In today’s society, the number of suicides that occur in one year have skyrocketed…. This is a PROBLEM! Children should not ever be pushed to a place in their life that suicide seems to be their only option; it is sad that suicidal thoughts are not prevented as much as they could be, particularly in school-age children. Schools need to have a larger part in reducing the increasing number of suicides, because students– children– are at a high risk for suicidal thoughts.
It is a school’s job to support students on multiple levels: academically (obviously), physically, and mentally/emotionally. It honestly does not take a school much work to support students who are at risk for suicidal thoughts and tendencies, they just have to show they care. It should be a general requirement for teachers to have training in recognizing behaviors that reflect that a student suffers with anxiety, self-harm, or suicidal thoughts/actions; there should never be a case where a student is afraid to talk to a teacher, so teachers need to remain open-minded and compassionate at all times.
Students come to school expecting to learn “boring” information like math, science, and history, but they should be pleasantly surprised to find an environment of caring, respect, and overall kindness. Creating a safe and welcoming environment is perhaps the most important action a school can take to do their part in reducing student/child suicides. Teachers have to be the face of change because they work directly with the students; when a teacher shows they care, they create a warm environment, and maybe, just maybe, one (or more, more is definitely good, too) student will be moved to share their pain with someone and seek the help they desperately need.
Eva's Blog 
First off, math isn’t boring. . . Otherwise, I agree with you that schools need to be actively involved in students mental health. One difficult thing is that it can be hard to tell if someone is having a problem because some students become very well at hiding their emotions during school. Also, I think schools need to attempt to eliminate social stigmas so student feel more safe to approach teachers for help.
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I fully agree with your post! I really do think that some children are being pushed too hard, whether it be at school or home. Since students spend a majority of their time at the school with teachers, it is partly their responsibility to recognize suicidal thoughts and tendencies. I think that mental health training is becoming more prevalent for those majoring in education, which is definitely a step in the right direction. Your solution is feasible, and a warm, caring environment is what is needed to make students comfortable with sharing their pain with others.
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