Saeed 1

Paree Saeed

Mrs. Jenkins

English IV

18 March 2020

Jack just needed some family support

“Did everybody do the homework?”, my fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Sparks asks, as everyone takes

out their homework from their backpacks. It is routine that everyday, right when the bell rings,

everyone takes out their homework, and compares it to the teacher's answers. As I looked

around, I saw one of my classmates, Jack, didn’t have his homework. I thought to myself,

“Maybe he left it at home?”. After we finished correcting our homework, we turned it into Mrs.

Sparks, by table, and every person that did their homework got a Bee Point. At the end of each

month, each student would pool together their Bee Points, and get something from the Bee Store,

which had fun games and prizes. Finally, the day came where we went to the Bee Store. All of

my classmates were comparing how many Bee Points they had. Some had saved theirs for

months, while others would spend theirs each month. I looked at Jack, and saw that he only had

two. The rest of the year, I kept noticing that Jack never bought anything from the Bee Store,

because he never had enough tickets for any of the prizes. I pondered over why he never did his

homework, and after school, told my mom about it. She told me that some parents don’t tell their

kids to do their homework, and don’t really care about how their children do in school. As the

years went on, and I went from Middle to High School, I started to notice that a student’s

lifestyle, and family, has an affect on how a child does in school, and how they behave. These
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events led me to research the question, How do influences of family support and lifestyle affect

children’s mental health and school performance?

Every kid has always dreamed about having a supportive family, but the harsh reality is that

many kids do not have the support and means they need in order to succeed. Naturally, kids want

to do anything besides what they actually have to do, especially after school. So, unless there is

someone to help or guide them, they are unlikely to do what they need to. Additionally, children

become who they are based on their main influences. Specifically, their parents. Therefore,

parents have a big influence on a child’s aptitude for learning, and their school performance.

Dr. Kelly Beatty, a ​pediatrics specialist, who graduated from Ohio State University College of

Medicine, who has been practicing for 30 years, agree​s. Dr. Beatty s​tates, in an interview,

“​Parents greatly influence a child’s ability to learn. What makes a big difference in a child’s

ability to learn is whether parents support and value their child’s education. It has also been well

documented that the more a parent is involved with their child’s education, the more successful

the child is.” Dr. Beatty helps explain what many other studies have already proven, about the

role of parental involvement in a child’s education. One such study, done by Johns Hopkins

University, found that the more involved a parent is with their child’s education, the more likely

they are to succeed (“Parental Involvement in Education”). Furthermore, Joyce L. Epstein,

author of the book, ​School, Family, and Community Partnerships​, who has a PhD in sociology

from Johns Hopkins, argues, in her book, that when school, family, and the community work

together, there is a support system for the student, which then helps the student improve, and

ultimately, succeed. Epstein states, “Interestingly, studies and field work confirm that parents are
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crucial participants for the success of school, family, and community partnerships” (Epstein 41).

Children who have parents that encourage academic excellence are more likely to have their own

goals of going to college, and getting a degree themselves.

Parental involvement is a very important contribution to educational success, but so is the

education of the parent. If the parent does not have the education needed to help their child, no

matter how much help the parent tries to give, their child will not be successful. To solve this,

the parents should further their knowledge, by going to school, or looking for help online. As the

education of the parent increases, it also helps the child. Furthermore, children learn from what

they see, and if the child sees that their parent does not care about their academics, the less they

care themselves about their school performance. Likewise, if the parents themselves did not care

about their own academics when they were in school, the child then has the mindset that their

schooling and education are not important. According to Leigh Bennett, author of the article,

“​Family Factors That Influence Students' Behavior in School”​, “​ Children learn first by

mimicking behavior they see modeled for them. According to a 2009 article published on the

website of the National Center for Biotechnology Information, studies show a positive

correlation between the parents' level of education and their child’s attitudes toward academic

achievement” (Bennett). Bennett supports the fact that children do whatever they see their

parents do. So, the more education the parents have, the more it will influence the child to get to

the same level of schooling. For example, children who have parents that have been to school are

more likely to finish school themselves. The more educated the parents are, the better they are

with setting goals, checking the student’s grades, having a relationship with the teacher, and
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monitoring the student’s progress.​Parents can monitor their kids, and ensure that they have the

best opportunities to achieve success (Garcia and Thornton).

Mental health is a very important aspect of everyone's lives. While some people have disorders

that lead to worsening mental health, some people have plunging mental health due to the stress

of their familial circumstances, what they are putting in their body, and what they are doing with

their body. A non-supportive family has a tremendous impact on a child’s mental health, and in

many cases, these specific families can lead to depression, and anxiety. The Sylvia Brafman

Mental Health Center has done many years of research, and they found that, “​An increasing body

of research demonstrates that ​negative family relationships can cause stress​, impact mental

health and even cause physical symptoms. Research has demonstrated that non-supportive

families can detract from someone's mental health and or cause a mental illness to worsen”

(“How Does Family L​ife Affect Mental Health?”). Indeed, familial circumstances can cause a

child’s mental health to worsen, but, a supportive and involved family can also help a child’s

mental health to enhance. The health center states, in an article titled, “How Does Family Life

Affect Mental Health?”, that, “Companionship, emotional support and often even economic

support can have a positive impact on someone coping with a mental health problem​” (“How

Does Family Life Affect Mental Health?”). Obviously, family support and mental health are

directly relate​d. Viviana ​Hernandez, the Head Program Director of the Academic Excellence

Program at the Community Youth Center, in Concord, California, stated in an interview that, “A

child's mental health is very fragile and familial circumstances have many effects on their mental

health. When there are problems at home, they'll most likely begin to show signs, minor at first,
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but a student who does well may all of a sudden be tardy, and that may mean they aren't sleeping

well or enough which affect their mood and their work performance. This goes back to their

mental health, they may become more moody, distracted or uninterested.”

Lifestyle has a huge impact on mental health and school performance as well. The three main

components of lifestyle include, exercise, sleep, and eating habits. The Centers for Disease

control and Prevention stated that, “Physical activity can have an impact on cognitive skills and

attitudes and academic behavior, all of which are important components of improved academic

performance. These include enhanced concentration and attention as well as improved classroom

behavior” ​
(“Health and Acade​mics”). Exercise can help students’ behaviour, attitude, and school

performance. Thus, the more time a child spends outdoors, the greater the influence on their

academics, and school performance. An organization by the name of Active Living Research

found that, “In some cases, more time in physical education leads to improved grades and

standardized test scores”​(“Active Li​ving Research”). Exercising helps increase the amount of

oxygen flow to the brain, it increases neurotransmitters, and it increases neurotrophins, which all

help to further develop the brain​(School Speci​alty). Physical activity has a huge impact on

cognitive skills, such as concentration, and attention. When these skills are enhanced, they help

build better classroom attitudes and behaviours. A better classroom attitude and behaviour result

in improved academic performance ​(“How Physical Activity Affects S​chool Performance”).

Overall, exercise helps to release endorphins in the brain, which produces a sense of wellbeing.

Many studies have shown that a person who exercises regularly is less likely to be depressed

(Beatty).
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Several studies suggest that good eating habits can lead to an improvement in school

performance, and mental health. Recent studies have shown that nutrition affects students’

cognitive skills, behavior, and health, all factors that impact academic performance. Although it

is important that children have three meals a day, especially breakfast, the reality is that most

teenagers do not have all three meals. Many do not consider breakfast to be important, as 60% of

teenagers in the United States do not eat breakfast (Plain). When children skip meals, especially

breakfast, it has a negative effect on their academics. Charlie Plain, in a study done by the

University of Minnesota, wrote that, “​Skipping breakfast poses a significant threat to adolescent

development because it is linked to poor cognitive performance and may also contribute to

mental health issues and a higher risk for o​besity” (Plain) B​reakfast is an important meal, but so

are lunch and dinner. When any of them are skipped, it leads to an unhealthy mindset, and body.

According to Grace Chen, “Recent studies reveal that diets with high levels of saturated fats

actually impair learning and memory​” (Chen). ​Chen helps explain that the more fattening the

foods are, the worse the effects are on the brain, and ability to learn. When ​Dr. Beatty w​as asked

about the importance of healthy eating on school performance, she answered, “​Good nutrition is

important for overall health as well as the ability to concentrate, pay attention, follow directions,

etc. If a child is hungry, they will probably not be able to fully focus on their teacher because

they are irritable and distracted due to hunger” (Beatty). Although most American children

intake many calories, they are not taking in essential vitamins, nutrients, and minerals. The lack

of vitamins and minerals leads to negative side effects, including health, behaviour, and learning

(Chen).
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Research has shown that more and more students are not getting enough sleep, which can have a

negative impact on students’ grades and academic performance. The reason most students are not

getting enough sleep is because they are procrastinating, for example: cramming for an exam, or

studying until the wee hours. But, what they do not realize is that staying up late to get in a few

extra hours of school work is detrimental to their school performance, and their health. In an

article published by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, they state that, “Lawrence

Epstein, MD, medical director of Sleep Health​Centers​ in Brighton, Mass., an instructor of

medicine at Harvard Medical School, a past president of the AASM and a member of the AASM

board of directors, says that sleep deprivation effects not only whether a student can stay awake

in class but how they perform as wel​l” (“College Studen​ts”). The AASM helps to prove the point

that sleep is an important factor in the betterment of school performance and behaviour.

Research shows that sleep is extremely important, and not only the night before something

important. In order for one’s brain to function and understand better, there should be a constant

sleep schedule. A study done by Brigham and Women’s Hospital showed that having a regular

bed time has a positive impact on attitude ​(Segaren). The mor​e sleep a child has, the better they

will feel, and the better they will understand material they learned in school.

In conclusion, there are many different sides to the question of how influences of parental

support and lifestyle affect school performance and mental health.This question is so broad, that

there are many different types of research that could have been referenced. Lifestyle includes:

exercise, eating habits, and sleep, three things that are much too important to take as a joke.

Parental influence is clear, but ranges differently for everyone, in terms of how involved parents
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actually are, and their level of education. In summary, and based on all of the research, the more

one exercises, the more healthy one eats, and the more regular one sleeps, all help improve one's

school performance and mental health. Also, the more educated and involved a parent is, the

better a student may perform, academically, due to the help and support that the parent may give.

The topic of education, and mental health in general, are some of the most important topics in the

world right now. Although they are so important, many people still need help, in ways of

improving. For example, girls in some countries are not able to get an education, and some

people are mentally unhealthy, but they have nobody to reach out to. As I mentioned earlier,

Jack, one of my friends in Mrs. Sparks’ class, probably could have done a better job in school, if

he had some support along the way.