“Sophomore Slump,” “Senioritis,” “Junior-Jitters,” and “Freshman Freak-Out” are all titles that social media has given to students when it comes to their emotions and experiences in class, whether that be high school or college students. All of these labels point to one thing; Student’s Mental Health in School. The World Health Organization said that “Globally, one in seven 10-19-year-olds experiences a mental disorder,” explaining that student’s mental health are heavily impacted by their adolescent years, where they develop their own ‘mental methods’ as they face what feels to be the harsh world of succeeding academically. Many of these scholars even participate in what is called ‘chronic absenteeism’ by being constantly absent and avoiding classes. This most likely happens due to the overwhelming mental impact school plays on them. Teachers have taken note of these actions, and– like teacher Maya Watrous– all wish struggling students luck with their mental health, hoping they can return to the classroom.

  “I think that chronic absenteeism is partially a result of mental health issues. I know that anxiety, depression, and other mental issues affect many students. I truly hope that anyone who is dealing with any mental health issues seeks help and gets the support they need,” Watrous said, “Don’t be afraid to say ‘I am not okay.’”

  Most students are stressed and mentally impacted by high school, usually from their constant decision-making that may or may not affect their entire future. A study by Times Higher Education, a global data provider said that “On any given day, we make approximately 35,000 decisions.” Many of these decisions impact these students’ futures, especially upperclassmen. West counselor Melissa Kamm believes that the decision-making processes stress out students due to the pressure, but believes that high school students should prepare for more decision-making for their adult life.

  “[High school has] a lot of social pressures and decisions being made that impact the future, and teenagers are also in this transition phase where you’re becoming more and more independent and gradually becoming ready for that independence. But there’s give and take with it. And it’s just there’s a lot going on and it impacts your future,” Kamm said.

  Teachers assign work to students to keep them busy and occupied for the class period; this further stresses students, and disrupts their mental health by having an extensive amount of work on top of what they already do, even though it may be giving them a boost in the curriculum. Watrous strives to go against busy work and only gives students work that she believes will assist them.

 “I don’t believe in busy work in the classroom. If you are doing something in my classroom, it is because it has a connection to what we are learning and it is valuable to your understanding. I want students to make connections to what they are doing in my classroom.” Watrous said, “I want students to know that I value their time, so I use assignments as an extension to the concepts and ideas we are working on.”

  West holds identities of all kinds, but with those identities holds opinions on said identities, leaving slurs and insults in classrooms. This leads queer, BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) and other minorities to be resistant to go to school and face those struggles. Linden Hinsenkamp, a teacher and the advisor of the Gay Straight Alliance Club wishes to educate teachers and students on these situations, and how to respect each other.

  “Most straight students are not worried about being called slurs in the hallways. I think as a teacher, education is always going to be my go-to, so educating all students on the impacts we have on each other, and also educating teachers about how to respond in situations,” Hinsenkamp said, “Like if they hear a slur or a homophobic comment, [they can learn] how they can respond to best support both the student who’s experiencing that negative experience, but also the student who may have said a harmful thing, whether or not they need it.”

  All students are exposed to different experiences, but some of them can lead to stress. Stress can be coped in different ways, one of the ways is Gus, the therapy dog. Gus helps students with stress and tries to make them less stressed. Gus comes every Thursday and every time he comes students eyes light up.

  “[When] they see Gus and they light up, they have a good day. There’s kids that actually tell me like ‘Thursdays are my favorite day’ or ‘He helps get me through the week.’ [Students are reminded that] the weekend’s right around the corner when he’s here,” Minor said, “The kids look forward to Thursdays.”