Mirror Reflection

Do your students have a tough time expressing how they are feeling in a situation? Do they struggle to understand how their emotions affect others and how they look to those around them? By having a mirror in your classroom, your students can instantly see how they express their feelings when they are happy, upset, angry, scared, worried, excited, etc. I love using a mirror when my students are experiencing frustration or anger because they get to see how their emotions look to their peers. It provides a great discussion opportunity with the student as well. Often times I walk with the student to the mirror or bring the mirror to them, then together we talk about how they are feeling and why. Together we discuss possible solutions and we discuss how our emotions look to others. This has worked very well with my students who struggle to understand why their peers may avoid them when they are angry, frustrated, yelling, and/or screaming. We discuss how we want to be friends with people who are smiling and happy, not yelling and angry. I always reaffirm to them that their feelings and emotions are important and they should express themselves, but we also discuss how their feelings affect themselves and their peers. This practice also allows students to learn how to properly identify their emotions and feelings which leads to more awareness on the students' part. Check out some mirrors that you can include in your classroom below!