Some Alberta students 'excited' for mental health boost that comes with classes resuming
After almost two years of unpredictable schedules and inconsistent learning methods, experts believe many Alberta students are set for a mental health boost when bells ring Monday morning.
Some students couldn't agree more.
Classes are set to resume after an extended holiday break due surging COVID-19 numbers.
"What I hear so often from teens is that they're tired, or not motivated," youth life coach and registered psychologist Chantal Côté said. "It is still really important for them to have access to social connections, to have access to recreation and interests and to figure out who they are. It's part of their development."
After being away from her friends and many extracurricular activities for the better part of a month, grade 11 student Heeva Hodaie agrees.
She says it's been difficult to find consistency with the plethora of pandemic education changes.
"I personally was not a fan of online learning," she told CTV News. "I've never had a proper year of high school, I guess, with COVID. Things are always changing and it's definitely just been really confusing. Honestly, it has taken a toll on my mental health and I'm sure it has with a lot of other students."
Hodaie says she's excited to go back to class on Monday. It's an environment that's expected to help thousands.
"(School closures) kind of had this blanket effect of adding to the health effects of COVID," psychologist Dr. Kelly Schwartz said. "It was all the stuff that went on around this that really impacted students' functioning."
New research Schwartz worked on looks at the impact of the pandemic on 1,200 students in the province's four biggest school divisions.
The work tracked kids in both Calgary and Edmonton as they entered and exited class from September 2020 to the autumn.
"For about three in ten youth, things are not great," Schwartz said. "Their stress reactions are pretty high, their sadness and worry levels are high. Schools represent this kind of social hub that is really important."
Schwartz is hesitant to compare today's youth mental health levels with prior generations due to a lack of comprehensive historical data, but does say he feels as though current-day students have somewhat fallen behind thanks to the virus.
His research shows older teens and females have had their functioning levels hit especially hard.
And while experts agree that health measures are important for physical health, there is something to be said for the time spent at a desk around other people.
Hodaie says she's just lucky to have taken something away from the tough stretch.
"I think I've just really learned that I am able to take change," she said. "Change is good sometimes."
Any students seeking support with mental health challenges on the return to classes is advised to reach out to services such as the Calgary Counselling Centre.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction overturned by N.Y. appeals court
New York's highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction, reversing a landmark ruling of the #MeToo era in determining the trial judge improperly allowed women to testify about allegations against the ex-movie mogul that weren't part of the case.
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that is banned at Queen’s Park.
CTE: Researchers believe widespread brain injury may contribute to veteran suicide rate
Researchers are working to better understand if some Canadian military veterans may be suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE -- a disorder previously found in the brains of professional football and hockey players after their death.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
New deep-water channel allows first ship to pass Key bridge wreckage in Baltimore
The first cargo ship passed through a newly opened deep-water channel in Baltimore on Thursday after being stuck in the harbor since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed four weeks ago, halting most maritime traffic through the city's port.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.