Generally, in the school the teachers impart health instruction. But for imparting health instruction the ‘teachers must have a good grounding in the ‘tool subjects’ which aid health education i.e. Biology, Physiology and Hygiene. The materials for health education are as broad as the school -curriculum and all its related activities. These must grow and be a part of all the child’s experiences.
Besides, the periods allotted in the time table for direct instruction, there are numerous other opportunities for utilizing the content of other subjects and activities so as to contribute to the purposes of health education The person who is in a strategic position for utilizing such correlations is the class room teacher.
So one of the qualities which every teacher must have is, good health and correct health habits. But the most essential point which is required on the part of a teacher for health instruction is his knowledge of the working of the human mind and clear understanding of the very complex subject of human development.
Without the background of this knowledge it will not be possible on the part of the teacher to help his pupils for cultivating personally and socially desirable health habits. For solving the emotional difficulties of the children the teacher must have knowledge about the mental hygiene in addition to his knowledge of child development.
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The teacher must be free from worries, anxieties, frustrations and disappointments. Only those teachers who enjoy satisfactory physical and mental health can hope to induce a similar condition in their pupils. Though there are other environmental conditions intervening, ice cannot be denied that for the children the most keenly felt influence in school life is the personality to their teachers,
It is not possible to lay down any hard and fast methods for imparting health education. In dealing with class work the teachers’ main task is to discover the children’s centers of interest and impart instruction to suit the ability of the pupils, their social background and their actual environment.
Not depending altogether on incidental teaching the teacher must allot some time every week for a systematic discussion of health Of course the presentation of the subject matter need not be academic in the traditional sense.
Class discussions, committees, paper-readings and other such methods should be utilized by the teachers making the study of theory easier and pleasant. The teacher must be skillful and explore the possibilities of helping the pupils to relate theoretical instruction with living experiences whatever the grade he deals with, the teacher must always remember that the mere imparting of theoretical knowledge about factors of health and hygiene is not so very important than the actual work for promoting health.
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The teacher’s approach to the pupil’s problems should always be positive and negative. The teacher must realize that it is not possible to drive out bad habits without finding good ones to take their place. He must try to develop in children a balanced outlook on the value of health.
Real education in health cannot be possible merely through class room instruction, however efficient and thorough it may be. For promoting critical thinking and developing a scientific attitude towards matters of health, sound factual knowledge based on a first hand acquaintance with health problems is essential. Therefore, the teacher of health has to find out as many occasions as he can to bring the pupils to grips with the various problems of health which beset their daily process of living.