Mary Bethune students talk about toxic stress in podcast
CMSD NEWS BUREAU
2/26/2021
Stress is something that affects all of us, including students. And an ongoing pandemic, social distancing and remote learning are not helping some students manage their stress levels.
During the new season of ideastream’s podcast titled Health’s Up, students participating in Mary McLeod Bethune PreK-8 School’s Circle Scholars after-school program had the opportunity to talk about what stresses them out.
“We had a lot of schoolwork, and we had to turn it in that day,” Mary Bethune seventh grader Da’Naria shared during the first episode: “Fight or Flight: Understanding Stress.”
Kristi Westphaln, a pediatric nurse practitioner at University Hospitals and podcast host teamed up with ideastream, which includes Cleveland’s NPR/PBS stations, as a way to empower students living in urban areas to take charge of their health.
"We wanted to create something that really amplified kids' voices about what was important for their health,” said Westphaln. “That way they could make healthier choices.”
Top Left: Kristi Westphaln (pediatric nurse/Health's Up host); Top Right Anna Huntsman (ideastream health reporter); Bottom: Shelli Reeves (ideastream community engagement specialist)
Westphaln and two ideastream employees: Anna Huntsman, a health reporter, and Shelli Reeves, a community engagement specialist, visited the after-school program, now held on Zoom due to remote learning, and listened as students talked about what stress means to them.
They also shared the difference between the three main types of stress: good, tolerable, and toxic.
Huntsman said some students were surprised to learn some stress is good.
“It is good when you are trying to get a task accomplished or if there is a dangerous situation," Huntsman said. “Our bodies have evolved to help us and protect us.”
Reeves used the analogy of an alarm going off at school to compare the types of stress. She said good stress is when the alarm goes off and you know what to do.
“The toxic version is when the alarm goes off all the time and you don’t know why, so you just sit in the class,” Reeves explained.
Toxic stress causes the body to secrete hormones and over time it can have a permanent effect on a child’s developing brain, Westphaln said.
“That is why it is important to try and intervene when possible,” she said. “Even if kids are exposed to these things, it's not a stamp of doom.”
The podcast also offers the students ways to alleviate stress through meditation and relaxation.
Da’Naria learned about mindfulness by closing her eyes and thinking of a happy place.
“I just feel at a young age we shouldn’t be stressing like this," Da’Naria said. “But, I mean, it is life.”
During the podcast's first season, fifth graders at CMSD's Marion-Sterling School talked about a variety of topics, including getting a good night's sleep, eating fruits and vegetables and the dangers of e-cigarettes.
“I learned that people can die from e-cigarettes, especially if they have asthma,” said Kameron See,” who participated in the podcast that season.
Huntsman says this podcast is a way to begin a conversation between students and a trusted adult regarding living a healthy lifestyle.
“We really wanted to hear their perspectives and thoughts because they do matter,” Huntsman said. “And hopefully this inspires other kids who may listen to the podcast to know their voice matters.”
Health’s up podcast offers lesson plans for teachers to use in their classroom with each episode.