When I was in the 8th grade, I became incredibly depressed. Things in my life were changing and I was struggling to cope. My friends and I had a falling out that made me feel as if I was alone, and I frequently wished that I could disappear. It was during this time that I reached out to faculty members and showed many signs of depression, but my school didn't do anything to help me. Now, it is evident that I experienced something terrible, and I am not the only one.
Middle school is a weird period of time for young adults. It is a foggy area between being mature and continuing to be a kid. It is also a time when you begin to find out who you are and what you want to be. When I was in middle school, I was like most other young adults. I wanted to have a lot of friends and fit in with everyone else. I wasn't popular by any means, but I also wasn't bullied very often. I was somewhere in the middle and I was okay with that.
When 8th grade came around, I had a steady group of friends and was content with how my life was going. Then it all changed. My friends and I got into a huge fight that caused me to be isolated. I didn't talk to many people, and I spent most of my time alone. It was at this time that I really began feeling depressed. One day, I asked if I could go see the guidance counselor and began spilling my guts about the situation and how it was making me feel. It was the only time during the school day that I felt someone was listening. I was given surface level advice that I can't remember the slightest bit. The guidance counselor sent me on my way.
This became a habit. Every day I would go visit the guidance counselor and discuss what I was feeling. (Note: This is in middle school where the guidance counselor's main job is to make sure no one is in an abusive household. It wasn't like they were busy helping people get into college and find scholarships.) Everyday, my session would get a little shorter. They were sending me out of the office quicker and quicker, preventing me from being able to discuss my depression. The teachers stopped letting me see the counselor and would only allow me to go to the guidance counselor's office during lunch. I began skipping lunch and not eating to go and talk to someone. I was getting more and more depressed.
One day, the guidance counselor was absent. I was sent to the principal's office and broke down crying in her office. I told her everything I had been telling the guidance counselor for weeks. She said something along the lines of "everything will be fine" and sent me back to class. Eventually, the school year ended and they didn't have to pretend to care anymore.
It wasn't until I told this story to my boyfriend that I realized what I experienced was messed up beyond belief. I was a kid when I was going through all of this and didn't think about what the school should have been doing to help me. Now, I realize that my school blatantly ignored my cry for help. Throughout the entirety of my visits to the guidance counselor, not once did they notify my parents about what I was experiencing. My mom was clueless that I was going to the guidance counselor's office daily and is now very upset that they didn't tell her. Parents entrust schools with their children with the understanding that faculty members are to take care of them when the parents do not have their children in custody.
Perhaps, the worst part of this situation is that I am not the only one who has experienced this.
On January 10th, Gabbie Green committed suicide while her parents were getting ready for church. She was being severely bullied by students AND faculty members at her Florida middle school. Her parents knew of the bullying but did not know how bad the problem was. Had faculty members treated the situation appropriately, Green would still be here.
There are so many others. Any Google search for young adults committing suicide will yield results of individuals who were not given adequate help because school officials did not act accordingly.
Now, do I have a solution that is going to prevent this from happening? No. However, there is something that can be done to decrease the number of people who experience what I have. Teachers need to be trained in how to recognize signs of depression and bullying. Schools need to develop plans for what is to be done if a student is going through this. Perhaps, teachers could place a box on their desk that would allow students to put notes in and request to speak with them about issues they are having. This could be an outlet for students to talk to someone that has the ability to connect them with resources that could help. Above anything else, parents need to be notified. There is no way for parents to help their children with a problem if they are unaware of it.
