This Teacher’s Request for Mental-Health Books Went Viral and Started a Movement
March 6, 2018
By: Megan Holohan
Source: Today
Every day, Indiana kindergarten teacher Tina DuBrock hugs her students. But as the daily news focused more and more on tragedies, DuBrock saw that she needed to do more than hand out hugs to her overwhelmed class.
Brock created a mental-wellness reading list, and now teachers across the country are using it in their classrooms.
“I am here to do my part to start a movement to prioritize mental-health education in schools,” she wrote on Facebook. “It needs to be a part of our day. Self management, growth mindset, social awareness, respect, and responsibility need to be taught in the schools.”
DuBrock came up with the idea out of frustration.
“I was a little depressed about everything going on (in the world),” she told TODAY. “I just wanted to come up with an idea that would help.”
DuBrock knew her school, Protsman Elementary in Dyer, Indiana, and others do not have enough funds to dedicate to mental-health education. She hoped that if she shared her Amazon Wish List on social media, a few people would donate a book that she and her colleagues could use.
Books on the list include everything from a Charlie Brown book about dealing with very sick friends to “David’s World: A Picture Book About Living With Autism.”
DuBrock thought she’d be lucky if she received just a couple of the 86 books on the list. The response stunned her.