Opinion: Communication Goes Beyond the Classroom
Why Professors Should Take an Interest in Students’ Mental Health
nikolayhg
The pandemic left some students feeling stranded.
Professors should adjust their communication skills, take interest in their students and not be so judgmental when it comes to “mental health days.”
Mental Health
According to the Princeton Public Health Review, mental health is an issue that sometimes goes unnoticed. In general, people need to be able to talk about how they feel. This means that others need to be willing to be that listening ear.
During the pandemic three years ago, the world went through a lot of changes physically, mentally, emotionally and even spiritually.
Those changes caused some people to back into a corner, not understanding what they were going through. Locked downs, maintaining six feet from others and wearing masks all took a toll on people mentally.
Mental Health in College
College is a time in life when you can be indecisive of where you want to go after your school career. As college students change and maneuver through their years of being in the classroom, they need to have professors that understand.
Before the pandemic started, it was easy enough to approach your professor or your secondary high school teacher. Now that things have changed, it is hard for many students to even go to their trusted adult because of the mental blocks that have been placed on them.
Students need to find a safe place to feel comfortable telling what is going on in their school experience. They need proper feedback now more than ever.
Teachers and others who work with students need to be particularly compassionate and just understanding right now. Words can hurt.
Professors should maintain professional boundaries, of course, and not share too much personal information. However, they still need to let their students know that students have somewhere to share their thoughts and feelings.
A Glimpse of Hope
People hold in a lot of stuff that sometimes goes unrecognized, especially our feelings. Knowing that one has a place to feel comfortable and talk to professors or teachers makes an individual feel safe.
Communication goes far beyond the classroom. Just being that person a student can talk to makes a difference.
Erykah Rayford, a junior secondary English education major, was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nev., until the year 2005 when she relocated to Greenville,...