Hope: Helping students struggle out of the dark

Awhile back, I woke up in the middle of the night to strange rustling and struggle in my closet. My initial thoughts were the boogey man was there to get me, but as my adult brain took over I went to investigate the noise and found my dog. My 65 pound, lanky, English Setter mix dog, named Ranger had somehow wandered into the closet at 3 o'clock in the morning. My closet is small and has a low hanging bar that I hang shirts on.  Ranger went in and tried to turn around and walked his head straight through a shirt. Now his head was stuck in a shirt, the shirt was stuck on a hanger, and the hanger was stuck on the bar, so he was stuck wrestling and fighting his way out of the precarious situation. I'm not sure how long he had been in there, but eventually I got him out and we were able to settle back in for the night. 

Metaphorically, this can happen to students too. Their minds can go into the dark places and get stuck. Some students have problems pulling themselves out and they think this is the best it is going to get. Some struggle and fight till they make it out on their own. Then there are others who struggle until someone wakes up, realizes the struggle, and offers help. 

Students deserve to have teachers who are in tune to their mental health and status. "Being close to a caring, hopeful adult paves the way and prepares the heart for hope. All children are not born into loving families, but even on caring adult can buffer a child from the pains of the past and the fears of the present. Only with that support and protection can our youth invest in the future. Only with the help of a caring, hopeful adult do our young people have the luxury to imagine a better future" (Lopez, 191) 

Educators can get caught up in assessing, curriculum work, planning, and grading and forget there is a child behind all of that . A child who is "stuck" and needs help. Take time to check on the mental status of students in your class. They may not be able to "get out" or even know why they are stuck, but they need someone to wake up to their situation and help!