Students, how are you?

Hey there.

I am a french biology and geology teacher. I have students from ages 11 to 18. And for what it's worth, I wanted to say that...

I see you, and you are valid.

If there's something I noticed, it's that teens might always have had a hard time dealing with their emotions and stuff, it's gotten worse over time. God, I'm 26 so it wasn't THAT long ago that I was in school myself, but even in those 8 years, student's mental health has gone downhill.

I am going to sound way older than 26 but I blame that a lot on social media, not only because it increased the competition between people for even the stupidest things, but it also gave an easier way to cyber bullies. At the same time, the constant stimulation does cause addiction to dopamine, and it's damaging to the brain... so... my opinion does have some reasons to be.

Anyways, I wasn't planning on making such an entry, but being a teacher is not just a job to me. It's been a calling, and I'd like to let students know that I am offering them a safe place to vent if needed. My dms are open if you need anything (discussing issues, or anything of the sort).

I am no therapist, let's be honest on that, but I have been there (bullied my whole scholarship) so I know how it feels. In my case, the repeated stuff I went through ended up in me developping more and more symptoms of ASPD which ended up in a diagnosis (I should get another opinion from a second psychiatrist, but I do not see any use for it), so I am speaking from the perspective of someone who knows, not just from the perspective of a random teacher.