Letting a Favoruite teacher know about my mental health

ClosetMonster

I'm in highschool, yeah 9 to be exact. I have a bad habit of staying home from school even if i dont actually want to, but im a great student. And, I have a favourite teacher. I dont think he knows he matters to me as much as he does though. For sake of not using his proper name I'll call him just Mr. P. He isnt aware of it, but his attitude and confidence helped me get through tough spots in my personal life and helped me be more confident. I dont have a father, and he's the closest thing I have to one.

But today I've hit a blunt stop. I was crying, and my mother made it worse, now it's turned into something worse than a mental breakdown, and she isnt making it any better. I want to email him to ask for advice or even just to let him know why im not there again. In parent teacher interviews all Mr. P left me with, improvement wise, was that he wanted to teach me more, hence why I feel so bad about staying home this much, it irks me.

But I dont know how to reach out to him without either A: weirding him out, B: worrying him when he wasnt prepare for it, or C: seeming like an attention seeker. Can someone help me? I wanna be more confident to reach out when I know I need it. And, is it weird to be as attached to him as I am?

Sophie_M

Hey ClosetMonster,

A big welcome to the forums, we're glad you've been able to share here. We’re sorry to hear what’s been going on for you, and it sounds like you’ve not felt understood when talking to your mother. That sounds really difficult and isolating, we're glad you have a teacher that is supportive. We wanted to provide some extra resources which may be able to help.

Does your school have a counsellor or someone you or your mother could reach out to? Often they are able to provide advice around school attendance and let your teachers know that you are doing your best in coping and sometimes that can affect attendance. It's a common difficulty and your school may be able to come up with some adjustments that make it easier for you, it's important to be kind to yourself and your mental health.

Hopefully, we’ll hear from a member of our amazing community. In the meantime, we wanted to let you know that there’s a few places you can reach out to, whenever you need to talk things through and get some ideas for how you can get some better support. There are our friends over at KidsHelpline on 1800 55 1800, and you can also reach them online. Please know that the Beyond Blue counsellors are here for you as well, and you can reach us on 1300 22 4636 or online anytime if you feel like talking it through.

Thank you again for posting here. It must have taken a lot of strength to share this, but you never know who will read this post and feel less alone in their own experience.

Kind regards, 

Sophie M

muminoz

Hi ClosetMonster,

First of all, thank you for your response to my post. It helps to be heard. You are very wise for your age and compassionate.
I’m so sorry to hear that your mother is not in a good place, that must be very hard for you.

As for Mr P. it’s not weird at all to feel close to him. When someone makes you feel seen and supported, it’s normal to care. If you email him, just keep it simple, thank him for being a positive influence and let him know you’ve had a rough time lately. He’d probably appreciate hearing that.

ClosetMonster

Hi muminoz!

Im so glad to hear from you, thank you so much for the response 🙂

I really appreciate it, I'll definitely keep it in mind when moving forward, as sometimes I find it hard to remember whats normal.

As for you, I truly hope you have a great life, and thank you again for helping me. Have a lovely day ❤️