Beirut -
Changing schools is one of the difficult things for a child. Moving to a new school is a big move to a place where there are other children, new teachers, and a different atmosphere. In short, the change leads to a move away from old friendships and the usual atmosphere.
All of these things have psychological effects in the child's life, and it is necessary for parents to know how to deal in these situations and help in adapting to the new school, so how can this problem be solved and the child spared from suffering?
Change of any kind causes a feeling of pressure, anxiety and insecurity, especially for a young child (pixels).
I got angry with my family
Ali Naim Hussein (7 years old) says, "I didn't want to change my school, I wanted to stay with my friends; I was so anxious that I isolated myself, stopped eating and no longer wanted to continue studying, and I got angry a lot with my family because they are the main reason for this change."
Ali continues sadly, "But as the days passed smoothly in the new school, the feeling of fear began to fade and confusion no longer existed, and I started making new friends away from bullying and regained my passion for studying, and my family was by my side and patient with me and listened to me, and the new place became beloved to me in a faster time." .
Be patient
As for the young mother, Katrina, Ali's mother, she points out that changing school is not easy for her son, but by providing help from her and her husband and talking to the teachers to involve him with the new students in different activities;
"He began to feel a new beginning, full of optimism and joy, so I was patient so that he would not feel despair and be able to integrate into the new environment, be friends with new peers and not be nervous, and he could find common interests between him and other children and behave kindly."
Carmen Freij: The most important thing that parents offer to their children when they move from one school to another is extreme patience and listening to them (Al-Jazeera)
Reasons for changing school
The educational counselor, Carmen Freij, says that at the beginning of each semester, she notes that new students of all ages find varying difficulties in adapting to the school environment, and this stage requires great awareness from parents in order to overcome it safely and without any problems.
Freej indicated that there are many reasons that push parents to change their children's school, including changes in the standard of living, moving from one area to another, or the separation of parents, which means that all the reasons are radical in the student's life and have a great impact on his life, and with the change of the school things get complicated. More because he abandons all his habits, teachers and friends, and begins a journey to identify a new medium.
Freej advises parents to stand by their children at this stage and understand their feelings. Parents should not expect their children and adolescents to accept these changes and to proceed in peace directly. Change of any kind causes a feeling of pressure and anxiety, especially for a young child who easily feels insecure and later develops into A state of depression and introversion.
Adapting the child to a new school environment is not easy, so parents and school must be patient, understand and follow up (pixels)
Parents, school and student cooperation
This problem can be overcome easily and without leaving any negative impact on the student’s life, if the cooperation between the parents, the school and the student, by listening to him, and there is no harm in meeting his teachers and his friends as soon as possible, this makes the matter safer for him and he does not feel alienation and weakness from this The change, according to the mentor Frigg.
It is also necessary to talk to the child constantly and make him express his feelings so that the matter does not turn into depression for him, and Freej says, "The most important thing that parents can offer to their children in these situations is great patience and listening to them."
She adds that the child's transition to a new environment negatively affects him in the beginning, and this path can only be changed with the awareness of the parents and the new school with its staff, so the child's adaptation to a new environment is not an easy thing, so patience, understanding and follow-up must be made.
Signs of a student not adapting
She explains that there are signs that the student is facing a problem in adapting to the new school environment, such as parents noticing that their children feel unjustified anxiety and a change in eating regime, or that they dream about nightmares or urinate at night, as well as may tend to aggression and school complaints abound about their violent behavior .
Although the solution is not difficult, Freej stresses on patience and understanding to overcome the matter, and stresses that failure to deal with these behaviors with patience and understanding complicates the matter and leads to a real psychological problem that requires behavioral treatment.
And be aware that some students tend to be violent when changing the environment and become bullies, which makes it difficult for them to make friends in the new environment, so parents should pay attention to these points and treat them so that they do not develop.
Marina Kesrouani: Before changing her child's old school, the mother should visit the new school with him (Al-Jazeera)
Visit the new school
As for the psychologist Marina Kesrouani, she believes that “the mother should prepare to face the possible psychological and nervous pressure as a result of transferring the child to a new school. with phantom pain, or aggressive behavior toward other children.
The psychologist offers some effective tips that guide the mother on the correct way to deal with her child after transferring him to a new school, including:
Before changing her child’s old school, the mother should visit the new school with him, in order to give him the opportunity to see his new environment, and to alert the child to the change that is about to occur in his life, with a focus on the positive aspects of the new school, such that its playground, for example, is larger than his school’s. Old, or have more children of his age.
The mother should also take him on a tour to get acquainted with the school facilities before the start of the study, so that he knows the location of the classes, the library, and others. Getting to know the place will enhance self-confidence and familiarity, and this in turn works to reduce the tension felt by the child.
It is normal for the child to complain and complain and express his dissatisfaction with the new school in the first period of study, and the mother should listen to her child well, and show him her sympathy and interest in his feelings.
If there is some change, the mother should try to teach the child what skills he has missed so that he can continue with the new curricula, and participate and positively compete in the classroom.