Mental Health Needs To Be A School Subject
And empathy is the central core to its success
I once worked in a school for young people who had mental health difficulties.
There I learned that young brains are interconnected with their thoughts and feelings.
Young brains are like sponges when it comes to learning new things but are fragile despite their ability to think. And if a person doesn’t feel well in the first place then they are unlikely to want to learn to their best ability.
This is why mental health education needs to be part of all school syllabuses.
Or else it’s like water and money.
How Water And Money Are Wasted:
If you are watering a dead plant then you are wasting good water.
The same is true for funding the education of people who are not fully motivated or able to maximize their learning. It’s a waste of money and ignores the real problem of those who need education the most. As education is about empowering people to live better lives, educating them when they are not feeling well, is wasting good money, time, and energy.
And like the water that seeps into dead soil, the money is not growing or helping anyone’s lives as a result.
Mental Health and Education Go Hand In Hand:
Without mental health you are not fully healthy so what is education worth if you don’t have full health to pass it on to others?
When a young person goes to school every day they are not exactly bouncing out of the bed looking forward to learning new things like they were as a young child. Rather, they are often doing it because they feel they have to. They’re smart enough at this stage to know they’ve got to go, but not thrilled at the prospect either.
Most would prefer to do something else but they know that they are legally obligated to go to school instead.
The Changing Nature of A Teen’s Mind:
By the time young people reach puberty, they’ve many other things on their mind other than schoolwork.
Their bodies are developing and with it their need for more independence is growing. Socializing becomes a bigger goal for them as they try to look to meet people outside of the family circle. Their brains are maturing and thoughts are entering into their minds that are reactive to the various pieces of information that are all around them on a given day.
It all groups together to have an emotional effect on a young person and this dictates their attitude and can impact their mental health as well.
Young People’s Need For New Feelings:
Theoretically, if you’re properly taught then you should learn to the best of your abilities and be able to choose the right thing to do as a result of this teaching.
But this is not always the case with young people. As they lack life experience they often seek out new excitement to figure out how it feels. By trying new things they are able to understand what they’ve learned better as a result of feeling it, even if they already know it’s a stupid thing to do in the first place.
This also allows them to tell their peers that they know what something new feels like.
Feelings Build Brain Connections:
Young people get a buzz when they can communicate to their peers that they`ve felt something more when those of their age group have not.
That’s why they are fascinated with staying up late, getting something new, or even doing something that they know will get them into trouble. The temptation to know more from experience builds a solid story to tell and this allows them to connect deeper with others and in turn, grow their mind. And this is their way of wanting to be developed.
That’s why as adults, we need to see things from their point of view.
The Need For Empathy In Education:
Seeing things from another person’s point of view is showing empathy with them.
By putting ourselves in another person’s shoes we understand how they feel. Any great teacher knows that to communicate and motivate a young person you have to understand where they are coming from in the first place. Education comes afterward once trust and rapport have been built.
That’s why empathy is needed in education and this helps mental health as well.
So although a plant grows and water will always flow, educators and people who have influence need to know that young people’s minds will change as they try to develop.
And it’s that change we need to be responsible for so that we all have a healthy future together.
Get FREE Access To Dr. Conor’s VIP List Here (Limited Time Only)
