I think that this is a really important thing to discuss. Mental health wasn’t built into the structure of modern day schools. I think that extra day simply dedicated to doing school work and getting help has really helped my stress levels as well as many others. However, in a non-online school format, do you think that one day would be plausible? Would it still be online even after COVID?

Dear Cecilia:
I am impressed by your post, “Since we are all a little more stressed, should we get mental health breaks?” because it talks about how hard the coronavirus has affected students’ mental health. Talked about higher the rates of anxiety and depression have gotten since the covid outbreak. It saddens me to hear about how high the rates for suicide have gotten as well.

One sentence you wrote that stands out for me is: “Since the start of the school year, my school has been doing virtual Wednesdays with assemblies and office hours. The office hours have allowed everyone, including teachers, to have a day to seek help without the added stress of classes.” I think this is interesting because this would help a lot with many students who struggle in class and with mental health issues. I feel like we should imply this at my school so students can go to seek help if they need it.

Thanks for your writing. I look forward to seeing what you write next, because it’s crazy to see how bad covid affects students’ mental health. As well as, you giving ways other schools can imply ways to help students during this time like your school did. I hope to see more of what you write because it lets me see more of what’s going on during this time.
Vivianne

Dear Cecilia:
I am saddened  by what the pandemic has done for our students socially and mentally  your essay , “Since we are all a little more stressed, should we get mental health breaks?,” because I noticed my students struggling to concentrate when they came back to the classroom as well as socially not doing the best. 
One sentence you wrote that stands out for me is: “Combined with the pandemic, it would appear that we put our students through too much.” I think this is true because as adults, a lot of us struggled maintaining some sense of normalcy, children aren’t able to regulate what they need daily on their own and without a set schedule or time to socialize they struggle. Socially, emotionally and academically it was an overwhelming experience and I agree that it may have been too much. 
Another sentence that I loved  was: “Since the start of the school year, my school has been doing virtual Wednesdays with assemblies and office hours. The office hours have allowed everyone, including teachers, to have a day to seek help without the added stress of classes.” This stood out for me because its a wonderful idea and it makes mental health care normal to students which can be difficult for some families to adapt to at home/ 
 Have you seen this article “Student Mental Health Is Overwhelming Schools. Can Congress Help?”? https://www.edweek.org/leadership/student-mental-health-is-overwhelming-schools-can-congress-help/2022/02?s_kwcid=AL!6416!3!602270476281!!!g!!&utm_source=goog&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=ew+dynamic+recent&ccid=dynamic+ads+recent+articles&ccag=recent+articles+dynamic&cckw=&cccv=dynamic+ad&gclid=Cj0KCQjwzqSWBhDPARIsAK38LY8CSDbEs1I7beMPS4ok6Gh3xHhshL2G-n2REJTO_Pb9dqC2_9ISkX8aAqXjEALw_wcB I thought you might be interested in this because of…
Thanks for your writing. I look forward to seeing what you write next because I am very passionate about students receiving mental health care in schools and outside of schools especially after the pandemic. I want the discussions about mental health to be normal in a couple of years and a part of the school day.

Nice post! You mainly discussed the effects of the early stages of the pandemic; Now that we are mostly a year into it, how do you think mental health has changed for college students? Many universities have released statements about returning to in-person learning next term(Check this out: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2021/03/12/why-colleges-are-racing-tell-students-they%E2%80%99ll-be-open-person-fall), how are college students reacting to that news?