Student Interviews:
Student mental health is a prevalent issue in schools. I interviewed 20 students from my school, Long Beach Poly, to find out how students feel school impacts them mentally. Out of the 20, 19 of the students said school has a negative effect on their mental health. Many students said the amount of homework and pressure to do well were the main reasons that school affected them. A way teachers could help students is by giving more guidance, such as office hours for additional help. Another way would be to help foster a community, by getting to know the students on a more personal level. This would make students more open to communicate, and make it less nerve racking to ask questions, and lastly, can add a positive connotation to the class.
A 9th grade student told me, “Oftentimes I feel too scared to ask the teacher questions if I don’t know them well. Once I get to know them, it makes it a lot easier to communicate.”
Teachers also should be mindful that many kids juggle extracurriculars such as sports or clubs, meaning they might have to stay up late to finish work.
A 10th grader mentioned, “There are many nights when I stay up late doing homework after soccer games. It feels like there’s never enough time to do everything I need to get done.”
Knowing this could help teachers be more accommodating, and more mindful about the amount of work they assign. The 1 person who says they have a positive experience at school said it was because teachers help guide him, and show countless amounts of support.
An 11th grade student told me, “My teachers this year always help me with my work, and I never feel embarrassed or judged to ask them. This is a huge step up from some past years, where I was too scared of my teacher to ask for guidance.”
This is very important in order to build a safe space for students. If we want to help struggling students we all need to do our part to help each other feel welcomed in schools.
Teacher Interviews:
I also discussed with three teachers about what they notice about mental health, and how they can help kids feel less anxious about school. Mr. Montooth told me that he notices many small habits with students, such as fidgeting of twitches. He can use these as indicators for how to adjust the lesson. If someone looks nervous about popcorn reading, he will simply ask another student.
“Body language is a big sign that someone is stressed. I always look for that because I know most kids aren’t always vocal about their anxiety.”
Ms. Scholl told me that she senses when students’ moods change from day to day, and figures out how to approach them based on how they’re feeling. She won’t be as goofy around them if they are clearly upset. Matching moods helps students not feel overwhelmed in the classroom setting.
“I had a student last year who went from very peppy and excited about school to tired and low energy. When I asked him about it, he told me he takes care of his siblings, and after finishing homework, there’s not much downtime to relax. Together we were about to figure out how to solve this issue. I ended up spreading out the workload more. I know students have lives outside of school, and I really wish all teachers understood that.”
Lastly, I interviewed a teacher who said that she leaves resources for students in easily accessible places, such as Canvas. This helps students feel more comfortable to reach out without feeling like they’re put on blast.
Ideas for the Future:
From personal experience, and after discussing with students, I feel that mental health can have detrimental impacts on students. I am beyond thankful that there are teachers that I know I could always go to if I were struggling, but a big issue is that not every teacher is as open with their students. I hope that we can advertise student mental health more. For example, student council can mention months such as Suicide Prevention Month (September) and Mental Health Awareness Month (May). This would help many students feel less alone in the internal battles they fight. As students we will do our part, and we hope teachers can join alongside us.
Leave a Reply