Pangyrus presents a new column, Voices in the Classroom by columnist Marium Zahra. Marium’s essays will highlight the perils of classroom politics. Whether the issue is local or national, she’ll cover it as someone who is seeing it and experiencing it firsthand — as a high school student.
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At first it sounded like a clear win: Two extra weeks of spring break in the second semester of my 6th-grade year? Amazing. I was jubilant that I would have extra time to waste watching TV, rotting in my bed, and scrolling aimlessly on social media. I’m imagining most middle school students reacted that way at the outset of COVID-19. But when “winning” and “rotting” start to sound like the same thing, beware. Neither I nor my family had any idea how dire the COVID-19 pandemic would prove in terms of my mental health.
Quarantine for me meant losing almost all connection to the world outside my home. I lost relationships with friends as we became only names to each other on black screens. My education suffered through virtual instruction that struggled to engage me or my peers. Getting the virus twice also didn’t help my physical health and, in turn, my motivation to get up every day was at an all-time low. Social media exploded into the void of my social life, and in face of only the idealized versions of others, I developed deep insecurities and body-appearance issues.
My struggle with mental health isn’t unique. High school students across the country and the world mirror my experiences since the pandemic and are now speaking out about their journeys and calling for increased mental health resources in their classrooms.
Declining mental health has long been an issue in schools. Taboos on speaking up about it and a lack of resources mean classrooms are doing little to aid students who are dealing with issues like depression, anxiety and low self-esteem. COVID exacerbated the problem in ways we’re still coming to grips with.
When asked about her experiences, Lydia Machuma, a high school junior from Texas, echoes what I went through: “The pandemic isolated me from my friends, school, and any sense of normal routine. I felt stuck, both physically and mentally, and I lost a lot of confidence in my social skills. There have been times when I’ve felt overwhelmed by everything happening in my life.”
For high school student and founder of the Mental Health Policy Network, Jacob Wolmetz, the pandemic’s main affliction was an overwhelming solitude. “The instability and isolation at the height of the pandemic heightened anxiety for many of us. It disrupted our routines and made it harder to stay connected with others. The loss of in-person interactions only increased feelings of loneliness.”
“We as humans are social creatures, and to be put in isolation for over a year dealt a substantial amount of damage,” added New York high schooler Ryan Breen.
Self-esteem and connectivity aren’t the only mental health struggles for high school students. Increased social and political awareness in our generation has also led to overarching pessimism about the state of the world.
Social issues and mental health
When I received the news that our two extra weeks would be extended into the whole rest of the school year being taught virtually, I remember sinking into my couch and finally feeling safe about school for the first time in a while. Less than a year before the pandemic, my community in El Paso had experienced a mass shooting that killed 23 people. This tragedy, the toll it took on me, and the fact that I lived in Texas — a state that had committed itself to its guns more than its kids — meant being away from school would simply be a way to avoid another potential school shooting. It felt like a weight had finally been lifted from my shoulders. However, what I didn’t understand at the time was how much more difficult it would become to return to school after the year was over.
I started to dread the day I would have to go back because I slowly started to understand that the pandemic was only a temporary “fix” for gun violence and that I would once again be vulnerable to a school massacre. There were days when all I could think about was the bone-numbing fear that is, unfortunately, the norm attending school in the U.S. Like me, students across the country dealt with and continue to deal with this panic, with gun violence being a major cause of declining mental health in adolescents.
Moreover, as the pandemic grew, so did my awareness of other social issues. I watched in devastation as members of my extended family in Karachi, where my father’s home resides, struggled with COVID-19. I saw how local hospitals and ICUs filled up with my community members and how so few of them could afford the medical costs.
Only a couple of months later, I and millions of teens across the country watched as the issue of police brutality took center stage in May of 2020 after the murder of George Floyd. We saw racism and death unfold on our TV screens and many of us decided we needed to take on the responsibility of advocating for change, even as children. These injustices made it hard to remain hopeful at a time when it also seemed like the world was quite literally falling apart.
For students of color, watching discrimination happen on such a large scale while having to experience it every day themselves also took a toll on their mental state: “I’ve faced challenges with self-esteem, especially when I felt out of place because of my skin tone or my family’s background,” said high school student Emmanuella Umoh from Maryland.
“I have experienced racial and religious jabs from both peers and teachers. These comments have made me feel marginalized and disrespected. They often make me feel alienated and misunderstood in a place where I should feel supported,” explained Homa Massood, a senior from Skyview, Montana when asked about her experiences.
Along with the new developments like ending Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Programs from the Trump Administration, discrimination may increase mental stress for students of color.
Students plead for resources
These issues have become impossible to neglect for high school students across the country and experts agree that schools should be the ones to create the changes to improve mental health or at the very least provide the services necessary to cope.
Sharon Hoover, co-director of the National Center for School Mental Health, told the Hechinger Report in 2022, “When we ask families and students, overwhelmingly most prefer to receive support in the school building, in part due to proximity and convenience. Students and parents are less likely to miss time from school and work, and a lot of families say it’s less stigmatizing.”
This desire for accessibility is the only proof we need to know that mental health resources need to start being widely available. However, some high schoolers told me that they have received little to no support from their schools because of the stigma around mental health.
“I go to a really conservative, Catholic, all-male high school. There is a culture of toxic masculinity, in which showing emotions, or for that part, any vulnerability or emotional honesty at all is socially unacceptable,” said Breen.
Other students say that while their schools offer some support, more often than not it’s ineffective and under-resourced.
“My school has resources, but sometimes it feels like they’re more focused on “checking boxes” than creating a truly supportive environment. There’s still a stigma around reaching out for help,” said Umoh.
Students also say that while schools try to be supportive, teens aren’t always the easiest to reach and teachers and counselors struggle to connect. “I’ve seen a lot of my friends struggle with anxiety, depression, and burnout, especially with the pressure of academics and college applications… Honestly, many of them just tried to push through it on their own because they felt like asking for help wasn’t an option,” said Machuma. “Sometimes it feels like the resources are there, but not everyone feels comfortable using them.”
These experiences resonate deeply with me. Can counseling, even where it’s available, offset an atmosphere of toxic competitiveness, isolation, and anxiety about safety? It’s hopeful that in the past few years, there has been an influx of legislation that is targeted towards student mental health, and that can support what experts recommend: increased school counselors to targeted prevention to mental health checkups. In my eyes, though, the most important development is the growing solidarity and movement-building among students. Increasingly, we’re empowering ourselves to combat the mental health crisis by speaking up for resources we need.
However, there is still a lot more work and improvement that can and needs to be done. Experts have made it clear what campuses and lawmakers need to do to increase mental well-being. Now.
Wolmetz, with his founding of The Mental Health Policy Network, is an example of teens turning to activism with the organization’s initiative to advocate, research and raise awareness for better policies. He told me that one of the most necessary resources is to integrate mental health into the curriculum. “Schools must treat mental health as equally important as academics. It’s not just about having counselors available, but it’s also about creating a culture where seeking help is normalized and encouraged,” he said.
Students across the country agree that mental health education is necessary.
“Offering workshops or group sessions, and training teachers to recognize signs of students struggling would help a lot,” said Machuma.
“I think that a lot of the current political discourse focuses on treatments as opposed to prevention. I think that the most important objective is to prevent negative habits from developing in the first place,” said Breen.
Umoh added that there should be federal mandates and more mental health professionals that teach programs like coping skills to students. “It’s also important to address the root causes — like academic pressure, social media’s impact, and inequality… It’s about creating an environment where students feel safe and valued… Mental health days should be as valid as sick days,” she said.
One of the concerns that was echoed by students continuously was the demand for increased mental health screenings that are carried out for free by schools or are offered through regular health insurance. Students asked for mental and physical well-being to be on the same par whenever we discuss health issues.
“We must adopt integrated and collaborative care models that bring mental health professionals into schools, pediatricians’ offices, and other community settings,” said Wolmetz. “Diverse mental health providers can better understand and meet the needs of an increasingly diverse youth population,” he added about the importance of ensuring that students of all backgrounds feel comfortable opening up.
As students from all 50 states continue to advocate for mental health to be finally made a priority in schools, I hope that our pleas won’t go unanswered, and that our new lawmakers and educational officials won’t ignore us. As someone who has struggled with mental health, hearing the experiences from other voices in classrooms across the nation has made me realize how paramount it is to prevent mental health issues in future generations.
The pandemic ended almost three years ago, but it has dealt a deafening blow to teenagers and shattered any sense of normalcy and we are still struggling to pick up the pieces. In an age when almost everything feels uncertain and we constantly feel like we’re falling behind, we need help in grounding ourselves. In a world where disruptions are likely going to be more frequent and jarring, the time for mental well-being in classrooms is now. The time for a range of resources that cater to a diverse population of students is now. The time to end the taboo around mental struggle is now. Students across the country, like myself, have decided that the time to fight back against declining mental health is now. No student deserves to feel alone. No student deserves to feel the weight of so many issues without any support. Most of all, no student deserves to feel like they don’t matter.
Image: by Andrew Neel on Unsplash, licensed under CC 2.0.
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