- Toni McGee: I think that most parents hear about the stress
that their kids are feeling
because kids say it all the time.
"I'm so stressed out!"
Myself as a parent even, I hear those things and I think,
"Ah, you'll be fine.
"You'll get through it."
But a lot of times as adults,
you forget about how stressful that was.
They do have a lot to think about,
and times have changed where there are more requirements
and there's more that they have to know.
And it is stressful.
Kids are being diagnosed with anxiety
and different mental health things.
In years past, I had students who were very distraught
and were, you know, couldn't find a way out,
and I would just listen to them and talk to them.
I know that there's a lot of worry
about teachers giving students their phone numbers
and things like that,
but when you are worried about a kid in a situation
where they're gonna be doing some self harm
or something over the weekend or just, you know,
will they have a place to sleep that night?
Those kinds of things worry me for sure.
You have to think of them as little, little adults
that are just trying to figure their way through it.
And your job is to guide them.
[gentle piano music]