Let’s Talk About Mental Health – A Message to Teachers and Parents
People oftentimes assume that bad grades are solely due to a lack of knowledge or an inability to study and ignore mental health. They don’t typically look beyond the surface level to find a deeper reason as to why a student may be struggling.
Some students tend to hide their mental health issues by pretending like everything is normal, so it can be difficult to spot sometimes for parents and teachers. But more often than people expect, a student’s poor grades in school can be due to personal problems going on in their life, that if acknowledged, could result in a multitude of positive outcomes.
Mental health issues like Anxiety and depression have risen exponentially over the past 10 years. With the expectations of students being so high in today’s day and age, the pressure is on like never before.
So how can we spot the signs of a child who is struggling with mental health issues?
Attitude change – Oftentimes an attitude change (especially a dramatically different one) is due to a problem that the person is not addressing. If you notice a difference in your child’s attitude, this is likely because of some kind of pain or trauma (whether mental or physical).
Behavior change – Has your child’s behavior changed? Maybe they’re faking sick to avoid school, or they’re having bad behavior reports from their teachers. If you are noticing unusual behavior patterns, this could be a sure sign that something is wrong.
Lowering of grades – Has your child’s grades gone down significantly? This could be a direct impact of negative mental health or another personal issue.
Isolation – Is your child showing signs of isolation? Self-isolation is a telling sign of a deeper problem (or multiple problems) that may be going on.
So what can be done?
Mental health: From a parent’s perspective
Speak to your child directly and point out the differences you’re seeing. Let them know that you are there to support them no matter what. Oftentimes children won’t open up to their parents about what they are going through for a plethora of reasons such as fear of judgment or rejection, so try to not let your own emotion get in the way.
Mental health: From a teacher’s perspective
Speak to your students, especially if they are struggling with their grades. This is a tell-tale sign that something is wrong, and even if it’s not due to a personal problem (depression, anxiety, family problems), you are one step closer to getting to the root of the problem. It’s never a bad thing to be reassured, especially when it comes to the overall well being of a student.
Provide support, even if you can’t be the one to do it. Refer the student to a counselor, and be a person that the student knows they can get help from when they need it.
Create a relationship with the parent/guardian of the student so that there is a clear indication of what is going on and what needs to take place to improve the situation.
Since the student has dealt with personal problems and it has affected their grades, there has to be a focus on reconditioning the student back to the level that the rest of the class is at. This may be a difficult task, and a great option to consider would be tutoring.
Tutoring can help the student to get back on track and save their grades to still be competitive for either high school or college admissions. There are two options when it comes to tutoring – online or in-person. Online tutoring provides the student with more convenience when it comes to scheduling and they have the ability to work in the comfort of their own home. There are also more hours available than a typical, in-person tutoring facility
If your child has been through a tough time and it has affected their grades, don’t worry. At Miles Smart Tutoring, we are here to help them get back on track and prepare them for a bright future
Miles Smart Tutoring is a family-owned and operated tutoring company based in St. Petersburg, Florida. We provide online tutoring services for students throughout the entire U.S. from K-8 all the way through to graduate school. Tutoring can be 1-on-1 or in groups.
We provide tutoring for over 40 subjects including math, English, foreign language, calculus, pre-calculus, geometry and much more. We also provide tutoring for college prep such as the SAT and ACT.
Our tutors not only work with students to improve their comprehensive skills of these subjects, they also take into account their short term and long term goals as part of the tutoring practice to ensure future success.
Miles Smart Tutoring has helped students receive over $24 million in grants and scholarships due to an increase in test scores. We are also proud to be the recipient of the 2019 ‘Best of St. Petersburg Award In the Area of Tutoring Service.’
Contact us today to see how we can help your child get back on track. We take a holistic approach where we consider not only the child’s academic success but mental health too. Take a look at our philosophy to learn more.
You can find out more about our services by visiting our website: www.milessmarttutoring.com or by calling (813) 328-3036.
