The Mental Health Crisis Among
Teenagers – A Teacher’s Perspective
APRIL 20, 2022
It was a warm Spring day, typical of life in South Texas. Teachers had recently returned
from virtual learning and were back in the classroom. Soon after, students slowly started
coming back. We were encouraged to offer our students incentives to return and so I
did. I often had more students in one class than most teachers had in all of their classes
combined. I am a strong believer in building relationships with students and forming
connections. It makes teaching easier and I believe it makes it easier for students to be
more engaged and active in their education. Over the years, I have formed many close
relationships with students, and have even hired some to babysit my children. A strong
level of trust and connection is established and brings me great joy.
I made it a point during virtual learning to address every student by name during every
class. I wanted them to know they were seen and heard. So you can just imagine my
heartache when a student who returned to in-person learning informed me that she had
contemplated suicide during virtual learning. This particular student confided in me
because she did not know where else to turn. She could have gone to anyone else, but
my view of teaching is that the classroom should be a safe, comfortable, and inviting
place for each student. Virtual teaching was no exception. This student had been
struggling at home and had gone so far as to write letters to the people in their life that
they would leave behind. This included me. This student was not the only student to
suffer during the pandemic, lockdown, and virtual learning. This is just one story of
hundreds.
Teenagers have struggled in a way I have never seen in my lifetime. Those who were
introverted perhaps suffered the most. They were socially isolated and had difficulty
connecting to others. I have heard countless stories from my students who never left
their house, who felt alone, and who wondered when it would all end. As we enter the
height of another wave in the pandemic many ask if it would be best to go back to virtual
learning. As a teacher and a mother of two young girls, I have to say no. Being at home
did not do anyone any favors, except getting to stay in pajama pants and working from
the comforts of home. Many studies have shown how the pandemic increased
depression in teenagers, along with stress, changes in sleep, and eating patterns.
With teenagers struggling to adjust to a new way of life and expectations to get things
done, many are floundering. Adjustment and resilience are the words I think of when I
think of this generation. I do not remember a time when I had to adjust so much and
with such frequency as the youth of today. Nor do I remember a time when I had to
learn how to be resilient at such a young age with nothing but uncertainty staring back
at me.
So what can teachers do? Well, for starters we can show grace. This means being flexible
and understanding. Students may try to take advantage of that and we must use
discretion, but we must also remember that not every student is the same, and not every
student has an ideal life. I have met many students who know how to press all my
buttons and drive me up a short wall. However, when I take the time to look beyond the
attitude, I often find a student with a story. A student who has been bullied, or who lives
in extreme poverty, one who has been through hell in the foster system, or a student
who has never known love. One thing I have learned is you won’t reach every student
and that is something I have had to learn to be okay with, but every student knows my
door is open and I am here for them. That’s what teachers can do. Have an open door
and an open heart. Let’s help our students not just be successful academically but as
kind-hearted human beings as well.