Education: More Than Learning

Throughout almost 3 years of high school and 9 years of elementary school, I can relate to the fact that school is not just about learning. There are many factors beyond school that causes one to have a mental illness, but among most teens, school is the main reason they lose sleep, are stressed, depressed and anxious. Although school is meant to educate the youth, mental illness is formed from many problems caused by school related issues. The artists of these paintings will help prove the negative causes and effects of school by using many techniques.

Most mental illnesses are generated from a primary problem. The two main issues with school on the average teen is increased stress levels and decreased amount of sleep.
In this first image, “Siesmic Stress” by Steven Hold, the artist is depicting his visual idea of stress.

Hold, Steven. Siesmic Stress. N.d. Fine Art America. Web. 10 Jan. 2016. 
     <http://images.fineartamerica.com/images-medium-large/ 
     siesmic-stress-steven-holder.jpg>.

Stress is most commonly found in teenagers because of the large amounts of homework with minimal time to do it and many other contributors such as extracurriculars on top of studying. This is one of the main causes linked to mental health issues such as anxiety. The jagged, thick, vivid lines made by applied pressure from the artist shows the stress in the artists grip and mind. A student studying for a quiz, test or exam is more than likely stressing over it. This causes the student to have a heavy head and start to panic which is much like the artist’s use of jagged lines unlike if he were to use soft, thin and airy lines. The minimal distinction between foreground and background further proves that not only is the foreground important, the background is equally important. This symbolizes that when one is stressed that you do not just have one thing that is important. The foreground and background are equal therefore showing that one prioritizes almost everything. When you are stressed you cannot distinguish between major and minor priorities. Also, the bulging bloodshot eyes symbolizes the effects of stress on the body. Although there is no head holding the eyes to make them bulge, the sockets around and the extreme bloodshot indicate that they are bulging. On top of that, since there is no head, the implied lines of an explosion behind the eyes could simply act as an explosion of the brain which symbolizes what the brain feels like when under a lot of stress and pressure. School can easily do this to students because there is a lot of pressure from teachers to be perfect, social stress from peers, and of course, stress caused by attempting to understand and study for difficult and some not so difficult subjects which can lead to many mental health issues. Another problem that generates mental illness is sleep deprivation. It is extremely common for high school and university students to have 6 or less hours of sleep when the recommended hours is 9 for a growing teenager. 

In the image, “Sleep” by Salvador Dali, the head being held up by poles is a representation of

Dali, Salvador. Sleep. 1937. Dali. Web. 10 Jan. 2016. <http://www.dali.com/ 
     blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Sleep-Pic.jpg>. 

someone being supported by something other than their self. This also can symbolize the importance of sleep. Instead of the head resting by itself, sleeping, the head is essentially being forced to by these poles closing the eyes and leaving the mouth open, much like when one is sleeping. By being forced to sleep, Dali is expressing that although one may not want to sleep, you have to therefore proving that sleep is important. Most students will not get enough sleep because they are forced to believe that getting a good mark on a test is better than helping their growing bodies and minds. Although time management skills would become a huge help with getting things done, teenagers stereotypically are lazy and unorganized. Not enough sleep can cause anxiety and depression in teens. All in all, increased stress levels and decreased hours of sleep are two of the main negative effects that school creates on teens.

Mental illnesses can form from school related problems. In these images, the two artists will show how the effects from school can do mental damage to a teenager.

Unknown. Bleak Face. N.d. Glowing Wheels. Web. 10 Jan. 2016. 
     <https://glowingwheel.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/ 
     portrait-1-depressed-compressed.jpg

In this image, “Bleak Face” by Unknown demonstrates how school can make a teen become depressed. Knowing that stress and loss of sleep can cause a student to have depression, this artist uses colour to demonstrate how school affects a student. The dark colours for the eyes and under the eyes show a sense of tiredness and hopelessness. The bags under the girl’s eyes show that she has not had enough sleep more than likely because of homework or studying keeping her up at night. The black iris indicates that there is no life in her eyes. When suffering from depression, one can feel useless, worthless and empty inside which the artist depicts in her eyes making them black and lifeless. School can cause this because added pressure and less sleep can cause lower serotonin levels which is the “feel good chemical” (Asapscience). Therefore, issues from school can cause teenagers to become depressed.

In the image, artist Sarah Wake illustrates what it is like to have extreme anxiety. Lack of sleep, stress and pressure from teachers or students can cause anxiety in teenagers.

Wake, Sarah. Nightmares. N.d. Out Of Our Heads. Web. 10 Jan. 2016. 
     <http://www.outofourheads.net/oooh/media/images/src/008.jpg>.

The artist utilizes colour as well as symbols to show how school can make one anxious. The colour blue is used throughout the whole piece which gives a cold sad feeling to the painting. This symbolizes the intense sadness one gets when anxious. Secondly, she uses the faces in the background to symbolize the people within the person’s head. These faces could easily represent peers and teachers. Not only do student experience peer pressure everyday but teachers can add on to that by judging students work and expecting it to be perfect. In conclusion, both artists have demonstrated the mental illnesses school can cause in teens through colour and symbol.

To conclude, although school is meant for learning, many mental illnesses can be caused from school related issues. Mental illnesses can be caused by many different factors depending on the person’s life and school can be quite easy and fun for some. The majority of high school and university students can agree that school is one of the most stressful periods of their lives. Therefore, stress and lack of sleep can lead to depression and anxiety amongst teenagers.