Our education has traditionally defined the standard core curriculum to include math, science, English language arts and social studies. Yet, the most essential understanding we can possess is the way to be agents of our health.
While the academic systems have determined that we must develop the ability to memorize and analyze numbers, atoms, verbs and societies, we are left without the information to maintain and maximize the health of our own bodies.
Many high school graduates have no understanding of how to choose specific care providers or interpret a medical bill. Most of my peers have never learned to decipher the nutritional labels on the foods we put into our bodies.
The education of youth should not only teach us to navigate our world, but navigate our physical vessels. Creating a thriving internal ecosystem is the foundation for our existence. As they say, health is wealth.
For students to truly thrive, our schools need to begin teaching the various aspects of health in our curriculum as early as possible—not merely a semester in high school. Health determines whether we thrive or just survive. Elementary school is the time for incorporating comprehensive health education and strategies for preventative care.
Rather than waiting for anxiety and other mental health issues to show up in our teens, we need to be introduced to the field at a young age. It’s imperative that we know how to take care of ourselves and see the signs of neglect ahead of time.
As a passionate and self-driven health proponent, it concerns me to see how many students are regularly sleep deprived, because they don’t know enough to advocate for their basic needs. Under the pressure to perform, most don’t eat the foods that provide the nutrients and enzymes that our bodies rely on to fuel us. They’re amped up on sugar and caffeine, leaning on a diet high in packaged foods. I’m only one person and I can only say so much without creating a divide.
The high-pressure world we are entering as graduates is beyond that experienced by any other generation before us. The chaos of the political climate and the acceleration of technology and AI are impacting us in ways that haven’t even been completely discovered yet. Our nervous systems need to be cared for in ways that enable us to sustain ourselves and maintain equilibrium. To do this, we need to start young enough to prevent the onset of disease.
Students who are taught about the effects of stress are more focused, balanced, happy and productive academically. Whether it’s diet, sleep, exercise or more specific health aspects, stress is a part of our world, whether we like it or not.
We should all be agents of our own health and well-being. But, it requires a system of teachers, classes and curriculum to give us the structure. Integrating wellness into our educational experience from grammar school through college is essential for our evolution.
