Teachers do a lot of heavy lifting when it comes to guiding our children through more than just academics. As students feel the accumulated strain of two years under pandemic conditions, the effects are becoming more evident. Those who were already experiencing mental health issues are now struggling in a way that means teachers and other school staff must be on the alert.

Sharon Hoover, professor of child psychiatry at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and co-director of the National Center for School Mental Health, says child abuse and neglect increased during the pandemic.

“We can’t assume that ‘OK we’re back in school, it’s been a few months and now everyone should be back to normal.’ That is not the case,” she said.

Meanwhile, teachers are reporting they also see a concerning increase in apathy – about grades, how students treat each other and themselves — and a lot less empathy.

“I have never seen kids be so mean to each other in my life,” said Terrin Musbach, who trains teachers in mental health awareness and other social-emotional programs at the Del Norte Unified School District, a high-poverty district in rural Northern California.

School districts across the country are reporting they need more psychologists and counselors. The Hopeful Futures Campaign, a coalition of national mental health organizations, last month published a report that found most states are struggling with mental health support in schools.

That means mental health first aid training for teachers could be a valuable tool. Such a course would help distinguish typical adolescent ways of dealing with stress – slamming doors, crying, bursts of anger – from warning signs of mental distress, which can be blatant or subtle. It teaches the next step such as asking the student without pressuring or casting judgment and letting them know they are cared for and there is help.