The summer holidays have just bid farewell, welcoming the new school year for all, students, teachers and parents alike! The school time is back again after two different seasons of back to school with Covid-19. The past online seasons were different, but insightful experience for students, teachers and parents all to experience e-learning and digital world. Hence, students, particularly, need to be revived and energised to get back to the traditional physical attendance to school.
Perhaps, the back-to-normal situation this year could bring different feelings of stress, worry and excitement to students. Excitement is there as students try on their new attires and backpacks. Anxiety could also be there for starting the new routine and leaving home where the spent the whole summer holiday and two school seasons during the pandemic. There are always so many emotions when it comes to back-to-school season.
Possibly, not only students who could feel so, but parents too, who are trying to make sure their children got every school supply on their list. On the other hand, teachers are preparing for the year ahead and trying to motivate students of all grades.
Generally, the back to school season is a common observation for all families and society. It marks a significant occasion for all in the annual calendar. In fact, it is an ongoing learning journey for students and reflects a turning point every year as they move from one grade to another.
Instead it brings a sense of promising hope for parents to see their children growing up and moving up the ladder of acquiring good education. For teachers it embodies building the future heroes of a nation and paving way to success. As a matter of fact, parents and teachers are sparing no effort to bring up children and giving them whatever is needed to get the best education. Actually, acquiring good education means receiving the passport to future! Thus, education is a right, not a privilege for students.
As students are heading back to school again after all these years of online learning and long summer break, it is not easy to establish a routine after those days. Although learning is tough and the daily school routine is boring sometimes, there is nothing like receiving good education and having fun at school. For children it builds a foundation which lasts for the rest of their life, as Aristotle stated, “The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet”.
Going to school is just another challenge that students experience in their lifetime, but eventually it will bring the love of learning. Likewise, it represents a rewarding experience that starts from the early days of childhood until they get to high school or university. However, such an experience could bring stressful feelings for students, especially at the early days. Therefore, one might need just a little more motivation to get students interested to start their new routine.
Children sometimes pick up on parents’ emotions and concerns like a sponge. If a parent, for instance, expresses fear and stress due to children going back to school, such feeling might be passed to the child. Accordingly, if a child seems stressed, parents should empathise him first, trying to fix his worries. Parents should urge their children to regularly express their feelings, concerns and worries.
Parents need to normalise the idea of going back to school to their children by telling stories of their time at school. This could ease the stress of children and making the new challenges familiar will go a long way to reduce their anxiety. The value of education should be emphasised to children, so they could realise the importance of going to school. As Bernard Show, an Irish playwright, said, "What we want is to see the child in pursuit of knowledge and not knowledge in pursuit of the child". Welcome back to school dear students, teachers and parents!
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