Substance use is one of the most common problems among students. This fact occurs because of unhealthy relationships with parents, the negative influence of peers, puberty age. In this situation, the teacher plays a key role for the student as he or she can provide support and care during the rehabilitation period and create a healthy atmosphere. This work is a plan of two important steps: identification of the student using substances and assistance in the process of weaning from substances.
Identifying a Student Who Uses Drugs
To develop a plan of action in the situation at hand, a teacher needs to understand whether a student is using substances. As a teacher, I have to consider all suspicions of abnormal behavior in students; it is better to be reassured than to overlook it. It is important to understand that immediately after substance use, behavior changes, after using cannabis the student may be impulsive, easily turned on and laughing, or conversely, depressed. Physiological indicators change is the respiratory rate increases, the pupil size narrows, and sweating may increase. A student who uses prohibited substances most often understands that he is violating the law. They can become secretive, and suspicious, but this does not mean that I need to monitor “every shy student” (Said Saeed et al., 2021, p. 8). If he is afraid to enter the classroom, and “constantly looks around, then it’s worth taking” (Sedibe and Hendricks, 2021, p.22).
Plan of Action with a Student with Substance Use Problems
If I suspect a student of substance use, I should “notify the school principal, social pedagogue and psychologist” (Timoshilov and Lastovetsky, 2019, p. 274). It is not necessary to immediately take the student to the principal’s office, it should be done if the state of alcohol or drug intoxication is obvious. When confronted with these situations, I have to be attentive enough to help the student and understand why they chose to make the surfactant. The worst thing that can happen in this situation is to be openly judgmental and bullying, which will increase the student’s addiction. At this point, you need to show as much support as possible in the acceptance process and work to eliminate the addiction.
References
Said Saeed, D., Ali, I., Nadeem, M., Khaliq, F., Tariq, M., Ali, M. Z., & Rasul, I. (2021). Prevalence of drug abuse in educational institutes of Pakistan: A phenomenological study. International Journal of Innovation, Creativity and Change, 15(8). 1-20.
Sedibe, M., & Hendricks, N. G. P. (2021). Drug abuse amongst adolescent learners in townships. Interchange, 52(1), 17-39.
Timoshilov, V. I., & Lastovetckii, A. G. (2019). The prevention of drug substances abuse among schoolchildren. Problems of social hygiene, health care and the history of medicine, 27(3), 273-276.