Are teachers aware of students’ mental health?

Posted Dec. 11, 2022

By Aziza Abdirisaq

Cub Reporter

        Are teachers aware of students’ mental health? This is what students are questioning now that lunch detention and ISS(In school suspension) have become so apparent. Teachers are really on top of it when it comes to mental health, they suggest school based social workers, normalize topics students might be too scared to bring up, and overall just create safe and welcoming environments for students. What the main problem here is the rule that if a student were to come five or more minutes late to school and it is unexcused all if not most of the time they always result in lunch detention.

      Now what staff isn’t understanding is that there could be something going on at home that they might not know about. That being said, I don't think teachers should make it seem like they care about mental health, especially when this rule is so normalized.  I think students should be given lunch detention only when arriving late to all periods excluding 1st and 5th. Not to mention what missing lunch detention could do to you. Students are frequently receiving ISS due to not attending lunch detention. I understand that there may be circumstances where ISS and lunch detention are mandatory, for instance if a student were to misbehave during class or continue to stay off tasks after many warnings, but most if not all the time it isn’t when it comes to arriving late.

     All in all I think if teachers want to make a difference in students’ mental health then they should prioritize getting to know students and making them feel accepted. Students’ should also be able to get mental health days off, this might sound above and beyond but in reality it’s really just the bare minimum. Students should have the authority of choosing whether or not they come to school or not. Granted there might be some occasions where it’s mandatory for students to come to school, but students should be allowed at least 10 days each semester to maintain their wellbeing and come to school with a positive mindset and are ready to engage in learning. 

  In conclusion, students should be able to take mental health days and use their mental health as an excuse without being questioned or teachers doubting them. Generally speaking, teachers aren’t necessarily careless about mental health but some students aren’t comfortable with opening up just yet, and by reinforcing and normalizing these rules it sets a better example for students.