EDUA 5664 Drugs, Kids, and Teachers
DRUGS, KIDS, AND TEACHERS
When young people experiment with drugs and alcohol—and statistics indicate that many of them do—the impact in the classroom can be damaging to students’ motivation, engagement, and academic performance, not to mention dangerous for students’ health. Occasional or “gateway” experimentation can quickly lead to addiction, accidental or intentional injury to self or others, and negative long-term social, emotional, and academic outcomes. One of the biggest challenges teachers face is that it can be hard to tell if and when students are using drugs. Students don’t always show obvious signs of drug use or abuse and there is no easy way to predict who will experiment with alcohol, marijuana, or other substances in the future. What teachers can do, however, is recognize risk factors, implement preventative measures, and intervene in appropriate and effective ways.
This course is designed to give the teacher knowledge about the drugs teenagers commonly use and where they access them. The learner will isolate factors that often lead to adolescent drug use in order to better identify students who are at-risk of or using drugs and to implement preventative efforts. This course will also equip participants with concrete, effective strategies for intervening when students are using drugs.