Dear Ascha:
I am intrigued by your post “Mental Health Awareness in schools” because I think that you are right I think many people put off their mental health due to not wanting to show something they think others will view as weak. Also, I think you are absolutely right we should take the steps to make sure others feel like they have someone they can talk to if they need it.

One sentence you wrote that stood out to me is: “Our minds were meant to be open and free to navigate through life’s journey.” I think this is interesting because it is a different way of viewing what our minds are meant to do. I think it is also interesting because others may view our brain as having to be filled with many thoughts and questions and almost always thinking of something.

Thank you for your writing. I look forward to seeing what you write next because I like the way you view things in such an optimistic way. I also like how you ask a question for others to answer based on what you wrote.

Jennifer

Dear Ascha:

I am fascinated by your post, “Mental Health Awareness in Schools” because schools need to acknowledge the fact that students have a hard time with not only their mental health but their separation of each. The mental part Is very important as it gives creativity, imagination, and memory to a person. While health offers the stability of one’s freedom from any pain whether it be physically, or emotionally.

One sentence you wrote that stood out to me is: “Mental health is a social issue that sometimes can be put off, not wanting to be seen as weakness.” I think this is a consequence of people becoming introverts in society because when a person struggles with their mental health, they close out of the real world, and they will be seen as weak for showing signs of a struggle; strength, in today’s society, is expected.

Thanks for your writing. I look forward to seeing what you write next because you are considerate of others’ capabilities of interacting with someone to speak to about their issues, as some of them can affect the way one thinks. Specifically, about the school, this topic is informative, to know the challenges students face throughout their education.

Gimbya

Dear Ascha,
I am relieved by your post, “Mental Health Awareness in Schools,” because not many people recognize mental health issues at a first glance. It can be challenging to see if someone has a mental illness or not so letting people know that you are there for them can be comforting. It can also let them realize they are not alone in the world.
One sentence you wrote that stands out to me is, “Silence can leave a person suffering with no one to talk about issues of life.” I think this is an impactful sentence because when people feel alone, they feel as if no one cares for them and no one wants to feel this way or see someone else feel this way. Furthermore, letting someone know they are not alone is not only comforting but also reassuring so they know they do belong in this world.
Thank you for your writing, I look forward to seeing you write again because you know how to impact the reader. Also because you talk about important things that everyone should know about.
Vanessa

Dear Ascha, I am very much impressed and grateful with your post, “Mental Health Awareness in Schools”, because of the manner in which you decided to tackle this topic. Not only did you wonderfully explain what exactly mental health is, but I also enjoyed how you ended by explaining how exactly one can help someone that is suffering form mental stress. One sentence you wrote that stands out for me is: “Mental health is a social issue that sometimes can be put off, not wanting to be seen as weakness.” I believe this statement to be very powerful because I feel as if I can connect personally to this statement as I too have struggled to be open at times with how I truly feel. Thank you for your writing and I hope to see what you come up with next. Thank you for speaking for those who do not have a voice or to those who just simply want to help them.

Dear Ascha, 

I am very thankful for your post, “Mental Health Awareness in Schools,” because mental health is something that is usually not given enough attention. Because of this, students may feel ashamed or embarrassed to speak up about it since it is not spoken about enough. Although, I have noticed mental health in schools being brought up more recently via the news and media, which I think is progress. 

A sentence you wrote that stood out to me is: “Mental health is a social issue that sometimes can be put off, not wanting to be seen as weakness.” I think this has become a very common way of thinking, which is part of the reason why mental health can be overlooked. Some people see others as “over-exaggerating” or “dramatic” and this creates a negative stigma around mental health, ultimately causing it to be seen as a weakness. I believe that people should be able to speak up about it without the fear of being shamed or neglected. 

Thank you for your writing. I look forward to seeing what you write next because I appreciate how you acknowledge that WE can be the change that is needed for a positive impact to be made in people’s lives. With effort, more and more people can become more comfortable with reaching out for help or being the person to help out someone else. 

Nicole

Dear Ascha,

I am very thankful for your post, “Mental Heath Awareness in Schools,” because I feel like in modern times, students can feel a bit stressed by everything that is going on around their lives. Nowadays there is so many things to worry about, which can have a negative effect on student’s mental health. Not only is there things at school that can affect them, but also things at home and outside of school which can build up.

One sentence that you wrote that stood out to me was: “Silence can leave a person suffering with no one to talk about issues of life.” This stood out to me because this is something that is sad but also true. I feel like a lot of people don’t have other people that they can reach out to talk about mental health and ask for help when they need it. Even when some people have close friends or family, they don’t feel comfortable sharing their state of mental health.

Thanks for your writing. I look forward to seeing what you write next because I feel like this is a topic that needs to be talked about more often. Thank your for bringing more awareness surrounding this topic, and hopefully people will be more open to talk about it.

Christian

Dear Ascha,

I am very thankful for your post, “Mental Health Awareness in Schools,” because I feel like nowadays, students feel more stressed by everything that is going on around their lives. Nowadays there are so many things to worry about, which can have a negative effect on students’ mental health. Not only are there things at school that can affect them, but also things at home and outside of school which can build up.

One sentence you wrote that stood out to me is: “Our minds were meant to be open and free to navigate through life’s journey.” I think this is interesting because it is a very different way of viewing what our minds are meant to do. I think it is also interesting because others may view our brain as having to be filled with many thoughts and questions and almost always thinking of something.

 Thank you for your writing and I hope to see what you come up with next. Thank you for speaking for those who do not have a voice or for those who just simply want to help them.

Angel

Dear Ascha,

I am very grateful for your post, “Mental Health Awareness in Schools,” because it finally brings people’s struggles during school mentally to the light. I feel like now a days many people don’t know what many things a student can be dealing with it. On top of stuff that students deal with daily, their is school which puts work on them which can make matters worse for them.

One sentence you wrote that stood out to me is, “Silence can leave a person suffering with no one to talk about issues of life.” This stood out to me because every person has their problems and many of them are kept silent which only grows worse without being able to talk about it.

Thanks for your writing. I look forward to seeing what you write next because it should be discussed frequently. This a problem everyone has went through

Kelvin

Dear Ascha,

I am now knowledgeable about your post, “Mental Health Awareness in Schools,” because you share your concerns about mental illness and health in the school system and how it can impact on someone. At times not a lot of schools offer safe spaces for students to reach out and discuss their problems. Yet there are schools that chose to brush off students’ health as if it isn’t important but there are schools that show it as a priority. It’s good to see schools really care for their students and make a change by lessening mental cases in teens/children.
a sentence that you wrote that stood out to me was, “Be the change”. I liked the way you continues to say that noticing someone is going through a tuff time visibly, be that change and help them, be there to listen and not the opposite. Don’t ignore it and pretend it’s not there but acknowledge it and take it head-on.

Thank you so much for your post, it’s always heartwarming to see the youth so interested in mental health and provide aid and knowledge to stop it.

Dear Ascha,

I am very grateful by your post, “Mental Health Awareness in Schools,” because this topic is very relevant nowadays, mental health can really drastically impact someone’s life in multiple ways. Students really tend to keep a lot of issues like this to themselves because it’s not really out of the norm for people to express how and why they feel a particular way.

A statement that really stood out to me was, “Be the change, reach out and grasp someone and let them know that you are there for them to release.” This is a very important thing to think about and acknowledge because many really just need that person to let everything out to, stress can really drain you mentally and perhaps even a hug can help oneself. It’s okay to not be okay, be encouraging and just how you would want somebody to help you or be there when you’re going through certain circumstances it should always be that way for someone else.

Thank you so much for your writing, it’s very heartwarming that you brought about a sensitive topic like this that should be discussed frequently. It’s never easy to get through difficult obstacles like these but being a support system for somebody is important.

Jocelyn

Dear Ascha,

I am really grateful for your article on “Mental Health Awareness in Schools,” as I believe that in today’s world, students may experience some stress from the things going on in their daily life. There are so many things to worry about these days that they might be detrimental to students’ mental health. They may be impacted by events both within and outside of school, in addition to those that occur there.

The following line from one of your paragraphs particularly struck me: “Silence can leave a person suffering with no one to talk to about difficulties of life.” This caught my attention since it is both sad and accurate. Many people, in my opinion, don’t have those to whom they may turn when they need to ask for support or talk about mental health issues. Some people don’t feel comfortable discussing their mental health, even with close friends or family.

I appreciate your writing. This is a subject that I believe needs to be discussed more frequently, therefore I’m interested to see what you write about next. We appreciate you raising awareness of this issue, and we hope that as a result, people will be more willing to discuss it.

-Francisco