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Dear Teachers,

Please know that as students, your class isn’t the only event going on in our lives.
Everyday students are told that their homework or upcoming assignment “should be easy” if we
just study and prepare. Yes, while that may be true, when there are multiple classes saying the
exact same speech everyday, it’s overwhelming. Once we arrive home, we are burdened with
homework for multiple classes, chores, sports, tutoring, and finding time to eat. All of these
activities are to be completed in the few hour gap between getting home from school to when
it's
time to go to sleep. This stress builds as the week progresses and often ends up in two to three
breakdowns each week. We understand that school wasn’t meant to be easy. We understand
that you, too, have ongoing issues in your life. We understand that you went through the same
events in your life. However, now is the time to be the change you would’ve wanted and to help
today's teenagers progress in their school and personal lives.

You, as teachers, have already created a life for yourself. We, as students, are living in a
world of high expectations. There are times when students don’t get home until late at night.
They do their homework, put away their laundry, and try to fit in at least 5 hours of sleep - if
they’re lucky - just to repeat the same stressful day the next day. This stress negatively affects
mood and relationships. As humans, we can only take so much before we break. As a society,
we should try to uplift each other and help each other during a difficult time or event. If students
are given five free minutes during a class, it should be spent as they please. For all the teacher
knows, that’s the only five minutes they’ll receive to relieve stress for that day. If expectations of
the class are met, students shouldn’t be in fear of doing what their mental health needs at that
moment. Whether it’s sending a message to a friend when they feel they just can’t handle the
stress anymore, watching a five minute video to distract their minds from their everyday life, or
work on an assignment for another class because maybe that’s what they actually want to do for
a living - let them. It should be universally known that mental health comes first no matter the
situation. Whatever that person deems necessary to avoid a mental break shouldn’t be frowned
upon.

Often, teachers may have heard a student talking about how mean or how scared they
are of another teacher and quickly dismissed it. Do you ever think of asking why? Why are
these
students feeling the need to talk publicly about disliking a teacher’s personality or teaching
methods? Maybe it’s because they just want to say something bad about authority, maybe it’s
because they were yelled at for a small insignificant event, or maybe that student feels so
strongly about fear of that certain teacher that it affects their mental health. When a student
begins to dislike a teacher, the dread that comes from the class everyday weighs on their mind
in a negative manner. That student will then do anything in their power to speed the class along,
not speak in fear of being dismissed as a bad idea or thought, or hold in their tears as they get
called out for something in front of the entire class.
Think of it this way, if your boss were to come into your classroom on a bad day and see
your students slacking off, you would get yelled at and asked to see your boss at the end of the
school day. This adds anxiety onto your already terrible day until the meeting is over. Maybe
this
meeting delays your life as well. You could have had to pick up your child at daycare, or had to
pick up a relative from the airport, but you’re required to stay to get lectured just because you
had a rough start to your day. This is how it is for teenagers, but it’s more frequent considering
the hormonal changes that teenagers are going through. Yes, it’s more frequent, but their
mental health doesn’t matter any less. Students should know that their mental health matters
too. They matter as the individuals that will one day be in power all over the world. Whether it’s
creating the latest technology, becoming President, or being successful in business; eventually,
our generation will rule the world.

When taking the time to discipline students, instead of punishing hastily, ask why. What
is going on in that students life that is urging them to break the classroom rules? Forming a
close bond with your student will help you succeed as a teacher and the student to prosper in
their schoolwork and their activities outside of school. If your class isn’t weighing heavy on a
students mind, they will have more time to focus on bettering themselves as a person. Whether
it is meant or not, discourage is common and lasting; it should not be present inside a
classroom. Being a student is hard, you have the weight of the world on your shoulders. We are
still trying to find out who we are while being urged to find out what we want to do with our lives.
Being a high school student is one of the most challenging and exciting times in your life. This
experience should be remembered positively and not a reminder of that one teacher that made
their life harder than necessary. Please, hear us when we cry, and help us to be a better version
of ourselves without putting our mental state at risk.

Sincerely,

Your Students
Rationale

This Written Task #1 is branched from Part 2 of the course Language and Mass
communication and is produced from the topic Language and Belief, which is focused on Ralph
Waldo Emerson’s text, Self-Reliance. I chose to write an open letter to teachers regarding the
tasks and activities that are often forgotten that students have going on in their lives. This letter
contains examples and concerns from students to allow teachers to raise awareness on events
that occur in the everyday student’s life. This letter touches the topics of other class work,
personal events going on at home, extra-curricular activities, and juggling a social life. In
contrast Emerson, I believe that a higher power, to an extent, should be obeyed. Whether it is
your boss, teacher, or parent; there should be no level of disrespect. Students should follow
their own truth and rule for themselves what is and is not right for their mental health.

This letter is written in second person with a firm tone to insinuate the importance and
meaning of the text. The purpose of this letter is to allow the reader to understand the difficulties
an everyday high school student faces and to aid students in their personal lives. Readers will
feel a sense of further awareness upon reading this letter. This letter is a form of students’
self-reliance in hopes of altering the means of teachers personal opinions and methods of
Teaching. This topic is important because society often paints teenagers and students as
non-hardworking individuals because they don’t have an adult job. This letter intends to open
the eyes of our society today to the severity of living as a teenager in the 21st century. Following
the lead of Emerson, I persuade readers to put their mental health first.

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