Helping the child adjust to school
Every parent looks forward to the day when the child is dressed up in that cute school uniform, with tiny little shoes and a fancy snack basket in hand. Every parent is anxious whether the child adjusts to the school, starts crying, is punished by the teacher or is bullied by other children. This anxiousness is entirely normal. This very emotion in the parents protects the offspring. It is similar to the instinct in animals which protect their babies fiercely.
At the same time, one needs to remember that the child has a tremendous capacity to adapt. This is not the first time he is adjusting/ adapting. The school is his third environment. The child’s first environment was the mother’s womb. It was such a safe and comfortable place, with exact temperature, enough light, light music of heartbeat and smooth massage of amniotic fluid. Suddenly, he is pushed out of it and comes out to the harsh adults’ hands and their environment. He cries as if he is notwithstanding the cruelty of this world. Still, he adapts himself to this second environment easily. Compared to this tremendous task, adjusting to school is nothing. When he first comes to school, the child carries the impression of the school created by the mother. Usually, mothers create a scary picture of school while feeding them or whenever they want to control them. Thus even before seeing the school, the child has an image of the school as a vicious place.
It is both the parents and teachers duty to make the first day of school less scary for the children. It is a process that should start even before admitting the child. The child has to be prepared for school even before admission. The mother has to talk about the school as a nice, beautiful place where he can play, make friends and enjoy. The child should be accompanied many times to the school before, during and after the admission procedure. The school has to provide opportunities for the child to go around the classroom, playthings and the playground. The teacher should be with the child during admission and interview. After admission, the child has to be taken to the school four or five times to become familiar with the school environment. On the first day, he should not be dropped at school by a person he loves greatly.
Despite all this, the child may cry or take a little more time to settle down—no need to worry. Like growing pain, the child has to go through this phase and understand that going to school is non-negotiable. Even the bold children who walk confidently to the school on their own on the first day develop aversion after a week or two once they realize that he has to go to school every day.
It is fearsome for the children and creates anxiousness among parents and teachers. So there is no shortcut for helping the child to adjust to the school. The first-day school experience could be made less dreadful for the children by cooperating with the teachers, parents and the school management.
Tagged adjusting to schools, classroom, First-day of the school, independence, learning