“Your mental health is the most important learning outcome,” sociology professor Renu Persaud tells students in an open letter published Monday.
Regardless of the discipline students choose, knowing they matter the most is the secret to their success, sociology professor Renu Persaud writes in an open letter published Monday by Thrive Global.
“The first step toward academic success is nurturing and caring for yourself and your mental health,” Dr. Persaud writes. “Your intellectual passion and success depend on emotional well-being and your sense of self-worth.”
Given the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s natural that students feel uncertain about their academic path, she says.
“The current global circumstances have heightened the natural pressures that students feel,” her piece notes. “Being aware and sensitive to this is critical to their engagement and learning.”
Prior to the pandemic restrictions, students have been accustomed to walking campuses, she writes, including “my own beautiful, bustling University of Windsor campus, immersed in intellectual energy, talking with friends and professors, and being social.”
Persaud pledges to encourage her students: “My ability to provide empathy and understanding is the pillar of a student’s success, for it nurtures their emotional health alongside mastery of any subject matter.”