Online school is not what anyone imagined the pandemic would bring. You join your classes via computer and turn in all of your assignments online. Spending so much time on the computer can really affect your mental health. 

Mental health breaks are a necessity at this point. Even just five minutes of your time to look away from your screen can improve the way you feel. Teachers should provide their students with such accommodations. 

Some teachers may argue that there are a lot of things to be covered during class time, especially if you are in an AP class. But, five minutes of doing absolutely nothing is better than losing your mind just to get a better grade on an AP assignment.

Math teacher Leila Dibble gives her students 3 minutes to stand up, stretch, and listen to a song that she sends them. She likes to give herself the opportunity to rest her eyes and take a break from teaching. That is such a great idea because not only do the students need a break, teachers do as well.

Plus, being on electronics all day can strain your eyes and make your eyesight worse. I invested in blue-light glasses for just that reason, but they can only do so much.  

In a study done by Mary Helen Immordino-Yang and her colleagues at USC and MIT, they concluded that resting while awake put your brain into “default mode” and is good for “recalling personal memories, imagining the future, and feeling social emotions with moral connotations.” 

We would actually benefit mentally from a break during our classes. I think teachers should make a plan to give their students a few minutes, which will help their students perform better in class.