Learning and developing an about what impacts a child’s ability to learn is extremely important for my future career. The environment they are surrounded by has a major impact on children and their behaviours.
The focus of the lecture today was about “At Risk Behaviours and Society”. This topic is of extreme interest to me as I have been brought up in a family and background that is very aware of some risk behaviours and the affect it can have young people and their families. Many people often ask “Why bother about what other people do?” and yes everyone is free to make their own choices but I hope that when I qualify as a teacher that I can be an influential and effective educator that will help children make choices that keep the safe and healthy, this is a reason to bother about what other people do.
So what are risk behaviours?
- An insignificant amount of physical activity
- A diet that leads to health concerns and disease
- Substance use/abuse
- Sexual behaviours that result in unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases
- Behaviours that lead to injuries (Planned or unplanned)
As educators we need to be aware ourselves of ways in which children can be influenced and how these behaviours have consequences. We need to be open-minded enough to take on-board childrens issues and why they do things. We as teachers need to be good role models!
Society and Culture are part of who we are, they are part of our identity and to an extent they influence our daily choices and actions. Living in a culture where jobs are scarce, food prices change daily and where without budgeting it can often be cheaper to buy an unhealthy meal than a healthy one will subsequently have an effect on your health. It has been proven that their is a strong link between deprivation and health (Glasgow Centre for Population Health, 2010). Scotland has the lowest life expectancy in Western Europe and this can be linked to social-economical factors (Glasgow Centre for Population Health, 2010).
One question asked in the seminar today was: “Scots: Are we healthy?”
After reading over and analysing some of the data in “Investigating a ‘Glasgow Effect'” (Glasgow Centre for Population Health, 2010). I came to the conclusion that we as Scots are not the healthiest and a lot needs to be done to improve the overall health statistics in Scotland however through education we can help guide the next generation on to a healthier and more successful future. As a future educator I want to be part of a society that helps lower statistics such as: Deaths related to ‘drug-related poisonings’ are ‘2.5 times higher’ amongst ‘Glaswegians than those in Liverpool and Manchester’ (Glasgow Centre for Population Health, 2010). We need to work together to become a healthier Scotland.
References:
Glasgow Centre for Population Health (2010) Investigating a ‘Glasgow Effect. Glasgow: Glasgow Centre for Population Health.
