Change of school: take advantage!
The reasons why one or several siblings have to change of school they can be varied and, therefore, the motivation of the children will be very different in each case. The adaptation of children to new school It should be done gradually, bearing in mind that this period can last up to three months, that is, from the beginning of the course until Christmas.
The causes of the change can be the transfer to a new city for professional reasons of some of the parents, certain economic reasons, the end of a cycle or that the child / a has had problems in the school, disagreement with the ideology of the center or simply because we want you to seek new friendships, the important thing is how we are going to face this new stage, being clear that parents and children should be involved to the fullest.
Reasons for school change
We can classify the reasons that lead to a change of school in external or internal. We understand for external reasons those referring to a change of address, city for professional reasons, economic problems or the move to a new school stage that is not taught in the previous school (ESO or BAC). On the other hand, the internal reasons refer to issues such as disagreement with the school: with its ideology, with the academic level or with the environment of our child's friends; or, because of the child's learning problems.
The way of acting will be different in each case, because if we have to change schools because dad or mom has been assigned to another city, it is the whole family that is involved in the change and we can not do anything else than to accept it in the best possible way. On the contrary, if the decision is for the good of the child-affecting only him and not the rest of the brothers-he may not understand it at first and we have to use other "weapons" to help him in the new process that faces.
5 tips to face a school change
As each child is different, regardless of whether the change affects only him or more siblings, there are a number of tips that can be useful to face the period of adaptation to school:
1. Take into account the child's age (It is not the same to be 8 years old than 12). We must make him share the reason for this decision to change schools: reason reasons, listen to their arguments, dialogue. In most cases it is a positive and enriching experience: it makes the person more mature, open, better prepared for future changes that will occur throughout life (city, work, environment, etc.) .
2. Talk to him about the choice of the new school. See together the different alternatives and the positive aspects of each of them, encouraging you to participate in this election, of course, with varying intensity according to age. Go beforehand to visit them, have an interview with the stage manager, etc. and let him ask everything he needs about it. When we have the decision made, look for reasons of hope in the new center. No school is perfect and everyone has something to highlight.
3. Invite him to say goodbye to friends and teachers at the school we left. This is a way to teach you that, throughout life, we must leave with "category" of any place: group of friends, company in which we work, sports club, etc. Respect the child's decision (as long as it is proportional) in how to do it. Depending on your character, you may prefer to hold a celebration at home or simply say goodbye to class on the last day. On the other hand, we should encourage him to keep in touch (unless the motive is to separate him from these friends) with the old classmates / friends. Nowadays, with the Internet it is very easy. Explain that you will now have these and those you know in the new school. Logically, little by little, it will be supported more in the future friendships, but to him it will give him a lot of security to think that it does not have to resign to the present ones.
4. Prepare the entrance to the new school. To know him, to try to talk with the students or former students, as well as with his parents; They can give us very useful practical advice. Interview with your future teachers or, at least, with the person in charge of your cycle. Read the first chapters of the textbooks so as not to feel lost academically at the beginning of the course. Without disregarding their logical feelings of insecurity in the face of the unknown, derail the matter to the utmost and make it less important.
5. Gradual adaptation in the first weeks. Avoid stressing him with the urge to make friends. It is better that first be a good partner of all to go knowing them and thus freely choose the ones you really want. It is he who must choose his friends and not the other way around, so he needs to first know how they are and feel safe from the environment. Regarding the uniform, it must be complete, although not "perfect"; You can use the shoes a few weeks before so they do not shine as much, for example.It is also very helpful to sign up for an extracurricular activity to meet new friends; It can be sporty or not, depending on the child's tastes.
Three months until the integration in the new school
Although we should be interested in how the first weeks of his new school are going, we should not be "overwhelmed", throwing daily a battery of interminable questions. Atmosigating parents manifest, rather, a certain selfishness by putting their need to know everything that happens to the child over their own benefit. It is very different from being available for our son at the moment he wants to ask or consult anything.
We must not forget that, week up or week down, children need the first trimester to adapt, so do not expect them to feel fully integrated until Christmas. At the beginning, we will be awaiting your academic development, in case there is a drop in grades or any difficulty with the level required in the new school, as well as your mood to detect any issue that concerns you. The truth is that the ability of children to adapt is much greater than that of adults, which is why we should worry a little less.
Maria Lucea
Advice: M.F. Rosemary. Teacher.
