First Day of School

02.02.22 09:26 AM By VKGI Marketing

A FEW WAYS OF MAKING A NEW CHILD COMFORTABLE IN SCHOOL.
“The most important day of a person’s education is the first day of school, not Graduation Day.” – Harry Wong

National Centre for Excellence - First Day of School

The mindset of a new child at school post covid

A mindset, according to Dweck, an American psychologist, is a self-perception or “self-theory” that people hold about themselves. Mindset is the way our brain perceives ourselves and the world. When a child enters a school for the first time, naturally, there will be a lot of anxiety, what will happen? Will my parents come to pick me up? Will there be anyone whom I can ask for help if I need something, and so on? Children generally tend towards one of two types of mindsets – a fixed mindset or a growth mindset. A growth mindset isn’t something kids are always born with. Kids can develop the belief that things that are hard to do now may not always be hard. It is the responsibility of parents and teachers to help the child develop a positive and growth mindset.

How to make a new child feel comfortable in school?

National Centre for Excellence - First Day of School
  • The greatest challenge for a teacher is to make the child comfortable in school. A child can learn whatever the teacher is teaching only when he /she feels comfortable in the new place. 

  • So, the most important task for a teacher is to go to the level of the child, speak to them lovingly, get connected, and make the child feel at home so that he /she is comfortable and happy to come to school regularly.

  • Reassure the child that parents are waiting outside or will come and pick them up after some time. To begin with, entertain the child with known rhymes or stories before starting any new topic. Tell the child that she will be waiting to see him/her the next day.

Is it the teacher’s role or the parent’s responsibility?

National Centre for Excellence - Teacher or parent role
  • Many things go on in a school, and while every school is different, there are certain universal things. One of them is that you have to learn to deal with other people. This is not always easy, whether you're just starting school or you're a senior. It's hard enough to get to know people when you're an adult.

  • let alone when you're a child. With other adults, there are things that you can do to get to know them better. You can talk to them; you can ask them questions; you can just hang around with them and get to know them. With other children, you can't do that. You can't just ask them questions, and you can't just hang around with them, because they're kids. And that's what makes it so hard.

  • First, it is a parent’s responsibility to develop a positive mindset. This is possible only when you as a parent think positively. Hence, as a parent one needs to bring up the child with a lot of positivity, speak to the child good about the school; ensure that the child feels happy and safe at school.

  • Teachers play a key role in making the child feel comfortable in school as a teacher is whole and sole for a new child in school. There is a lot of responsibility on a teacher’s shoulder as parents trust on school and in turn the teacher and hand over the students to the teacher.

Hear it from the teacher

I would like to share one of my experiences here, Generally, in Kindergarten classes we allow a parent to be around for a couple of days initially when a new child is admitted to the class, after which we expect the parent to leave the child with us and we will manage though few children will take some time to adjust, As usual, one child was crying badly and even the parent became very emotional and both were not ready to leave each other. I convinced the parent to just leave the child with me and assured them that I could make the child feel comfortable in the class and she would get adjusted soon and would be ready to come to school happily. I took the child with me inside my class, interacted with her in her mother tongue, played with her, and made her feel comfortable and happy. Parents were surprised to see the child smiling when they came to pick up the child. So, both teachers, as well as parents, play an important role in making the child comfortable in school. - Ms. Chandrika Kannada facilitator

National Centre For Excellence  - Jeevan Bhima Nagar

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