IRVINE, Calif. (AP) — In a University of California, Irvine, classroom, CalTeach students like Kalena Kwan, who are working toward a STEM degree and a K-12 teaching credential at the same time, begin class with a breathing exercise.

“It’s been a long first week. It’s nice to settle into this space, and to do it all together as a group is like really soothing,” Kwan said.    

Since the pandemic, the CalTeach program added measures to support each student’s mental well-being by incorporating breathing exercises in the first few minutes of class, replacing grades during the course with detailed feedback on assignments and more. 

Kwan said it has helped her manage the stress of studying STEM in higher education and kept her focused on one day teaching chemistry in her own classroom.

“Being able to take the time to like breath and just think about, ‘what did I do today? How am I feeling today?’ And just being able to shift into that mindset of, ‘OK. It’s time to learn. I’m ready to absorb this information and I know these people who are giving me this information really care about me,’” Kwan said.

Doron Zinger is the director of the CalTeach program at UC Irvine.

He said the changes really took hold when students reported feeling an increase of stress and anxiety during the pandemic. About 60% of 350,000 college students across 373 campuses experienced at least one mental health problem during the 2020-21 school year, according to the National Healthy Minds study.

“Students tell us that the work that they do is better because they are feeling less stressed. They also report feeling less stress. It allows them to prioritize and they have some agency knowing they have some flexibility with the things they can do,” Zinger said.

These steps will also help students acclimate to their own classrooms in the future, Zinger said.

“It builds resilience in them in the profession so that they are able to stay in the profession longer. Both, because they’ve built a community during their preparation time. But also, because they built safer and better communities with their own students,” he said.

Kwan said it is a lesson she plans to pay forward.

“As a teacher, I really hope to be able to implement these kinds of things into my classroom and allow students to give me feedback, as well,” Kwan said.