10/10/2026
What if we stopped asking, “What is wrong with this child?” and started asking, “What might this child be feeling or needing?”
Recently, I facilitated a 4-hour intensive workshop with more than 100 teachers from different schools of Pokhara on student mental health and emotionally safe classrooms.
We didn’t just talk about emotional well-being. We practised it.
💚 Mindfulness and breathing
💚 5-4-3-2-1 grounding
💚 IVN: Identify, Validate, Navigate
💚 Role plays, real-life scenarios and reflection
But the biggest lesson was this:
A child who acts out may be struggling.
A child who withdraws may feel overwhelmed.
A child who disrupts may be seeking connection.
Behaviour is what we see. Feelings and needs may lie beneath it. Through SEEP – Social Emotional Education Program, we encourage teachers to pause, listen with empathy, and respond with understanding rather than judgement.
Because emotionally safe classrooms are not built by rules alone. They grow when children feel seen, heard, respected, and understood. My heartfelt thanks to the school leadership, participating teachers, and the TSON family for making this meaningful learning experience possible.
Let’s move from managing behaviour to understanding children. ❤️ Every Feeling Matters. Every Person Matters.
SEEP – Social Emotional Education Program
TSON – The School of Nonviolence Inc.
World Mental Health Day 2026
Santoshi Wagle
