Yesterday, October 10th, was the World Mental Health Day. The objective behind this day is to remember that the mental health of each individual is the base for building happy and satisfying lives. Being healthy is not only about our physical health, we must never forget to take care about our mental health.
We are living in an era when mental health illnesses are being talked about more than ever. Most people have experienced anxiety at least once and there are a lot of people who suffer mental health illnesses, like depression. Just on 2020, 3.941 people committed suicide in Spain, 300 of them were between the ages of 14 and 29. Suicide is the main cause of death in teenagers in Spain and the main reason behind this is bullying.
As teachers, we have a duty to protect our students, to make them feel safe in our classrooms and at school. We cannot turn an eye on this matter, if we see a child or a teenager suffering, we need to be there for them and get them the help they may need. We need to have a zero tolerance policy with bullying, it mustn't have a space in our classroom. Ever.
The anti-bullying helpline in Spain is 900 018 018 and is free of charge. Anyone who wishes to seek help via telephone can call: children, parents, guardians and even teachers. Please contact this number if you or anyone you know is experiencing this abuse.
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