I know sometimes as we face certain obstacles and frustrations in life, our defenses tell us to “F it” or forget it. But that’s only in theory. Those offenses or emotions that we put out of our mind, on the backburner, or that we suppress…are only lying dormant. They’re not gone. They’re just waiting for the right time to resurface. And by right time I mean a time where we’re forced to bring those offenses up or to face them.
Going back to school can be stressful enough, even in normal circumstances; however, going back to school in the middle of a pandemic brings on a level of stress and anxiety that can probably only be described as…overwhelming. Is this working?
Here recently, I had the opportunity to have a conversation with some educators, parents, and students from Texas, Louisiana, Georgia, South Carolina, and Tennessee. It was interesting to hear the similarities not only in measures taken (or not taken) to prepare and protect students and teachers for returning to school (both in-person and on-line); but it was also surprising and profound to learn just how much mental health is being affected, particularly in the teachers expected to give the instruction.
I was, as some would say, a public success and a private failure.
