Building Emotionally Supportive Classrooms: Understanding Anxiety and Fostering Prevention in School Settings
Educators play a vital role in shaping not only a student’s academic growth but also their emotional wellbeing. As students navigate an increasingly complex world, schools serve as one of the few consistent environments where emotional development can be nurtured through relational, structured, and preventative approaches.
Anxiety, when understood and addressed proactively, can be managed in a way that strengthens a student’s ability to engage, learn, and thrive. While not all anxiety is a cause for concern, ongoing or unregulated anxiety can affect a student’s sense of safety, engagement, and ability to participate fully in school life.
This article draws on insights from the Building Resilience webinar with clinical psychologist Dr Corrie Ackland and Life Skills Group founder Nikki Bonus, and outlines how schools and educators can build preventative, emotionally responsive practices that promote long-term wellbeing.
Understanding the Spectrum of Anxiety in Learning Environments
It is important to recognise that not all anxiety is the same. Situational anxiety—such as nervousness before a performance or test—can be developmentally appropriate and even motivating. In contrast, chronic or disproportionate anxiety, especially when left unaddressed, may inhibit a student’s ability to participate meaningfully in school life.
Distinguishing Worry from an Anxiety Disorder
| Developmentally Typical Worry | Indicators of Concern |
|---|---|
| Short-lived and event-specific | Persistent or generalised |
| Does not prevent participation | Leads to avoidance or withdrawal |
| Self-managed with basic support | Requires ongoing regulation support |
| Aligns with the challenge level | Disproportionate to the situation |
As Dr Corrie Ackland explained in the webinar, anxiety becomes problematic when:
“The perceived threat outweighs the actual challenge, and the brain activates a survival response—even in safe environments.”
This is where schools can play a preventative role: by building predictable, emotionally supportive spaces that reduce perceived threat and increase emotional safety.
Recognising How Anxiety Presents in the Classroom
Anxiety does not always present in obvious ways. Some students may display visible signs, such as withdrawal or tearfulness, while others mask their distress through perfectionism or quiet compliance. Educators should remain curious about behaviours such as:
Frequent visits to the nurse or complaints of physical symptoms
Refusal to participate in group tasks or public speaking
Overachievement driven by fear of failure
Emotional outbursts seemingly unrelated to context
Nikki Bonus shared a compelling example from the Life Skills GO platform: a student regularly checked in as “angry,” despite showing no behavioural concerns. When asked why, the student responded:
“I just wanted to know you were looking.”
This simple statement reveals a powerful truth: when students feel emotionally visible and understood, their sense of safety increases, and their capacity for learning improves.
Emotional Validation as a Foundational Practice
While schools are not clinical settings, they are uniquely placed to foster environments that model healthy emotional experiences. One of the most effective tools in preventative wellbeing is emotional validation—the practice of acknowledging a student’s feelings without judgment.
As Dr Corrie Ackland explains:
“It’s not our role to remove the emotion. Our role is to create a context where the student can experience the emotion safely and come out the other side.”
Validation supports regulation by calming the nervous system. Neuroscience shows that when students feel seen and heard, their amygdala (the brain’s threat detector) settles, and their prefrontal cortex (the rational thinking centre) re-engages.
According to Dr Dan Siegel’s “Name It to Tame It” approach, helping a student name their feelings reduces emotional overload and builds their ability to manage distress over time.
The Role of Modelling Emotions and Self-Regulation
A key insight from the webinar was the role of adults in modelling emotional expression and regulation. When teachers and parents name their emotions, reflect on their own emotional responses, and speak openly about how they manage stress, they offer students a powerful template for doing the same.
Dr Corrie Ackland emphasised that children learn emotional habits through observation:
"Young people are constantly looking to the adults around them to understand what is safe, what is acceptable, and how to respond."
By naming their own emotional experiences (e.g., "I’m feeling a bit nervous about this presentation, so I’m taking a few deep breaths to stay focused"), educators model self-awareness and constructive coping strategies. This modelling not only helps to normalise emotional experiences but also reinforces co-regulation as a shared process, not a demand.
The Power of Co-Regulation in Prevention
Co-regulation refers to the way emotionally regulated adults help dysregulated children return to a calm state. In schools, this may involve:
Sitting beside a student and using calm, steady tone of voice
Modelling breathing or grounding techniques
Naming the moment: “It looks like things feel big right now. Let’s take a breath together.”
Through consistent co-regulation, students internalise strategies for self-regulation, strengthening their emotional resilience over time. This approach is particularly effective for students who have not yet developed independent regulation skills.
Here are five evidence-informed practices teachers can use to support emotional development in daily classroom routines:
Emotion Check-ins Platforms like Life Skills GO help students reflect on their emotions in a safe space, access adaptive self-regulation activities, and provide teachers with insights to identify trends or concerns early.
Teach Emotional Vocabulary Help students name what they feel. Use visuals, emotion cards, and metaphors to expand their emotional literacy.
Create Predictable Routines Predictability reduces anxiety. Clear schedules, transition warnings, and visual timetables help students feel secure.
Use Regulation Tools Establish calm corners or sensory kits in the classroom. Ensure they are used positively, not as time-out spaces.
Embed Story and Play Use narratives or characters to help students externalise and explore emotional states in an age-appropriate way.
The Value of a Whole-School Approach
A school-wide commitment to emotional literacy and regulation creates a consistent, safe framework for all students.
Key Benefits Include:
Improved Readiness to Learn: Students who feel safe and regulated are more able to access learning.
Consistent Language and Expectations: Shared approaches to emotions help students feel supported by every adult.
Early Identification: School-wide tools highlight emotional trends early, enabling timely support.
Positive School Culture: Emotionally literate environments build trust, reduce conflict, and enhance relationships.
Staff Confidence: Professional learning around SEL increases teacher confidence and capability.
As Nikki Bonus noted:
“When emotional literacy becomes part of how we teach—not an add-on—it lifts the experience for students and teachers alike.”
While not all anxiety is a cause for concern, unregulated or persistent emotional distress can limit a student’s ability to participate in the full life of the school. Prevention begins in the everyday moments: how we greet students, how we respond to dysregulation, and how we build classrooms that allow emotions to be named and managed.
As Dr Corrie Ackland reflected:
“When the brain believes ‘I can’t cope,’ it activates an alarm. But when adults remain calm, consistent, and curious, they help students override that alarm.”
And from Nikki Bonus:
“When students feel seen, they begin to feel safe and share how they really are—and that’s where prevention begins.”
By embedding a whole-school framework that integrates emotional literacy, co-regulation, and self-regulation into daily teaching practice, educators enhance each student’s capacity to engage, relate, and succeed within a safe and supportive learning environment.
Want to find out how Life Skills GO can help your school understand and achieve your wellbeing goals? Request a demo with our team.
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