Social Change using Ethos

                Social anxiety is not new.  Academic pressure is definitely not new.  But freshman are new.  New to the environment.  New to the expectations.  And despite that, they are expected to cope with it all and still be mentally stable.

                I entered high school with PTSD, Anxiety Disorder, and Clinical Depression.  Within the first five months of freshman year, I was pulled out of school and admitted into a psychiatric hospital, Silverhill.  I was there twice and at a partial day center twice, St. Vincent's for 3 months all together.  Once I was discharged, I completed my requirements for school from a community center that was my temporary "school".  I was put on hundreds of anti-depressants and met with a therapist every Wednesday (and still currently do).  I switched schools my sophomore year, making a fresh start.  However, I was sadly faced with the reality of social anxiety and academic pressure all over again.  Now as a junior, taking Honors and AP classes, I still have not learned how to manage my mental health.  I'm just surviving.

                As a current high school student with similar issues, I know what it feels like to take one step forward and ten steps back.  I know what it feels like to not be able to speak up in class.  I know what it feels like to be misunderstood and rejected.  But I also know people who have hit rock bottom and come back up, higher than ever.  And that is why I have hope for change in future years.

                So here are my motives.  I want to start a half year course for freshman that is directed explicitly to ways of coping with high school stress.  It should be a requirement for all freshman and is offered by teachers fresh out of college who have experienced high school recently.  It should be offered either first semester or second semester and taught by multiple teachers.  If they take this class in their first year, they will be prepared for coming years in their high school career.  This course should offer study skills, test taking skills, what requirements they need to fulfill in order to achieve a specific goal.  They also be exposed to CAPT/SAT examination practice.  I know, from personal experience, that if I knew how to prepare for it earlier, I would have been a lot less stressed out.  In addition, this course should teach kids how to be confident, how to face your fears, how to talk to people without stuttering.  This can make students a lot more secure about their personalities and their intelligence.

                Think about the rewards from this.  We will have a more inviting school community.  Students will be able to get along with each other because they know that they are all in the same boat.  Bullying and suicide will be cut down because students will stick together, knowing that they are all going through the same process of anxiety and stress.  Students will be more confident about themselves and be able to present themselves with pride. 

                I may not be a professional but I am a high school student who deals with stress every day.  Students of future generations should not have to deal with that either.