I used to think my students were being dramatic when they listed as one of their goals “to make it to the next year alive.” The senseless killing of a Cardozo senior (the second murder touching the school community this year) has made me focus on the world many of our students live in—a world that is ignored, misunderstood, and certainly not addressed by the educational leaders and talking heads.
Test scores. Sure.
What's as sad as the death of a young person is the reaction of his or her peers. (I'm not talking about friends, simply peers in the same school or environment.) So many teens take it in stride that it is truly shocking. Trying to discuss such an incident is depressing. Many of the young people feel that there is nothing that can be done, it's just the way things are. Instead of developing the ability to empathize and mourn, many build walls and harden their feelings. It's a coping mechanism that only leads to an incredibly unhealthy environment.
Which leads to the topic of mental health. I am not one to think that schools need to solve all of society's social ills but let's be real, if we ignore the mental health of our students, can the academics really prosper?
What do we do to promote mental health in our schools? Not much from what I see. The Special Ed system is notoriously broken. We have no program for peer mediation. (It has never received the support it needed, it was always just given lip service.) Perhaps the worst thing we do is let kids behave badly in the school with no consequences. (We have an astounding lack of alternative schools and a policy from downtown to handle things at the school level---while not funding or setting up an In School Suspension program!) They learn that they can get away with just about anything. If you think that doesn't follow them outside of the school you are deluded.
Please note that I am not saying that the people who kill teens in DC are necessarily DCPS students, but on the other hand, the vast majority were at one time.
I heard the term “wrap around services” thrown about during the Fenty administration. I never saw a change at my school as far as social services go. If the Gray administration is serious about education and the youth of this city, we will see something different. But I won't be holding my breath. It's so much easier to ignore these realities, blame teachers (as our last leader liked to do), and offer “professional development.” In the end, as usual, the students don't get what they really need.
This is a prefect example of how DCPS and the DC government in general are shortsighted. Instead of making mental health a priority, it is given lip service and instead there is a push to put more police officers and security guards in schools. Neighborhoods want more police on the street. Let's build more jails while we are at it.
ReplyDeleteThinking about some of the students I work with being parents in just a few years is a truly frightening thought. Many of my students have serious emotional problems, anger issues, low self esteem etc. If we could just give them real, sustained counseling and support it would make a huge difference.
But instead we focus on DC CAS DC CAS DC CAS!!!!!!!
Yes, to the previous poster. It is all about the DC CAS isn't it?
ReplyDeleteThanks Schooled in DC for bringing up this very important issue. Many of our youth today are in desperate need of mental health services. When I call some homes I hear the same anger from the parents that the students exhibit during the school day.
Too many of our youth live a life filled with violence, fear, and suffering. Their emotions translate into anger, depression, and indifference. All of which affect their ability to focus on school and reach their potential.
Not only are we focusing on DC BAS/DC CAS at the expense of other critical programs,I think our students and even teachers are going to need lots of therapy just to deal with all of the pressure and anxiety resulting from test mania.
ReplyDeleteTeachers' mental health is a whole nother story. Between Impact and testing (not to mention simply working in the world of DCPS in the first place,) I'm sure many teachers are being driven to self-medication!
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