“Everyone has bad days, and I don’t think that means you should just give up,” said Tyler Damm.

New to LHS this year, Mr. Damm decided to try out a unique system within his classroom, ‘coffee coupons’. With one of his coupons, students in his classes are able to redeem one for a cup of coffee, tea, or hot chocolate whenever they’re having a bad day.

“I like that this is unique to me, but I do think other teachers should find a way to make their classroom somewhere where students are relaxed and comfortable,” said Damm.

At the beginning of each semester, every student in Mr. Damm’s classroom receives one free coupon to redeem at any point in the year. While some may turn them in quickly in fear of losing them, Mr. Damm hands them out in hopes that on a bad day, his students will feel comfortable enough to redeem it when they really need it.

“Seeing someone who may not talk as much come up and ask if they can make a drink is how I know it’s working, and that’s what matters to me,” said Damm.

While there may be a noticeable financial aspect to Mr. Damm’s system, seeing quieter students have the courage to acknowledge when they have a bad day is plenty of a reward. It is his third year teaching, but his first year at LHS has been filled with cups of coffee and tea that his students are always grateful for.

“I wanted to try this out for my first year here as a trial run since this is a fresh start for me,” said Damm.

The stigma within classrooms around bad days and mental health has been broken within Mr. Damm’s room, not only with the dim, comfortable lighting, but a cup of a hot drink to go with it.