Starting School
They told me about going to a new place where I can be with other children and new teachers….
No...I don’t want to…
I just want to stay with mommy…
It’s Sunday, and in the last few weeks, they kept on talking about going to this school that I don’t know
I love to be with mommy and daddy...I don’t need to go anywhere else…
Come Monday and here we are...mom and dad bought a lot of stuff and I don’t know why, they bought pairs of shoes but I don’t want to wear them…They keep on talking about me going to this new school and I don’t want to do anything with it...I just want to be home and playing with my mommy and daddy…
We arrived at this “new” school and now I am nervous...I don’t know what to do. I don’t think I want to go inside. I am not interested in making new friends and I don’t want to see my teachers…
Mommy was about to unbuckle my seatbelt and she was telling me that she was taking me out of the car.
I screamed!!! I don’t want to go….
I want to be with you mommy…
Why do I have to go without you?
I don’t know these people.
But wait…
It has been a long time and she hasn’t come back...I really thought that she will come for me….
I think my mom is there somewhere because my teachers told me that she will pick me up after lunch.
I need my doll, and my blanket from home
I don’t want to take my backpack off…
Some of my friends are playing and they look so happy while painting and using play dough.
They even dance and sing with the guitar and piano, they seem to be very excited, but I don’t understand why...it is not easy to be away from my family you know…
I like these people and my friends. I stopped crying.
This was just my first day of school.
I am coming from a position as an educator, and I don’t want to sugarcoat everything with regard to your child settling into his/her new school. While we create an environment that is loving and caring and we do our best for each child to experience our classroom as a safe, beautiful place to be in, the transition from home to school is not so easy for everyone. In one in a million cases, the first day of school goes without a hint of anxiety or worry. For most of us though, including myself (when I was little) children cry and want to be with their parents or someone they know.
Children perceive any new environment differently and with mixed emotions (I guess this goes for adults as well). They look for something that they are familiar with and for signs that make them feel safe and secure. Crying or screaming for parents are just some of the coping mechanisms that children resort to, in order to get through this time in their lives. As educators and Carers, we need to help each child to build this sense of trust and to make him/her understand that school is a place where they can thrive, be loved and cared for, make new friends and learn in, each day.
As sensory beings, children can feel the energy and emotions that we carry. Parents, teachers and Carers, are the people they look up to and every child wants to feel reassured and that it is okay to be away from home and those who he/she is closest to.
After years of being a teacher of young learners, I believe that there is no special recipe for helping children settle in class. But one thing that I can assure is that they need time and lots of patience from us. There is no quick fix to making a child happy at school in just a matter of days, or weeks. It is a partnership with parents that helps this transition. While it is up to us to gain their trust and for them to feel safe in school, parents in turn need to impart their sense of trust in the school, to their child. Children sense so powerfully and when parents are happy with the choice of school, that they have made, children use this as a message of trust, to take forward into their school, and share with their teachers and friends.
After several weeks….
I wanted to tell mommy that I had fun at school because my teacher allowed me to paint with my hands…
I also did some gymnastic routines and it was fun to walk like a bear…
My teacher sang and played with me and I loved when they told amazing stories about a dog called Spot.
I am also proud to tell my parents that I ate all my lunch today...Obento is delicious.
I like Ohana and even on the weekends, I want to put my bag on and tell my parents to take me to Ohana.
I wanted to cry but I was so happy, so I didn’t.
I wonder if my mum needs me more than I need her now.
I can hold the rope when we walk to the park and stay inside the white line.
I can sit and read a book with my friends. I love seeing pictures of my family in my Life Book.
My teachers give me special cuddles that make me feel safe and happy. I love my friends and teachers.
Thank you for today! (as we all say in our school)
Photo courtesy of:
https://www.familyfriendlyhq.ie/toddler-wobbler/preschool/do-you-have-a-child-starting-preschool-soon-2070/
