Staff and students have been given a week off for the Thanksgiving break. This is surprising to all students because in the past we’ve only had a half-day and two days off. Many students are excited about their extended Thanksgiving break because they get to focus on the holiday, spend time with their families, and focus on their mental health. One student says “I feel relieved. I will definitely enjoy it as it will give me time to relax a bit.” Even though most students are glad to have the week off, some teachers may not feel the same. The break has been extended “to have extra time to take care of their mental health” says a teacher at Bethel.  “I think it will certainly give me a much-needed break; however, I have concerns that it won’t fix our staff shortage.”

The break may give teachers a chance to catch up on grades and spend some much-needed time with their families, but this doesn’t exactly fix the main issue. Bethel needs more staff and this week-long break that has been given to teachers for mental health reasons won’t fix the problem. “As a teacher with children, it has put pressure on my entire family to try not to get sick because then I would have to take off work.” I don’t think a week is enough time for teachers to get caught up with their work,” a student at Bethel adds. Even if teachers were to catch up with their work, staff burnout would happen all over again because of the staff shortage.