Tardiness and absences aren’t always about not caring for school, mental health struggles can make it hard for students to show up, and the school community should be more understanding about that. 

When people in the school community see that a student is always tardy or absent, the first thought is usually that the student just doesn’t care about school. But in reality there are deeper reasons behind it. Coming from a student’s perspective, mental health can have a big impact on attendance and motivation. Ever since middle school, school started to become just a second priority. At first it was just being late once in a while, but over time it became something I got used to. Being tardy or absent started to feel normal to me, even though I knew it probably didn’t sit well with the teachers. It wasn’t really about being lazy or trying to avoid responsibilities, but a lot of it had to do with what I was dealing with mentally. 

Since covid, my mental health has honestly been really bad. The pandemic changed a lot for students, including how we learn, how we socialize, and how we feel about school. For me, showing up to school every day stopped feeling like a priority because I was just trying to get through how I was feeling. Some days it felt overwhelming just to get up and go to school, even though I knew education is important. 

When someone is constantly being tardy or absent, there could be stress, anxiety, or other personal struggles going on that others don’t see. I’m not saying students shouldn’t be responsible for going to school, attendance still matters. But understanding why a student is frequently late or absent can make a big difference. There is still a lot of stigma around mental health, and because of that, a lot of students keep what they’re going through to themselves. When people in the school community show empathy and try to understand what students are dealing with, it can help students feel supported instead of judged. Sometimes what looks like a student not caring is actually someone who is struggling internally and just trying their best to show up for themselves. 

I think people at school often only see the attendance record and not the reason behind it. Instead of assuming a student doesn’t care, it might help to ask what is going on or try to understand their situation.