When was the last time you had a horrible week? I feel like every week from January to March is filled with some of the worst weeks of the entire school year. With no breaks, and barely any days off, topped with huge amounts of work and tests, it makes for a pretty stressful couple of months. Not to mention the weather conditions that are all over the place making for a depressing middle of the year. My favorite parts of the school year, personally, are the very early months–October, November and December–and later spring months when I have many fun experiences to look forward to. In the beginning of the year we get to all enjoy events like spirit week, fall break, and winter break. Heading into the spring we look forward to wellness day, spring break, and arts in the courtyard. What about the middle of the year though? Nothing. It is a forgotten portion of the year that is there to leave kids under high levels of stress and anxiety to fend for themselves.

What could we possibly do to fix this issue? I propose a certain wellness day where the students have the day to go all around the school and every classroom has different fun activities to do and enjoy. If we can add a fun day like this, especially in the middle of the school year, it may help students have a stress free day to reset and rejuvenate before going back into their busy schedules. This day also can be equal to a mental health day that a student may take off school from being overwhelmed which would cut out the chance of them falling behind in classes for being out that day.

The Child Mind Institute states, “Whether your child is struggling with a mental health challenge or just a rough week, a day off to recuperate can reduce stress and help them get back on track.” It is known that it is hard to take schoolwide days off as is, but if the day is a relaxing break while being in school, it is a no brainer. The possibilities are more open and can lead to students enjoying a nice stress free day while still having a day in school.