Finding Balance in Student Mental Health Days

Quick Smiles:

• Schools are prioritizing student well-being more than ever.
• Open conversations around mental health empower students to seek support.
• Experts highlight the importance of teaching both resilience and self-care.

Schools have shifted to include social-emotional learning, encouraging students to express their emotions and seek assistance when needed. This focus on mental health has created open, supportive environments for young people in the classroom.

Recently, a dialogue has emerged about whether taking mental health days from school is always the healthiest choice. Former teacher Samantha Jo Payne shared her perspective after observing academic struggles when students frequently missed school for reasons other than illness.

“There were times a student would be out sick, and when they returned, I’d say, ‘I hope you feel better,’ only to hear, ‘Oh, I’m fine. I just didn’t feel like coming, and my mom said I could stay home,’” Payne recalls.

She believes that learning to face everyday challenges at school can help students build resilience for the future. “School is their job,” Payne tells TODAY, “so you don’t have days where you just don’t get to come because you’re a little tired.”

The topic sparked a lively debate online, with some parents and viewers expressing differing views on what best supports a child’s mental health.

Dr. Deborah Gilboa, a family physician and resilience expert, offers a balanced perspective: “Sometimes kids genuinely need rest and recovery for mental distress. And sometimes what they need is to build perseverance and resilience by pushing through it.” She emphasizes that learning to navigate obligations and discomfort prepares children for independence.

While acknowledging Payne’s concerns about avoidance, Gilboa also notes the importance of not minimizing mental health conditions: “I’d want to be careful about the idea that physical illness is always valid and mental illness is not. Mental distress and mental illness are very real and they deserve to be taken seriously.”

As schools and families navigate these conversations, compassion, understanding, and sound judgment are key for guiding today’s students toward healthy growth.

Stay inspired by stories that explore new ways communities nurture young minds and resilience together!

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