New elective teaches students importance of self-care
Kaiya Lakes | The Chronicle
Senior Brooklyn Rossetti makes a list of things she is thankful for during a “Self-Care Day.”
Mason High School (MHS) is constantly evolving: partnering with the latest organizations, creating more programs both in and outside the school and adding the newest and most interesting classes to MHS’ course catalog.
In August of this school year, current hope squad advisor and Advanced Placement (AP) Psychology teacher Alex Beurket dove into teaching a class brand new to Mason: The Science of Well-Being. The foundation of the class was taken from Yale scientist and professor Dr. Laurie Santos’ college course about how to make yourself happier and improve your overall well being.
Santos said that she created the class in the midst of the pandemic in efforts to teach people how to remain positive despite the struggles of quarantine. In the description of her adult-level class, Santos said that her course is “designed to teach you how to increase your own happiness and build more productive habits.”
Beurket said that since the class has been adjusted to meet the needs and learning requirements of a high school setting, the goal has shifted to something more attainable for high school students.
“The goal isn’t to make [the students] happier, exactly,” Beurket said. “It’s my hope that the kids taking this class go on to have a better life.”
In a poll that Beurket administered to the entire class, 64.3% of students reported that yes, they felt their lives had improved since taking the class — and on top of that, 78.6% of students who took the course said they had used things they learned in class in their personal lives.
Beurket said there are some students who he can tell actively participate in the course’s activities, and that they will get more from the class than many of the other students.
“This is the kind of class where you get what you give,” Beurket said. “It’s my push to students to be motivated to better their own well being.”
MHS senior Brooklyn Rossetti spoke about what she was able to take away from the course from active participation and how she saw the change in her personal life.
“As a result of some of our lessons, I’ve been more grateful and aware of sharing my gratitude with others,” Rossetti said. “I engage in multiple random acts of kindness throughout the week because I learned that doing good for others makes me happier.”
Rossetti also talked about how her personal psyche changed throughout the course of the semester, mentioning feeling different than when she first stepped in the classroom.
“This class has forced me to look at everything from a new perspective, like how I should have a more positive outlook on sadness rather than refusing to accept that feeling,” Rossetti said.
Maddy Biddle, a senior at MHS and another active and eager learner, took the course first semester as well, and said that although she does not feel as different as she had hoped originally, the class still taught her valuable information she will continue to use in her own life.
“I don’t quite feel different, but I do think that if I didn’t take [the Science of Well Being] I would have been a lot more stressed,” Biddle said, “I enjoy all the things we do to destress in class.”
Biddle talked about how she learned more than she expected to during this semester, and she does feel like she has a better personal ‘well being’ as a result.
“The biggest thing I’ve taken away from this class is that our mental state affects everything: our emotions, our physical state,” Biddle said. “[This information] gave me insight, tips and healthy habits in order to be happier.”
In the same poll mentioned earlier, 64.3% of students said that they would recommend this course to their peers, for a number of reasons.
Biddle says she would recommend the course to an audience particularly interested in the field of psychology and understanding the why of well being.
“I had a lot of fun in this class and still learned a lot,” Biddle said, “I highly recommend it for people that are aspiring to be things like a social worker or a therapist.”
As interesting as this class may be to that group of people, Beurket says this class can be a good addition to their course load for anyone with any interest in their physical and emotional health — their own well being.
“I think this is a powerful opportunity for anyone,” Beurket said, “a powerful opportunity to learn about how to have a better life.”