Tightrope: Students Try to Balance Expectations, Mental Health

Ashley Patterson, Staff Reporter

With the start of the school year and the closing of the first nine weeks, students are finally getting into the swing of things. Tests, quizzes, and projects have already been administered, homework is becoming more of a common occurrence, and regulating school life as well as social calendars is more of a manageable feat for many students. Schools, however, have not been considerate of students’ struggles while they over exaggerate their focus on success. 

Although some students may be excelling in their classes and social life, some are also struggling. About one in six school-aged students will experience impairments in life and school due to a mental illness, according to CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (2020). 

School performance along with function is linked directly to one’s mental state and health. Taking a test would be a breeze if one studies and is in a healthy and positive mindset. Likewise, the same test, taken on a different day when a student may be suffering from a number of ailments such as depression, heartbreak, financial struggles, etc., would be next to impossible to excel in.

The state of one’s mental health will impact their stress levels, cause or alleviate anxiety, affect their sleep schedule, as well as cause, cure, or worsen levels of depression. Many students report that there are ties between worsening grades and social relationships within school relative to the state of their mental health. 

Because of the amount of underperformance that poor mental health may cause, schools should be more lenient and provide more opportunities to seek help for mental health rather than a phone number on the back of a student ID card. 

Schools should institute a safe space where students can visit in times of need, as well as a counselor to help students overcome and deal with mental health-related crises. Students should also take responsibility for themselves, “I feel like students need to learn how to self-advocate for themselves and reach out to counselors and adults. I think surrounding yourself with friends and family helps relieve stress.” said Chloe Seesholtz, STEM senior.

There is still a long way to go for schools to actively show that they are dedicated to their students and their mental health. By actively working towards a remedy for their past negligence, schools can redeem their image as well as the academic and social well-being of their students.