Students and teachers’ mental health struggles with the stress of school. Many students’ mental health drops in the school year, while students have resources to help them, but what about the teachers and counselors? How are they managing the workload and pressures that schools put on them, and what help do they receive?
English teacher Mackenzie Twitchell said that her mental health could be improved as a teacher at Taylorsville. “I love working with students and being there for them helps me forget my own issues for a while.”
The additional pressures of teaching affects Twitchell by requiring extra work that’s not necessary. While she said it helps her forget her own issues later on, she noted, “Carrying students’ traumas home can be a lot to add to everyday issues.”
In the article “Supporting Teacher Mental Health”, it states, “Educators experience significant job-related stress. In a 2024 survey of 1,479 teachers nationwide, 59% of respondents reported frequent job-related stress, 60% reported burnout, 22% reported difficulty coping, and 19% reported symptoms of depression.”
The article adds, “For an educator to be effective in the classroom and assist their students’ learning and mental health needs, their own needs must be addressed.” A similar saying to the one, “You need to love yourself before you can love others.” A popular saying among many people, especially those in caretaking professions.
Senior Mack Nyuol, said about his own mental health, “I mean- Could definitely be better. Kinda never wanna be here.” Nyuol was then asked How does the school help with your mental health? He added, “I think definitely the resources it offers, like Mr Huff, my counselor, Ms. Christensen, and just their teachers helping out after class.”
At Taylorsville and many other schools, they have resources the school offers to help students and teachers with mental health and giving everyone a safe space. Charlie Huff, a social worker at Taylorsville said, “The school has an amazing Counseling Center, and social workers, school psychologist staff who really care about student wellbeing. Counselors here are all heavily invested in helping students.” He adds, “Counselors, social workers, school psychologists, and administration all meet weekly to discuss and make plans to help students that are struggling.”
The Article, “What role do schools play in addressing youth mental health?” states facts and research about what’s keeping schools from doing more. “Sixty-seven percent of public schools increased the type or amount of mental health services they provided […]”
Adding to that, the article states, “But 31% of public schools moderately or strongly disagreed that they were able to provide mental health support to all students in need.”
Huff stated, “I really enjoy working with students who are struggling. I remember being a teen and not feeling like I had anyone to talk to about my issues. So, I like to be that caring adult that students can open up with and get help. Because many of our students don’t have safety with another person to talk through their problems.”
A student who wanted to remain anonymous, who often goes to Huff, was asked how Huff helps them with their mental health. They stated, “He gives me a safe space where I feel like I can go and either talk out my problems if I feel the need to, and provides somewhere quiet that I can decompress on my own and will always find time for me.”
One of the biggest reasons students and teachers have so much pressure is due to the leading cause of pressure to succeed. “The weight of homework, exams, and grades can feel like a heavy load, triggering feelings of anxiety, depression, and burnout.”
