Denise S

I am a web Design teacher at a public career and technical academy high school in Las Vegas Nevada.

I was not trained as a teacher; I am a graphic designer and was in the industry for over 20 years before I became a teacher.

I first struggled with mental illness when I was a teenager. I was often angry and depressed.

When I am struggling I feel like giving up, and am convinced that I am not good enough. I often get angry, because every comment seems to be confirming that I am not good enough. I retreat to an isolated place and can't get the thoughts of loneliness and inadequacy out of my head. I then often eat, as a way to try to feel better.

The only thing that helps me is walking my dog and talking to my twin sister about my feelings.

Being in education is hard, because you are always being judged by the students, parents, coworkers and administration. Every day my mood affects the entire class’ mood, and if I am unmotivated or upset then my class senses that I am struggling. However, it can also be a help because I am able to recognize when the students themselves are suffering from anxiety or depression, allowing me to refer them or talk to them.

Schools could support teachers by offering mental health/stress days, or even 30 minute stress-relief breaks which would allow another teacher to come into the classroom until I can adjust my mood. I also think that the school could offer more support for tasks which cause stress, such as lesson-planning. Partnering, Co-teaching, more collaboration and smaller class sizes would help. The admin should be more supportive of the teachers in reviews and conferences and allow the teachers to express their views more often when it comes to school-wide decisions. The final thing I would suggest is creating activities that allow the teachers to socialize with each other, so that more support systems would be created naturally.