It is now the norm in modern society for students to get extremely anxious in school. Many students in school struggle with the feeling of anxiety, depression, and stress. This raises a question for school faculty everywhere: Do students have the resources they need to help them?  A lot of students are different when it comes to how they may become anxious in school, and how they receive help, though they all have the same difficulties when it comes to receiving the right resources. What can we do to help students that struggle?

Receiving help, to an extent

Students do need to receive help when they are anxious, though it must be to an extent. This means that resources such as extra help, guidance, and a space to decompress should be available from school faculty. Although, outrageous requests such as skipping a class for days, not doing work, or not putting in the recommended effort should be limited. 

When asked if Pentucket gives the necessary resources to help a student, an anonymous junior responded, “No, because I feel as though sometimes when I am anxious and need a resource, such as going for a walk or talking to someone who helps me and calms me down, it gets turned down because I need to be in class, doing my work.”

Yes, a student should be doing their work, attempting to focus and complete it as they are asked. However, work combined with personal matters can worsen someone’s mental health, and as a result of this, they become anxious and stressed. Turning a student down should not happen; listening and understanding a student’s necessities can help them tremendously. 

What makes one anxious

When students were asked what tends to make them anxious in school, they generally respond with the same answers. The workload, distractions, and even teachers just not understanding their students. 

When an anonymous junior was asked how they would describe their workload, they responded, “I would say stressful, sometimes I feel the teacher does not think about the fact that I also have work for other classes and it is very hard for me to focus and sit still with lengthy assignments.” 

Assistance

Helping a student involves communicating with them, and understanding their emotions that they express. Students have their own ways of helping themselves when anxious. I learned from interviewing multiple students that listening to music, having private spaces, and moving are the main help sources for students here at Pentucket. 

Distractions, such as students talking or moving around in the classroom, can cause a student to need a private space to work so their work can be completed. Pentucket junior Allie Fandel states that “I think in the old school there were a lot more places you would have the opportunity to work independently, but now in the new school, there has not been a lot of privacy. I get questioned often because they assume I am going to be messing around rather than completing my work.”

Often, the assumption that a student may be making something up to get out of doing work can happen. Though that is not always the case, some students just need a space to do their work independently, allowing them to do so can encourage and help them to get their work done on time rather than under pressure. 

Students go through the feeling of being anxious on a daily basis, teachers being understanding, and genuine with their students plays a big role when assisting them. School faculty should hear their students and provide resources when needed.