I want to start by first thanking Interim Superintendent Scott Elder, the School Board Members, and everyone at APS that is tirelessly working towards this goal to reopen. The past month has been a rollercoaster of events, we were quickly strapped into our seats and it seems like the ride will never end. Though despite our fears and hesitations, the Board has fulfilled exactly what they were elected to do; serve their communities and act in the best interests of the students, teachers, families, and the communities they represent. On behalf of student leaders across the city, thank you for serving your districts the best you can. While our opinions may differ, I appreciate our shared love for student success and community betterment.
No matter the degree of how your mental health was impacted by the pandemic, there are resources and tools to combat these issues but we can only access them if we lead with empathy and unity. I believe I speak for almost everyone when I say that I’d love to return to the pre-pandemic lifestyle, but that doesn’t change the fact that things are different now and they will be from here forward. Though the people who use this environment to their advantage and find new solutions will become the leaders of the future. We all have the potential to better our communities and come out of this stronger, but that will only happen with the effort to collaborate and innovate.
Only recently did mental health become a vital aspect of a student’s learning. In September of 2019, I was a part of a group of students at Eldorado to make public testimony at the Albuquerque School Board meeting. Total, over 200 students, family members, and Eldorado community members showed up to support the cause, with over 40 of those people testifying to the Board. We all came in response to the growing mental health crisis happening across the state and the corresponding lack of attention to resources and care that students deserve. Mental health is still becoming common vernacular among educators and students, stigma still surrounds the topic and makes it nearly taboo. Though, that’s exactly what we are trying to change. To this day, Eldorado has received a family therapist to help students, an “Eagle Care Room” where students can relax and take time to themselves during the school day, a Peer Helpers group, an advisory curriculum centered around community building and unity, and a shift in perspective across the entire community. Overall, we have also created a place for students to voice their concerns, giving them a chance to create policy that directly affects them. After receiving the resources we fought so hard for, we’re now reaching out to schools across the district to get similar tools that would be fit for their school climate. The pandemic has only exacerbated the need for mental health resources everywhere. Our lives were completely upended in a matter of weeks and we may never adjust to this environment, though we can tackle the issue and let our emotions drive us to create solutions.
I’ll reiterate that everyone in all places experienced some shift in their mental health. Though we recognize that everyone has been impacted in this way, we must also recognize that returning to school will not inherently fix the challenges that the pandemic has created. It will require a duty from each of us in the community to foster improvement. These problems are not easily solved by improving participation in schools, sports or activities. Furthermore, our education that will one day return will not be the same as it once was. It will require collaboration between community members to create a better future for everyone.
As a student, I have a few ideas in mind of what next year’s “return to normalcy” would look like in terms of implementing better mental health resources. First, I think students need to have a role in the forefront of creating a better curriculum. After Eldorado’s initial showing at the APS School Board in 2019, students were finally given a seat at the table that was supposed to be serving them. Amazing things happen when the same people being affected by the policy, actually create the policy; it’s more genuine, thoughtful, and actually made to benefit that group because of the insight they carry.
Second, we must maintain unity even when things get difficult. Recent protests through APS have truly divided the community in ways that only further hurt our overall goal to promote student betterment. We must push for action as a united front, letting our motivation drive us to benefit the entire community. It will be incredibly difficult to get students the tools they need if we remain divided.
Third, utilizing what we can with the current circumstances. I’ve heard brief comments from parents and students claiming that teachers and administrators have “given up.” In response to those comments, I guarantee that educators and student leadership across the state have stepped up to continue supporting the entire student body. I know firsthand the incredible effort the Eldorado community has put in to make this year as amazing as possible for the school as a whole, and I know that applies to educators across the state. Campuses across the district have adjusted to this environment with determination to help students grow and succeed. There is nothing we want more than to return to what we once knew, but for now we must work with our current environment to foster innovation, creativity, and collaboration. Together, I believe these three tools will help create an incredible approach to the way we rebuild our mental health when we return to school. In fact, these three tools may help better serve the community in all areas of education policy.
In regards to school reopening, there are no villains in this situation. The students living with older people, pre-existing conditions, and all health barriers hold perspectives just as valuable as those students struggling with poor mental, physical, and social health due to remote learning. Furthermore, our administrators, legislators, and School Board members understand these perspectives yet it’s difficult to please all parties. Though, despite our differences in opinions, everyone holds a crucial seat at the table.