On reviewing a student’s report card and through conversation with them, it becomes evident that a grade of ‘A’ is considered a prized possession. Anything below this unrealistic expectation is disappointing and not ‘good enough’. From the time they learn to speak, children are taught that the letters on a report card dictate their worth. This technique is effective in making children cram supposedly essential information for a successful life: how to find the area of a rainforest or the Pythagoras theorem. The memorization of useless information takes place, unquestioned, and is then awarded different letters on a report card based on the student’s supposed intelligence. Why isn’t a student’s mental health given even half the importance? If grading is going to be a regular intruder into a student’s life, why not introduce it to the columns of mental health on a report card?
Through this, parents and children will recognize the significance of mental health and understand that getting an ‘A’ on mental health is equally as important as acing any other subject. Mental health will no longer be discussed behind closed doors, and having classes dedicated to spreading awareness on the issue will help to make it a more approachable topic amongst all. While subjects such as physical education demand a competitive spirit and a constant drive to win, injuries and other setbacks are treated with the utmost care and given priority. Similarly, mental health should not be an alien topic to children, and students should realize that asking for help does not make them weak. Schools, universities, and other educational institutions should prioritize and safeguard the mental health of students, in the same manner, that grades are treated as the most important aspect of a student. Institutions can hold weekly sessions which introduce mental health issues and provide guidance, encouraging healthy discussion among peers. We must eliminate this long-established system that judges the worth of an individual solely based on a rigid grading process.
A teacher or professor cannot provide justice in viewing the same question through the eyes of the dozens of students present in a class. Parents should come to terms with the fact that the grades on a report card do not accommodate every child’s unique approach to learning. Our primitive education system in general suffers from this issue. The conventional routine of fixating on a single ‘best’ method of solving a problem forces a student to detach themself from their personality, reducing them to unthinking puppets. Education is the most powerful tool humans have, but it should not come at the cost of endangering one’s mental well-being. Though the ruthless educational system seeks to homogenize students and suppress individuality, it somehow also expects the very same students to be unique, standing apart from their peers. The immense pressure of following established practices plants the seed of self-doubt in a student. The constant drive to become ‘good enough’ for society, with standards constantly on the rise, is completely delusional and even harmful for the mental health of a student.
It must be ensured that the subject of mental health is treated with the same importance as other traditional subjects, both in school and outside. This will help to break down social barriers and eliminate the shame associated with mental health issues. A mental health course should not be subject to absurd assessment patterns that are a tradition in most courses, focusing on the memorization of pointless information with little understanding. Rather, such a course should involve weekly assignments and regular checkups where students can interact with professionals and talk openly about mental health. Children will realize that their thoughts and emotions matter and deserve to be heard. If the education system can convince children that anything other than an ‘A’ indicates failure, it also has the power to convince children that learning and discussing mental health should not be stigmatized; it is as valuable as something they may learn in a calculus class. If mental health is introduced as a core subject, this would grant students the opportunity to find a safe space within the school and would help them to prioritize mental well-being.
Children will realize that the problems they face really do matter, and they will know that it is completely okay, to not be okay.