One of the most frequent challenges I hear teachers talk about this year is their students’ mental health. One of the hardest things for teachers is that they often feel the pain their students feel because they are empathetic. I noticed this myself during the 2nd week of this school year. I was driving home from school and just felt this incredible weight in my head. It seemed like so many of my students didn’t have food and/or housing security - basic needs that need to be met before they can learn optimally. But I also felt many other emotions like astonishment - that they were so open and excited to be back at school. To know what they were carrying around both inspired and saddened me. Today's guest, Whitney, talks about this and what it can mean for high school students who either just are returning to high school or who haven’t been in sch ...