“Education is not a problem. Education is an opportunity.”
-President Lyndon B. Johnson.
In order to make this statement true, we need to work on fixing the major issues in the American education system. Twenty to forty percent of middle and high school students have symptoms of depression. After discussing how school impacts the mental health of my peers, I have come to the conclusion that school is a major factor of this increase in depression rates. The students explained that they feel a lot of pressure to get good grades and they are constantly overwhelmed because of school.
One student’s response really stuck out to me. This student stated, “I feel like school is honestly really draining mentally when it comes to the actual academic aspect and it can really affect the way I feel when I go to school. This honestly makes me not want to talk to people which can have an impact on my social life.” He continued to mention that school has caused him to have suicidal thoughts. “ Last year I was in a really dark place. I even considered suicide. Honestly, getting out of bed in the morning felt like a major task. I distanced myself from my friends and family and had no motivation to get my work done which caused my grades to drop. I was so stressed because I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it to the next grade. I managed to get through the year and my mental health has improved. At times I get really stressed out and overwhelmed because of school, but I learned to put my mental health first. Sometimes I have to skip a class or assignment to keep my sanity, but I am overall doing a lot better.”
Yes, education does provide opportunities, but it also provides problems. Education loses its importance in the minds of youth when it begins to make their mental health deteriorate. I remember being taught mindfulness in school to help deal with stress and anxiety. One of the tips was to walk away from stressful situations. As students we have expectations, we have deadlines and due dates. We can’t ‘walk away’ from school. When we do, our grades drop and get comments that were irresponsible on our report cards. Which then impacts us negatively when we start applying to colleges.
The point of this article isn’t to convince teachers to allow their students to not do any work but still pass their class. But more so to shed light on what students are going through mentally. It’s not the teachers fault because they have expectations as well. But, maybe you could try reaching out to your students who are struggling academically and work with them rather than judge them. Most students want to get good grades, but just need some help and leniency from their teachers so that they can not only have a successful academic career but also stay in a good place mentally.
Here are some helpful mental health organizations & resources:
Vidette 