing happens in different layers. Many people interpret wellbeing usually as physical wellbeing, such as staying healthy in physical terms. So, it is perceived as not having sickness or disease. However, it is much more than that.

We could think of wellbeing at different levels such as physical, mental, academic, social, financial, psychological, emotional, professional, and spiritual well-being.

Human beings have many sides and many aspects to them, so a perfect wellbeing means not just being physically healthy, although that is the first thought that comes to our mind. Staying healthy in any of the above classifications does start with a great deal of understanding and practice via education and adopting a dose of prevention as much as possible.

Since I am a firm believer of prevention, I lay it out in front of the students at the outset. Right at the beginning of the semester, I describe myself to my students as their well-wisher and that I will offer them my advice and perspectives on various subjects dealing with wellbeing. I tell them how I wish all of them to be healthy not just in body but also in mind and soul.

Regarding physical wellness, I explain to them how important it is to have a good sleep of around 8 to 9 hours every night and how important it is for them not to stay up late till wee hours especially the night before the exam.

A well-planned study habit such as studying for certain amount of time for certain subjects if done regularly bears a more productive result. I also talk about my own formula of “triple R” to them which is what I discovered when I was a student myself. This consists of a set of (r, R, r) where the upper-case letter has more value than the lower-case. (r R, r) = (redo, REFLECT, recap)

I tell my students to redo or copy the lecture note neat and clean to a notebook (writing neat and clean is becoming a lost or almost a lost art in our society today), then REFLECT on each line of the note thoughtfully, recap the idea by rewriting the material contained in the lecture note and then finally, comparing the recapped note to the original lecture note. Any student who applies this process regularly to each subject will not only excel in the study but will also enjoy the whole process. The best thing about it is that when we enjoy what we do, we end up doing it great.

When I offer such advice to any and all of my students, usually they receive it gracefully and take it home to think about it some more. However, once in a while, I smell a little bit off-putting. Some 14 or 15 years ago, there was a student named Thomas (for the sake of making it near anonymous, I am not using his last name). Once I was telling my students to have a good night’s sleep and have a good breakfast before they go to take a test, Thomas came to me and said, “Dr. Shrestha, you sound like my Dad”. I smiled and said, “Nice” Then he came a little closer and said, “Do you know, I hate him!” Ouch, I didn’t see that coming. Anyway, I thought 99% if not 100% of my students did take my advice with grace and I hope they will maul over it.

I also said, “… just before you go to sleep, think about the whole day’s activities, see if you are happy and at peace with what you did; if yes, continue doing so the next day, but if you think, gosh I should have done this, I should have done that, tell yourself that next time around, you will do what your conscience told you to do. Today is just about gone, tomorrow is a new day.”

I remind my students about the various resources available here at S&T and that they are available free of cost. Here, it is not just me, but everybody wants you all to be the very best in everything. So, our slogan is “Learn Well. Be Well. Stay Well”. We focus on learning, then applying the knowledge thus learned to stay well.

This is a whole bunch of items of support that proves to be godsend for some of our students.

I thrive on the variety of disciplines and kinds of students that attend my literature courses. One of the strengths of my literature courses is that they are relatively small--15-40 students on average. This allows me to give more personalized attention to all of my students. My concern with inclusion and accessibility drives my teaching, and I always appreciate students from diverse backgrounds and work to make them feel welcome.

I have students form small groups during the first week of class. These groups will have a shared presentation assignment together. In addition, I tell them that group is a resource for them--somewhere to go to check-in about class information that isn't the instructor. I regularly encourage them to check-in with these peer groups. In addition, small group work in class allows me to spend more individual time with each student.

I also vary my teaching style. While I focus on discussion throughout my teaching, I arrange specific class sessions to get us moving. We break into small groups, form a large circle, take class outside--whatever helps. I find these strategies help engage students.

I give a variety of writing assignments in order to engage students fully in the creative process of the literature they are studying. This assignments also allow the students to bring their outside strengths into the literature classroom. For example, I have designed a multi-media assignment in which students transform one of the stories read in class into another form of media and write a response paper analyzing what that experience taught them. I want students to study their media choices. Some examples of finished projects have been paintings, video recordings, performance art pieces, and interactive games.

Mostly, I care about the students. I tell them I care about them and about their success. I want them to care about each other. These small touches make a difference!