A high school art classroom full of teenage students working on their art projects, the room is alive with creativity as they paint and draw in a well-lit space with modern décor.

The Intersection of Academics & Mental Health

by Interdisciplinary

“You have to Maslow before you can Bloom.”

I heard this statement a few years ago and it has stuck with me. It often takes me back to my time as a first grade teacher. I was young, in my second year of teaching, and had a student in my class who would impact my view of education forever. Giovanni came to me as a first grader who, despite having attended Pre-K and Kindergarten, didn’t recognize the letter G. He would scream and cry and throw fits in the hallways, and my teammates felt sorry for me that I was his teacher (but were also glad they were not). The referral process for special education had been initiated.