The Quiet Weight we Carry
A persuasive composed by Ava (Year 9)
Mental health is a significant issue among students. Each day, students come to school under pressures that are invisible to others. These include the stresses of exams and homework, family expectations, the social pressures of keeping up with friends, and the toxicity of social media. Students push themselves to the limit with school and out-of-school activities. Despite looking fine on the surface, most students are struggling. This justifies the need to focus on mental health at school.
Numerous teenagers reported feeling increased depression and anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic due to isolation from social interactions. Research indicates that 25% of students reported feeling depressed, and 20% reported feeling anxious. These statistics are unreasonably high and indicate that changes are desperately needed to address mental health issues at school. If changes are not made, schools are failing the students who need additional support the most.
Henrietta Fore, Executive Director of UNICEF, stated that there was a “global education emergency” during the pandemic. She noted that the disruption could cause 24 million students to drop out of school. When experts are raising concerns globally, schools must respond to the disruption and act. They cannot just assume that students “bounced back.”
Students’ mental health dramatically impacts their ability to learn. If someone suffers from anxiety, stress, or depression, concentrating and taking in information becomes a challenge. Worry dominates their mind, and they miss critical information, which in turn causes them to fall behind. It is evident that, in order for students to achieve their full potential, schools need to prioritise mental health, which will in return enable students to feel more confident and motivated to engage in their learning.
Providing school counsellors and wellbeing classes, designating quiet areas and mindfulness programs, and implementing peer support programs are ways that schools can put students’ wellbeing front and centre. These programs help students feel connected, and when students feel valued, their learning environment becomes safer and healthier. If schools are serious about their students’ success, providing mental health support is not just a necessity; it is a requirement.
Students are carrying unseen stresses on their shoulders. These pressures do not disappear; they only build more and more. We all have a backpack that we carry with us all day. Some students have empty backpacks, while others are loaded with thick textbooks of stress, pressure, fear, and fatigue. Students may look fine, but the truth is that, the backpacks they carry are extremely heavy.
Schools cannot expect students to thrive when they are carrying invisible burdens. To make mental health a real priority, and to ensure students feel truly supported so they can succeed academically, schools need to help students lighten their burdens. This justifies the need to focus on mental health at school.
