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Back to school is fast approaching and certainly, it has many anxious students dreading not only the first day, but the entire school year. Being an anxious student is beyond what most teachers will ever be able to comprehend. While other students are excited about getting back into a routine and seeing their friends, many others are absolutely terrified to step foot back into the classroom. Fortunately, there are many ways teachers can help their anxious students, so we asked our audience to share the one thing they wish their teachers knew. The answers may surprise you.
If There Was One Thing Anxious Students Could Tell Their Teacher…
We asked our audience to share with us what they wish their teachers knew about their mental illness. It is our hope that by revealing their answers, teachers will have a better understanding of what their anxious students are going through and more importantly, provide them with a comfortable space for students to thrive in.
1. I wish my teachers knew…
That sometimes, students who suffer just need a minute to themselves to breathe.
2. I wish my teachers knew…
Anxious students can’t just “get over it” by being pushed harder.
3. I wish my anxious child’s teachers would…
Learn what anxiety looks like and how to approach it
4. I wish my teachers knew…
The basic warning signs of a panic or anxiety attack.
5. I wish my teachers knew…
Not to push students too far. Every student is different.
6. I wish my teachers knew…
Simply asking me if I’m okay would make a huge difference.
We agree with this fully. After writing a poem in English class about losing a loved one to suicide, my English teacher asked me to stay after class one day. She sat down in the desk beside me and with tears in her eyes, just hugged me. She told me that she has gone through the same thing and how difficult it is to get over such a horrible tragedy. She shared her story with me and together, we just cried and comforted one another. It made me view her as a person instead of just a teacher, and I knew moving forward that I could always come to her if I needed to talk about such an intense topic, such as suicide.
– Anxiety Gone
7. I wish my teachers knew…
I don’t get love at home. I get yelled at… All the time for all the things I can’t do. School is my escape and I don’t need to be ostracized for not speaking loud enough during my presentations or for struggling with group projects.
8. I wish my teachers knew…
I need actual support… Mentally and emotionally.
9. I wish my teachers knew…
That just ‘getting on’ like other students is simply not possible.
10. I wish my teachers knew…
Everything is hard. The simplest task is so difficult for anxious students.
11. I wish my teachers knew…
That not everyone is able to do oral presentations. I had so much anxiety about those that I would fake sick or skip class just to avoid it.
12. I wish my teachers knew…
The symptoms and what to do about it.
13. I wish my teachers knew…
Just because anxious kids can’t stay still for a whole day doesn’t mean they are a bad kid.
14. I wish my teachers knew…
I’m not late for class because I want to be. I’m late because I’m in the bathroom taking deep breaths trying desperately to get it together so I can learn.
15. I wish my teachers knew…
Sometimes, the more homework we get, the less we get done.
17. I wish my teachers knew…
I’m not just a lazy dumb child.
18. I wish my teachers knew…
Those sporadic fire drills and lock down drills throw me into an exhaustive spiral that almost always makes me leave school early.
Yes! While we understand the importance of having these drills, having a sudden loud alarm going off along with all the commotion is extremely triggering. We actually used to find out when these ‘lock down’ drills were going to happen and skip school until it was over. The mere thought of being locked into a room for “practice” was just too intense.
– Anxiety Gone
19. I wish my teachers knew…
When the class starts taking turns to read out loud, I’m already counting ahead to see which page I’ll likely have to read and I skip all the rest to start practicing it, for fear of messing up. I end up missing pages and pages.
20. I wish my teachers knew…
I lie every time I get asked to read out loud or do a question on the board.
21. I wish my teachers knew…
Just because I didn’t participate in class discussions doesn’t mean I wasn’t listening and understanding. Forcing me to talk made me spiral into an anxiety attack for the remainder of the class and I was not able to focus or learn anymore. It’s best to leave the quiet students to themselves sometimes.
22. I wish my teachers knew…
Sitting closest to the door is my anxiety strategy. Being moved away from the door or being assigned a seat away from the door makes me significantly more anxious.
23. I wish my teachers knew…
Just how horrible it is to get up in front of a class to give a speech each year for 5 minutes, all the while yelling at me saying they couldn’t hear me and I never looked at my audience.
Speech season nearly killed me each year, my mom spent so many hours working with me, trying to help me calm down and just get through it. I also spent many nights sleeping at my homework desk because the crying and anxiety made me so exhausted. Teachers just never understood.
24. I wish my teachers knew…
That reading a book in my lap is not to disrespect other students during presentations and I’m not distracted during class. sometimes i needed to read to help calm me down and keep me IN class .
25. I wish my teachers knew…
I’m not being disrespectful when I “zone out”. I am trying to use my anxiety tools to calm me down.
26. I wish my teachers knew…
Pressure cause more anxiety and leads to depression.
27. I wish my teachers knew…
I really want to come on the field trips but being forced onto a school bus with other students is too much for me. I wish they’d let my parents drive me instead.
28. I wish my teachers knew…
I don’t participate in ‘group projects’ not because I don’t want to or because I want the rest of the group to do my work. I just find it too hard to go to other people’s houses or to talk with people I don’t know well.
Many of these answers from anxious students pertain to speaking in front of the class. Perhaps it would be a good strategy for teachers to have a questionnaire that they provide their students on the first day of school to learn more about them. And no, not whether or not they have a dog at home or other siblings, but rather, whether they suffer from mental illness or if certain situations are too triggering for them.
If you have any ideas on how teachers can help anxious students, please feel free to reach out to us on our Anxiety Gone Facebook, our Anxiety Gone Instagram or shoot us an email.
