Mental Health In Our Schools

I completely agree with this meme I saw posted on Facebook not so long ago, and my daughter is the one who shared this. She like many others in our school district, as well as all over the country, is being bullied, but she herself has bullied others. Resulting in horrible effects. She said some rude and cruel things about a girl in her grade, so she was then threatened physically by this girl. The end result from this: my daughter was afraid to go to school. She became so frightened by the threats from this girl she begged me to allow her to do cyber-school.

For as long as I can remember, I have always been against home-schooling or cyber-schooling. I don't agree with it at all. I understand in certain circumstances it could work well, but I have only seen this type of schooling fail. Many people I know have done this, just to get out of school (I shake my head at the parents, because these parents are awful in every sense of the word). I know these people and most of them completely quit as soon as they are old enough (most of the parents sign off on it, dropping the age even lower than 18.)

Back to the whole daughter issue. I couldn't figure out what exactly was happening at the school to cause such a strain on her life. I tried to talk to the guidance counselor to absolutely no avail. He was useless. At one point I had gone into talk to him, with my daughter about her issues. After thoroughly ignoring all of my concerns, his only resolve to my issue was: If you want to do cyber-schooling you will have to speak to the Assistant Principal. He didn't address any of the issues I brought up about her not wanting to come to school. He brushed both of our concerns right out the door and to the next person. Unhappy with the slap in the face I received, I went to the Assistant Principal. She talked to my daughter and the other girl, got the issue resolved. We corresponded for a week getting everything straightened out.

This is when I discovered my daughter had first said something about the other girl, inciting the whole thing. We spoke about it briefly and she was ashamed, really ashamed to admit this all started because of her. I, personally, felt a weight being lifted off, knowing that she felt ashamed. She knew she had done wrong, and the next day she came home telling me she apologized to the girl. Never once did I tell her that she must apologize. I couldn't have been more proud of her for making that choice on her own.

My daughter, she has a beauty all of her own, she shines so bright, loves too deeply, and cares more for others than what she would admit. In the past few months, I have watched that beauty fade inside of her. I know teenagers, especially girls, have a tough life, and I know exactly the pain that is killing the light inside of her.

She believes that the school should offer a life class to teach them about different mental health issues to help everyone cope with having them. It is a part of life now as it has always been a part of life. We are just more conscious of it now. Now we know more about these mental health issues, we should do more to provide answers to our children who are suffering. Most of all, allow them to realize they are feeling this way for a reason and offer a solution:  show them where to get help, how to get help, and possibly just knowing what is wrong with them might calm their anxieties. Instead of sitting there questioning life, thinking this is just the way life is, make them realize there is help out there. Help them understand you are not the only one feeling this way and it is not the world out to get them.

I'm not saying that this must be a class for the entire year, but I know health class is mandatory so they should take a week or a month to discuss these issues with the students. Maybe if someone could just take a couple hours of their time traveling to different schools to do a seminar letting these kids they are not alone, let them know someone out there cares. If I had the money and the resources I would love to travel the country and provide answers to these children who are in desperate need of knowledge and love. Perhaps this blog can reach out to those who can provide services to all of our children. 

I would love to see something like this in our schools. If you are willing to help get the word our there, spread it!!! Don't sit there and think, 'wow, I would love to help but don't know how.' Spread the word to anyone and everyone about educating our youth about mental health issues burdening them. This is my thoughts on the matter. Please take the picture and spread it all over the country. Use your power as a person who cares and get the word out to the world...

Also a great foundation that loves to educate on this issue is the http://www.yourockfoundation.org/ 
Like them on all your social media accounts. This is a great foundation, so please check it out to help our youth.