This month I wanted to share something I saw on the change.org website which is written by a London teacher called Eleanor Rudd. It perfectly explains what a lot of our young people are experiencing and how schools are setting our young people to struggle. Please share your comments below.
“I think that more thorough Mental Health education and practical support methods need to be taught in schools and colleges. Student resilience is at its lowest I have noticed in some of my cohorts before. They are facing challenging circumstances: they may not ever go to university despite a a recent historical educational pressure to choose that option and if they do, they take on a huge financial burden, many just to attend school or college are in financial difficulty requiring school/college bursaries which rarely actually cover their travel needs, many are not educated adequately regarding banking, budgeting, benefits, taxes, voter registration and democracy, volunteering, sexual health, how to sign up to a GP or appropriately use the health service, how to seek support re housing, loans etc. Our education system is failing our young people in so many ways to not prepare them for real life, as well as pre employment – it should be no surprise that mental health is becoming such a big issue for our students. It is evident in the high numbers of people 30 and under who are suffering with depression and anxiety (plus others) as these issues re education are nothing new. However, we have now been living in a society of cuts and debt and very few wage increases for a larger part of these students lives as well, so the impact is apparent for them at a younger age as well.
Mental health education must be included on the syllabus. Teachers must be trained to recognise symptoms, to know how to react and not stigmatise! How to support a student who self harms, as well as make an appropriate support referral. These to me are as integral as the student having their English gcse. What is the point of having their English gcse if they cannot deal with their mental health appropriately and are not job ready in that respect??”
