The Importance of Mental Health Care

Mental health can be something quickly forgotten by children, especially if it is not commonly talked about in schools. Many children seem to worry more about physical health because they can easily describe their pain level or illness, but they may not understand what he or she is going through when it comes to mental health. Mental health care is defined as services that are made to treat health problems related to our emotional, social and psychological well-being. This type of health can influence behavior, how an individual handles stress, relationships and decision making. The importance of mental health care is extremely strong, especially since educators or students may not know the extent of what someone is going through. There is a great deal of help that can be done when a child or family speaks up about an issue, but if nothing is said, poor outcomes could occur. The average age of people who suffer from mental health illnesses is around 14, but sometimes these individuals do not seek help until adulthood. This leaves them suffering all throughout their time in school, which is why this is extremely important in the education field. Students may struggle in their academics, constantly miss class, dropout, suffer from poor relationships with others or face anxiety when coming to school, so we need to be aware of the need for mental health care in schools. 

A girl is dealing with a mental health
illness, but feels alone and by herself

Even though this can be extremely sad to think about, I believe that a large portion of students around me are going through something that I will probably never be made aware of. I have always been told by my school counselors and family members to be nice to everyone, but just saying this may not get the point across. I have experienced mental health issues before, and this was because of the bullying that I faced in high school. Bullying and cyberbullying can have a long lasting effect on someone that many may not understand. When I had a hard time in high school, I did not want to attend school myself. I went to an outside doctor for help because I felt alone in my own school, even with the adults as well. I took health classes in high school, but I felt like the main focus was about diseases or illnesses like cancer, allergies, heart attacks, common cold, HIV, etc. I honestly do not remember much said about mental health. Counselors worked in my school, but the only time I saw the office truly packed was during class scheduling for the next school year. This may be another reason why many children feel nervous to go to the counselor for personal help or do not know the extent of students around them that are struggling mentally. I think that mental health care should be addressed more in schools and the counselors should actively meet with the students to check up on them and build a relationship. This could help create a more positive environment and give a student confidence to address their stress, situation or illness. The statistics of mental health are higher than many would expect, so I think that this needs to be talked about more in schools, so everyone can know the importance of being kind to others is. If mental health services are made readily available and are commonly talked about, then this could help a student with their academics, behavior, relationships and decision making moving forward. 

The World of Cyberbullying

Bullying can be prevalent in many schools through physical or verbal harm. In addition to this, cyberbullying is another form of bullying that can happen daily. Cyberbullying is defined as bullying through digital technologies. It can be seen through social media, mobile messaging, video games and other platforms too. This behavior is normally repeated and has a goal to shame those behind a screen. Some forms of cyberbullying include rumors, fake accounts, sending harmful messages or videos and the list can, sadly, go on. Cyberbullying can differ from bullying done in person because bullying online leaves a footprint that can be used as proof of abuse. The importance of cyberbullying in the education field is that this type of bullying can be constantly revisited. Students could quickly feel ashamed of themselves and face issues like anxiety, depression, and anger. When students start to feel these emotions, academic performance can be affected. Long lasting effects can come from this type of bullying, and if it is not treated, then students could perform poorly in their academics or maybe even drop out. 

A young girl is looking at a hurtful
comment said about her online

I believe that cyberbullying happens more often than face-to-face bullying. Nowadays, technology is very commonly used in the classroom and everyday life. It is easier for people to quickly comment on a social media post, or make fake accounts while they hide behind a screen. Directly saying something to a person can be hard to do, especially since a good amount of communication is done through technology too. Even at a young age, children are starting to incorporate technology into their daily lives which can open up the door to comments being made through a video game or messaging platform. It can be hard to understand the tone of voice through a screen as well, so something might be easily taken out of context and defined as cyberbullying. I have been a victim of cyberbullying myself. I specifically remember a post that I made about cheerleading on one of my social media accounts and I got a large amount of hateful comments. Cheerleading has always been a passion of mine, so reading the hurtful comments about something I love and the people I do it with, was nothing short of upsetting. Reading mean comments or receiving nasty messages can be just as hurtful compared to if it was said in person. I think that cyberbullying needs to be talked about more in schools, so children can feel confident to bring this issue to life and get help from those around them. 

Safety in Schools

Schools all around the world face a range of hazards and threats that can be closely related to how safe the children and staff feel at school. Safety in schools is defined as school related activities that are set in stone in order to protect children from bullying, violence, substance abuse, harassment and more. When schools are labeled as safe, they usually are actively promoting both physical and emotional safety of all students whether it is through security systems or constant counselor check ins with students. School safety is extremely important in the education field because this can be related to academic performance. Students who are victims of physical or emotional violence in school are more likely to fail, suffer from poor attendance or dropout. When a school environment feels positive and has easy access to help if needed, emotional, social and mental problems can be likely reduced. 

A police officer gives children high fives 
in the hallway. He is protecting the school.

When I think about school safety, Columbine comes to mind. I was able to visit this school memorial in Colorado which opened my eyes to how important safety in schools is. No child or staff member should ever face the possibility of violence occurring when they come to school. In addition to my immediate thought of school shootings, bullying, harassment, physical abuse, and digital issues are just as important. I have been fortunate enough to attend schools that have been quick to respond to any type of issues that happened. Counselors were readily available to assist in positive communication, anger management and conflict resolution, so that children would feel safe emotionally and mentally as well. In sixth grade, my middle school faced a bomb threat phone call. I immediately started to panic as a 12 year old since the fire alarms were pulled and the whole school evacuated to the nearest elementary school. Even though this was a fake bomb threat, it was not something to ignore. Firemen came to look in the school and all of the children were picked up by their family members. My schools have luckily always had locked doors all around, so visitors can only enter through the main lobby. This reduces the possibility of violence to occur in the school. Since I have experienced these events, I am more aware on the importance of school safety because school should be a place where students can learn and grow without the fear of violence. Families put trust in the school to keep their child safe and have them return home at the end of the day. Safety should always be a priority rather than just a thought.