VermonTic - 19 - The real us

THE REAL US

Mental health problems have been increasing over the years; students suffer from excessive levels of stress, whichhastakenatollonGV’sjuniors and seniors while taking the IB program. Nowadays, their peace of mind is not the only thing being affectedbythisamountofstress.Weall wonderiftheschoolisactuallyaware of the constant deterioration of emotional stability and unhappy students/teenagersduetotheoverload ofworkandstress.Forthiseditorial, threeinterviewswereconducted:first withClaudiaAguirre,coordinatorof the diploma program at Gimnasio Vermont,secondwithCamiloMutis, thehighschoolpsychologistatGV,and third,MarianaAngulo,a10th-grade student and member of a student’s initiativecalled Kaizen Community that spreads information about mental healthanditsimportance.

SURVIVING THE IB PROGRAM: AT WHAT COST?

Haveyoueversatdowntothinkabout howyoufeel?Orhowgoodisyour mentalhealthatschool?Orifyouare constantlystressedoutduetoacademic reasons?Asstudentscurrentlycoursing 10thgradeatGimnasioVermont,weare constantlythinkingaboutthistopic.

ItisnotasecretthatIBstudentsstruggle tomaintainpeaceofmindandkeepstress levels under control. The IB program requestsacertainamountofacademic achievements with a higher difficulty level than the national curriculum. Because of the program's prestige, it demands more significant efforts from studentstoreachtheexpectedresultsand establishedstandardsbytheorganization and the school. We consider that students' mental health inevitably changesdrasticallywhentheyenterthe IBprogram.Thepressuresetuponthem issomethingtheyhavenotexperienced before,andtheyareforcedtonavigate andassimilatevastamountsofstressina shortperiodtobeabletofulfillacademic responsibilities while maintaining the qualitytheprogramdemands.

Logo of the International Baccalaureate

AccordingtoMariana,theoverloadof workandanxietyaffectsotherareasin students'personallives,suchasphysical health,quantityandqualityofsleep, andsocialinteractions.Takingthisinto account,weconsiderthestresslevels experiencedbystudentsarenotnormal; teenagers'developmentandwell-being shouldn't be affected by academic results.Theschoolissupposedtobea safe and stimulating context whose maingoalshouldbefosteringlovefor learning, creativity, and social connections. However, what is observedduringthelasttwoyearswhen studentstakethediploma,isanincrease intheoccurrenceofmentalillnesses suchasdepressionandanxiety.

AccordingtoClaudiaandCamilo,the school has tried to implement workshopsandstrategiestocopewith stress,aswellassurveystoknowthe state in which the students are. However,thesedonothaveawayto systematically evaluate their effectivenessinreducingthefeelingof overloadinstudents;becauseofthis,we do not consider that they make a completeefforttomonitorindetailand permanentlytheneedsofthestudents andhowwearefacingthedemandsof theprogram.Fromourperspectiveas students, we do not feel that they generateachangeinusorprovideus withenoughtodealwithmomentsof tensionandstress.

Mariana Angulo - 10th grade student and memberof Kaizen Community

Camilo Mutis - High school and clinical pshycologist

We agree with Claudia that the programprovidesuswithskillssuchas organization, planning, punctuality, and working under pressure in different tasks, which will be very valuableinthefuturewhenweenter universitylife.However,itisafallacy tobelievethatextremestresslevelsare necessary to acquire these skills; additionally, overemphasizing grades oracademicresultsmayimpactthe consolidationoftheidentityofyoung students.Thefactthatthenotionof successasastudentandasaperson concentratesonlyonacademicresults diminishes the importance of effort, motivation,interestinlearning,and perseverance which are aspects that shouldbevitalfortheconstructionand strengtheningofpersonalidentity.

Mentalhealthwillforeverbeaconcernfor IBstudents,wecanallagreeitisnotan easytasktoreducestresslevels,andwe hopetheywillgetbetterovertime.Wedo notbelievethatitisparticularlythefaultof theschool,theschooladministration,or theteachersthatmentalhealthproblems existinthediplomastudents.However, notenoughisbeingdonetopreventand counteracttheadverseeffectsthatstresshas on students. With all that has been mentionedthroughoutthiseditorial,there maybemorequestionsthananswers,and wemainlywanttoreflectonthequestion: Towhatextentarethosepeoplewhoare supposedtosupportandeducateusaware ofoursufferingasstudentsinoursupposed "secondhome"?

Claudia Aguirre - Coordinator of the diploma program

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN

How teachers seem to be unprotected against mental health issues in school.

Mental health is one of the most debatedtopicsatschool,butmaybe notinacompletemanner.Usually, when we talk about mental health, recurring topics tend to pop up, homework load, exams, number of subjects,orevenwakingupat7for pre saber on Saturdays. There is a subtlesimilaritywithallthesetopics: theyareallfocusedonthestudents' perspective.

Thiswouldnotbeaproblematafirst glance,butthenweneedtoconsider thatthestudent-to-employeeratioat schoolisabout3:1.Hereanotherissue arises:anestimateof33%ofpeopleat GimnasioVermontalsohavetheir ownmentalhealthissuescausedby academicload,andyettheyarenot being considered in the newest workshopsandinitiativestomitigate thestressandanxietythatschoolcan generate. It seems very concerning whenlookedunderthatperspective.

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN

Eagertoknowwhatthecommunity’s perspectivewas?Weaskedbothsides ofthecoinregardingthetopic:the teachers themselves, and the department who is allegedly responsible for mental health issues. ThefirstintervieweewastheBiology and Environmental Systems and Societies teacher, Catalina Romero, whomanifestedinherinterviewthe difference between students and teachers at school. Our interviewee stated that she did not have any knowledgeofanyorganismsimilarto what students have and known as “schoolsupport”sheattributedthisto thefactthatschool,legallyhastopay for a medical insurance, which according to minsalud, also covers psychologyservice.

Later,wemovedintothedepartment of Health and Safety. When asked aboutthecampaignsorinitiativesthe schooltakestoimprovementalhealth inteachers,thedepartmentmentioned a variety of programs, whose main goalistode-stressteachers.

With volleyball matches, short birthdaycelebrations,orevenanactive breakinitiative,theHealthandSafety department showed the effort and caringtheschoolgaveforgoodmental health, but, what about the actual problem?Whatabouttheworkload andtheupcomingmentalhealthissues dueto,forexample,exams?

Catalina Romero- Biology teacher

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN

Thedepartment’sanswerwasrooted onsomethingcalled“Bateriaderiesgo psicosocial”,whichisconductedbyan external psychologist who then deliversanactionplantotheschoolin ordertoknowwhichareastheyhave to improve and which areas are fulfilling the expectations regarding thementalhealthofteachers.

It can be concluded from the information that the opinion varies frompersontoperson,butageneral thoughtisthatthementalhealthof studentsisprioritizedwithrespectto thatoftheteachers.

Asforthelastinterviewee,wehadthe opportunitytocontactaTOKteacher. WhenImentionedtheprogramsthat the Health and Safety department described,notonlyheagreedtothem, butalsoleftclearthatthemethodsused to spread the information were effective. Even though the teacher stated that the mentioned methods wereefficient,healsowantedtomake it clear that there could be other mechanismstoboostthementalhealth awarenessatschool,suchashiringa quality management organization, describedasan“Icontecbutformental healthstandards”.

Sometimeswefailasstudentstonotice thatwhenourworkloadandourstress increases, the same occurs to the teachers.Hereisanexampleofthe tonsofadditionalworkateachermust do per one assignment versus the additionalworkthestudentdoesfor the same, inspired by our biology teacher Catalina Romero, from her previous interview. Let’s start our predictionwiththestudentsideofthe coin,maybewithaworkshopora handout aiming to prepare for a midtermorafinalexam.Assumingit isatopicwhichthestudentisnot acquaintedwith,andaddingontopof that,thepossibleprocrastinationwhen doingtheassignment,weestimatea total of three hours doing the workshop.

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN

Fortheteacher,theworkloadstarts waybefore.Heorshemustcreatethe wholeworkshop,makingsurethatthe exercises presented will help to understandthetopicandpreparefora possible test. Assuming less procrastinationfortheteacher,itwill takeanestimateof1-1.5hoursforthe creationoftheworkshop.

Thenextstepisthegradingprocess. Here, the times can be drastically different.Correctingamultiple-choice workshop can’t take longer than 3 minutesperstudent,butcorrectingan analysisworkshoporanessaycantake 15minutesorlongerperworkshop. Let us take for this prediction the meantimeusedtogradeaworkshop,7 minutes per paper. The number of students also varies, but considering thatwearetalkingaboutamidterm,it is probable that the teacher is responsiblefor3-5classesatleast,with anaverageof19studentsperclass. Makingthemath,andaddinga10%of extra time due to possible procrastination,wehaveagrandtotal of10,7hours!Morethanthetripleof whatwepredictedforthestudent.

Thegoalofthisarticleistoinformthe reader about the other perspective regardingmentalhealth,Maybethe loadofthestudentsisheavycompared to the national curriculum here in Colombia,butweneedtorealizethat manyofthewayswetendtouseto reliefouracademicload,suchasasking for extra time, or extra grades to improvethefinalgradeonthesubject, endsupincreasingtheacademicload oftheteachers,whichisinitselfpretty heavy.Maybethesolutiontomostof ourproblemsregardingmentalhealth and academic load relies on being empatheticwiththeothersideofthe coin,realizingwearenottheonly oneswhostressinexams,neitherthe onlyoneswithapersonallifebesides school,maybeadecisivefactorin ordertosurvivethisexamseasonin onepiece.

Alejandro Prada- Tok teacher

SCHOOL'S RULES AND STUDENT’S FREE DEVELOPMENT OF THEIR PERSONALITY

By: Manuela Torregrosa

Q::Tellmeaboutyourselfandyourrole intheschool

A:MynameisCamiloMutis,andIama highschoolpsychologist.

Q: I am conducting this interview to analyze different perspectives on somethingimportantatschool,especially inhighschool,andthatisschoolrules regardingdresscodeandpersonalimage, morespecifically,hairdyesandearringsin boys.Whatdoyouknowabouttheschool rulesthataddressthesesituations.

Camilo Mutis - High school and clinical pshycologist

Schoolrulesinthehandbookregarding thepersonalimageofstudentshave oftenbeenacontroversialtopicdueto thequestionthatarisesofwhetheritis okayornottoapplythisprohibitionon theuseofcertainaccessoriesandhair colorstostudentsandiftheserules affectornotthefreedevelopmentof theirpersonality.

A: I know them but not what they textuallysay.

Q:Okay,Iamgoingtotellthemtoyou then: chapter VI, article 31, “Personal image” 2: "Colored hair dyes are not acceptedforbothmenandwomen,since theyaffecttheinstitutionalimageandgo againsttheGuidingPrincipleofEquality." and 5. “(...)Men may not wear earrings(...).”

Q:Doyouthinkthissituationaffects studentsinsomeway?Ifyoudo,how?

A:Itdoes,duetothefactthatthefirst impressionofastudentwhentheyare toldthatsomethingsuchasdyingyour hairorwearingearringsasaboyis forbiddenandagainsttherulesisthat theyarebeinglimitedfromsomething thattheyconsiderawayofshowing theirpersonalitythroughtheirphysical appearance.

Q:Doyouthinktheserulesblock studentsfromfreelydevelopingtheir personality,especiallyatthisagein whichwearediscoveringourselves andwhatwelikeanddon’t?

A:Ithinktheydo,butIalsothinkthey don’t.Theydointhesensethatthereis inevitablyamomentinlife,especiallyin highschool,whenidentityisbeingformed, andyouwouldliketoshowitthroughyour physicalappearancebecausewhenwetalk abouttheseaspects,suchasdyingourhair andwearingearrings,wealsoseehowthey helptoexpressourpersonality.Theywould affectinthesensethatthestudents'first impressionisthattheyarebeinglimited fromdoingit.However,itmayhaveanother purpose,anditistobeabletounderstand thatidentitycannotonlybedefinedfrom theoutsideandphysicalappearancebecause, tothisend,wewouldbesayingweareonly whatcanbeseenontheoutside.Itisalso importanttomentionthatonlywitha prohibitionoftheseactsitisnormalforitto beseenasalimitation,whichiswhyan explanationmustbegivenasofwhythisrule exists.

Q:Inwhichwaydoesdyingyourhairand wearingearringsasaboyaffecttheschool image?

A:Personally,Idon’tthinkthatitaffectsthe schoolimageinthesensethatitwillbringa negativeeffectonit,butperhapsitismore abouttryingtounifyusasacommunity; thatiswhyweuseuniforms.Maybethe purposeofthisistofindequityforeveryone, especiallyatthisagewhenstudentswantto highlight their personalities from their physical appearance. Then they will internalizeittofindthatitgoeshandinhand withbothexternalandinternalaspects.

OPINION COLUMN 10A PHYSICAL HEALTH

By: Samuel Bahamón

Do you sleep well? Do you have breakfast,lunch,anddinnereveryday?

Doyoueatfruit? Doyoueatfast food? These were some of the questionsthatwereaskedtostudents of 10A classroom at Gimnasio Vermontschoolwiththeobjectiveof havinganideaabouttheirphysical health.

Thefirstquestionwas:“Doyouhave breakfast every day?” The answers showusthatalittleover46%of studentsdonoteatbreakfasteveryday.

However,92,3%affirmthattheyeat luncheveryday.

Do you have lunch every day ?

Yes: No:

Do you have breakfast every day ?

Yes: No:

Theywerealsoaskediftheyeat dinnereveryday;forthisquestion,a negativeanswerwasobtained.Inthis casethe38,5%saidtheydidn´t

Do you have dinner every day ?

Yes: No:

Theconsumptionoffastfoodis moderatesinceonly23,1%saidthey consumethistypeoffooddaily, while the rest affirm that they consumeitonlyafewtimesaweek.

How often do you consume fast food?

Daily:

Few times a week: Onlyoccasionally:

Regardingtheconsumptionoffruit, 53,8%consumeitdaily,while41.7% saidtheyconsumethemafewtimes aweek.

How often do you consume fruit?

Daily: Few times a week: Onlyoccasionally:

Anotherquestiontheywereaskedhadto dowithhowmanyhourstheywere sleeping each day. For this question, 84,6%answeredthattheysleepbetween 4and6hoursaday.

How many hours do you sleep daily?

6-8:

4-6:

Theywerealsoaskedabouthowoftenthey exercise.Inthiscase,theanswersvariedalot, since16.7%saidtheydophysicalactivity daily,25%saidtheydoitonceaweek, 33.3%doit2to3timesaweek,another 16.7%4to5daysaweek,and8.3%donot exercise.

How often do you exercise?

Daily: Once a week: 2-3timesaweek: 4-5timesaweek: Dontexercise:

Thelastquestiontheywereaskedwasif theybelievedtheiranswerstothesurvey hadbeenaffectedbyschool,towhich 91.7% said yes, making particular emphasisonhoursofsleep,sincethey maybeaffectedbythehighacademic load.

From1to10,howtireddoyou feel?

However,noteverythingisnegative. Forexample,theconsumptionoffast food is moderate, while the consumption of fruit is adequate, whichmeansthatalthoughsometimes theymissdinnerorbreakfast,atthe timeofeating,whattheyeatishealthy.

Anotherpieceofinformationthat,in myopinion,ispositiveisthephysical activity carried out by the students throughout the week. This is very positivesincemoststudentsexerciseat leasttwotimesaweek.

Inmyopinion,someoftheseresultsare worrying.Forexample,thefactthatmany donothavebreakfastbeforegoingto schoolmeansthattheyprobablydonot havethenecessaryenergytoperform favorablyinclass.

Theotherdatathatisworryingisthat 83.3%sleepbetween4and6hours(taking intoaccountthatitisrecommendedto sleep8hours).Thiscanalsoaffectthe performanceofthestudents,although sleeping6hoursonceshouldnotbea hugepreoccupation,ifthisisrepeated frequently,thehoursofsleepthatarelost dailywillaccumulate,causingphysical andmentaltirednessinstudents.

WhatIseeintheanswerstothelast questionisthattheacademicloadis thereasonforgettinglittlesleepor exercisinglessthantheywouldlike.In this,Iagree,sinceasastudentinthe same class, I have been forced to sacrificeseveralhoursofsleepand,in general,sacrificetimethatIcoulduse formyself.

Allthisleadsustoconcludethatthe healthofthestudentswhoanswered this survey could be seen mostly affectedduetothelackofrestandalso possibleeatingdisorders.

Whatistrueisthatthiscanhavean improvement.Thekeyistoorganize our time better. As I mentioned, maybewiththis,wegetmorerestand haveapropereatingplan,sothemost important thing is to encourage ourselves to do it powered by the benefits that we know this organizationwillbringtous! 12

Inourmagazine"The Real Us" themainmottois:Prioritiseyourmentalhealth.This iswhywethinkweshouldpromotealternativesforourreaders,sothattheyfinda waytoknowthattheyarenotaloneandmentalhealthissomethingthatshouldbea priority.Thistimewesharetheposibilitiesthatweasstudentshaveinschooltobe abletotalktosomeoneabouthowwearefeeling,weknowthatweallaregoing throughalotsowewantedtoshowyouawaythatmighthelpyou.

FEATURE ARTICLE

IN SEARCH OF IDENTITY: A GLIMPSE FROM PHILOSOPHY

By: Sara Chaparro

Itendtocomplicatemyself,sowhenthe teacher made us choose a topic for writing an article in a magazine, I decidedonidentities.Iassureyouthat askingyourselfaboutwhoyouarewill keepyoubusyforhoursorevenyour whole life. This concept is so troublesometodefine,thatweusually ignoreitwiththenoiseofourdaily hustleandbustle.However,thatdoubt willbebyyoursideuntilyoudie,or evenafter;deathisalsoperplexing,butI willabstainfromgoingdeeperintoit.

Concerningmyassignment,Iwasleft withthequestion:“HowshouldIaddress suchacomplextopic?”Theteacherwas theonewhoenlightenedme,reminding mewhyIchoseidentities.“Becausethat constituteswhathumanbeingsare,”I answered, confused. There came my answer:Philosophy.

Valentina Caicedo was the first philosophyteacherIconsulted.WhenI askedwhichphilosopherproposedthe most attractive concept of personal identityforher,sheansweredwithout hesitation:“HannahArendt”.Itwasn’ta surprise, because I would have also chosenher.

From right to left: Andrea Navas, Valentina Caicedo and Catalina GomezPhilosophers and phylosophy teachers

Hannah Arendt- Philospher

Youmaybewondering,“Whatdidshe propose?”.Well,Arendtthoughtthat our life is divided into three levels: labor,work,andaction.Inthislastone, we are free to the extent that the interaction with others allows us to displayonthetableapluralityofways ofseeingtheworldthatwemayor maynotshare.AsValentinasaid,“the discourseinwhichwemeettheother, helpsusdefinewhoandhowweare''. We result from the knowledge we exchange through communication withourpeers.

One perspective isn’t enough when discussingphilosophy,oranythingelse, soIaskedthesamequestiontoCatalina Gomez, my philosophy teacher. She said a different name: ”Martin Heidegger”.Apartfromhisecological proposals,Ihaveneverheardfromhim.

“Itisthemostrealisticconcept”,she continued. I didn’t expect Heidegger'stragicviewtoresonate withCatalina,whoalwaysappeared optimisticandoverlyserene.Forthis German philosopher, the true identityistheonethathumanbeings form with their experience with death.AsCatalinaexplained,“When peopleseethattheyaregoingtodie soon,theyareanguished,andfrom those emotions generated by knowingthattheirlifehasanend, theycreateanidentityandseekto makeitauthentic”.Inotherwords, weareourselveswhenwerealizewe lack time to be ourselves; how dreadful,butasshesaid,realistic.

Martin Heidegger-Philospher

Theteacherwhoofferedmethemost interestingorthought-provokinganswer wasAndreaNavas.Afterthinkingabit andevenstatingthatshewouldquestion thenotionofidentity,sheansweredwhat Ipredicted:“Nietzsche”.

Hesaidthatwedon'thaveanessence,a uniqueorauthenticidentity;therefore, wewillneverfindwhowe“truly”are.In Andrea’sterms,“thehumanbeingisa pure coming, a fluidity”. We build ourselvesastimegoesby,butalways takingintoaccountthosecontradictory instinctsthatwehaveasanimals.“You cannot deny them; you must build yourselffromthem”,insistedAndrea.In Nietzche’sphilosophy,insteadofasking yourselfwhoyouare,youask,“What canIbe?”Notasanultimategoal,butas yourpossibilities.

Inconclusion,aswithallthingsin philosophy, there isn’t only one definitionofidentity.Forsome,it may be the product of our interactionwithothers,ourattitude on the doors of death, or even somethingthatwewillneverfully enclose because it is constantly shifting,andwewillneverfinish constructingit.Butasthese,there aremanymoreperspectives.Iknow howdistressingthisresultsounds;as someonewhowantsananswer,I findithardtoadmit.Theonlyclear thingisthatwhatyouconceiveas youridentitydependsonyourview of the world and how your existence connects with it; your definitionofidentityisalsopartof youridentity.