By, Lily Mendes
Since August 13th, Redwood High School started virtual learning, causing Redwood Students a roller coaster of emotions with their Mental Health. While online learning has helped some it has damaged others.
In a normal year, where the coronavirus did not exist students were allowed to socialize with peers and their teachers physically, making it easier for them to communicate and be engaged in their classes. The socialization that school brought also offered mental health services through school counselors and other hotlines.
The question is whether online school is in fact declining redwood students’ mental health or improving it. According to an Edsource article, of all students in California “more than half of students said they need mental health services since schools closed,” which sadly has not been provided for many.
With Coronavirus spreading globally, “school closures were intended to keep students safe during the pandemic,” however in many circumstances it had the opposite effect by creating more “ anxiety, depression, and other mental health conditions.”
The lack of access to mental health professionals face to face, has taken a toll on students who depend on confidential privacy involving their mental issues. This applies to students who live in tight living quarters where talking to a counselor over zoom, eliminates the students right to privacy.
“A child’s mental health is just as important as their physical health and deserves the same quality of support”
~Kate Middleton
The workload that students face with online school can be stressful in itself. Ayana Sutton ‘21 expresses that her mental health has “worsened because of the increasing anxiety and sadness of isolation,” making it hard to focus and be successful in school. When asked about whether online school has improved or degraded her situation mentally, Sutton responded with “ although I have the safety of my own home, my anxiety has skyrocketed, which really hasn’t helped me in the long run.”
From a different perspective, online school has improved Redwood students mental health. Neftaly Gonzalez’21 says that the “pandemic has allowed me to focus on myself.” With a lot more time to do school work, it becomes less stressful for students. Gonzalez adds that the “ flexible schedule and safe learning environment has been a better atmosphere,” that allows students to be more successful in their classes.
Annemarie Lawrence’21 agrees with Neftaly Gonzalez, in that Online school has improved her mental health, because it ” gives her a routine to follow and makes her more organized.” For students that struggled with social anxiety in a normal school setting, online school has provided them with a sense of safety, when it comes to relationships with teachers and overall activities in the classroom.
Whether online school improves or degrades students mental health depends on the individual and the community that they live in. Mental health has been a rising issue in the Corona virus pandemic and needs to be addressed in schools globally, in order to solve all needs of health.
Tags: covid-19, mental health, online school, Redwood