World Mental Health Day: The Unexpected Benefits of Online Education
October 9, 2024
October 10 is World Mental Health Day, an international day for global mental health education, awareness, and advocacy against the social stigmas that are attached to mental health.
October 10 is World Mental Health Day, an international day for global mental health education, awareness, and advocacy against the social stigmas that are attached to mental health. This is an especially important day considering the state of mental health among students across the country, which isn’t especially strong these days. Online school, however, can help students who are experiencing mental health issues.
The State of Student Mental Health
New CDC data, released in August of 2024, showed that while there was a slight decrease in the percentage of students feeling persistently sad or hopeless, there were also alarming increases in the number of teens reporting experiences of school-based violence, bullying, and absenteeism due to safety concerns.
Additionally, more than 20% of students ages 12 to 17 reported experiencing at least one major depressive episode (MDE) in the past year. Of those, 15% experienced a severe MDE that affected how they functioned at home or school. Further, research has shown that when students are overwhelmed by pressure at school, their overall well-being suffers, anxiety or depression disorders increase, and academic performance levels decrease.
Just as concerning, only 48 percent of public schools report that they can effectively meet students’ mental health needs–a number that keeps decreasing even as student needs call for more support.
Simply put, many students are anxious about–and because of–school, and too many schools don’t even have the resources to help them.
Online Learning and Student Mental Health: A Complicated Relationship
Prior to March 2020, there wasn’t much data available about the pros and cons of online learning. Once COVID-19 shut down schools, however, all of that changed. Online learning was immediately viewed as a savior of sorts–a way for students to continue learning even while everyone was locked down at home.
It didn’t take long for people’s opinions to change on the topic of online education. Within a few months, reports of increased depression and anxiety surfaced, with one of the culprits being online learning. And there’s no denying the fact that COVID and its resulting isolation negatively impacted the mental health of children and adults alike; after all, there does come a point when being hunkered down in your home grows tiresome.
Once schools reopened, the damage was already done. In 2020, emergency room visits for mental health reasons among children ages 5 to 11 grew by 24%; that number grew by more than 30% among kids ages 12 to 17. To quote an article by Christine Vestal for Stateline in November 2021 that truly sums up the state of student mental health during the pandemic, “the grief, anxiety, and depression children have experienced during the pandemic is welling over into classrooms and hallways, resulting in crying and disruptive behavior in many younger kids and increased violence and bullying among adolescents. For many other children, who keep their sadness and fear inside, the pressures of school have become too great.”
An unlikely solution has emerged–online school.
How Online School Can Help Students Suffering from Mental Health Issues
The irony of online learning as a solution to mental health issues many believe to be caused by…online learning…is not lost on many. What was initially considered the most viable education option in the early stages of COVID quickly morphed into what some people attribute as the main cause of many student mental health issues–ones that students are still dealing with today.
However, there are vast differences between the remote learning that led to students feeling incredibly isolated during COVID and actual online learning. When COVID hit in March 2020, schools simply weren’t prepared for it–understandably so, to a degree. So schools across the country (and beyond) quickly cobbled together a way to keep kids “in school” while remaining in their homes during lockdown.
Except, because of the hastiness in which remote learning was formulated, teachers and school leaders had little to no training or experience on how to effectively instruct remotely. Nor did they have the best resources available to them that could have elevated the quality of this remote learning.
That’s simply not the case with online learning or online school. Online schools use lessons and curriculum made specifically for online learning. Online school teachers are generally very experienced with remote instruction, so they know how to most effectively teach students who are learning from home. And online schools provide families with all the resources–such as academic coaches, advisors, student and parent portals, for example–they need to have an elite school experience from home.
It’s more than a little bit ironic that online learning has come nearly full circle as it’s now being presented by many as a potential solution for students suffering from mental health challenges. And there are plenty of reasons why online school can help these students.
- Online school is safe. With bullying and school violence (and even just the threats of school violence) continuing their disturbing rise, many students take comfort in the fact that they can learn in an environment that is free of all that negativity. Students will not be bullied by other kids at home, nor will they have to endure school lockdowns and safety drills out of precaution. They can simply learn without all that anxiety.
- Online school is personal. COVID’s school closings caused so many students to fall behind in their studies. The online learning they participated in at that time was not as sophisticated or comprehensive as it is today, and that set students back quite a bit. But even pre-pandemic learning wasn’t all that appealing to many students. The one-size-fits-all approach of brick-and-mortar education leaves some students behind or leaves others bored because every student learns in a different way and at a different pace. Learning through an online school today is personalized, meaning each student’s education is tailored to their strengths, challenges, and interests–the way learning should be.
- Online school is effective and popular. Consider some of these statistics surrounding online learning in 2024.
- 70% of students say online learning is better than traditional classroom learning.
- The number of online learning users is expected to increase to 57 million by 2027.
- 63% of students in the US engage in online learning activities daily.
- Online learning can reduce the time needed to learn a subject by 40% to 60%.
- Online learning is poised to grow by more than 200% between 2020 and 2025.
- 8 in 10 students claim that digital technology helps them improve their grades.
Less anxiety, more personalized learning, and an effective education–all reasons why online school can make a life-changing impact on students who are struggling with their mental health.
Holston Academy Is Here to Support Students with Mental Health Challenges
As an accredited online school, Holston Academy offers all of the benefits of online learning…and then some. At Holston Academy, our mission is to cultivate future-ready students within small learning communities, where each student is known, valued, and supported. We aim to provide a transformative educational experience that equips our students with the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to excel in an ever-changing world.
Our student-centered model of education focuses on building a Personalized Learning Plan specific to each student’s strengths, opportunities, interests, and future goals. With the guidance of an Academic Coach and teacher support, students are encouraged to become independent thinkers who take ownership of their education.
Not only does this type of learning translate to a top-notch education, but it also can help ease the minds of students who are struggling with their well-being. With a Holston Academy online education, typical school pressures dissipate, and students are more likely to feel safer, more comfortable, less stressed, and less anxious at home or wherever they may be learning.
This World Mental Health Day, take a moment to consider all educational options for your student who may be struggling with their well-being. It may be the best decision you ever make.