School's going back ... and are you worrying?

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My children start school tomorrow and I mostly feel good about it.  But I am hoping in my heart that my kids avoid a couple of teachers who might make school boring for them or might yell at my terribly sensitive child.  Will they learn?  Will they be happy?  Can't I help them avoid the hard stuff?

So here's the little self talk process I've been taking myself through.  No, I won't talk to the school.  We have a policy of not saying anything about class placements and trusting the school to do the right thing by our kids.  I've also asked myself these questions.  Do they have particular learning difficulties?  No.  Will they be in danger?  No.

I think we can help them to learn loads from the less than ideal at school.  We can talk about ways to manage hard situations.  This is a life skill.  Part of them growing towards independence.  Learning resilience and perseverance when things aren't ideal or even downright difficult.  I trust that God will help them learn good things out of the hard things.  I believe that he goes alongside them each day as they negotiate the hard.

How are you feeling about the year ahead for your kids?

Comments

Karen said…
I don't have heaps of anxieties about school this year. For the first time, I know in advance for both kids which teacher will be teaching them. However, they will be in the same class (it's a multi-age Year 3/4/5 for kids who are more academically inclined...). One of them was in the same class last year so we also know how this teacher operates and that we are (mostly) on the same page as he is. I am more anxious about the fact that there is a reasonable amount of project work involved in being in this class, so the thought of doubling the amount of that is a bit stressful.

Totally agree with your point on learning from the less than ideal at school too. I think too often we want to control everything and make things pefect for our kids, and I have seen this happen at my kids' school to the point where parents will have tantrums (well, the adult equivalent) if they're unhappy with their child's teacher and demand that their kid be put into another class, or even leave the school because they're not happy about a class placement.

I have real concerns about what this teaches their kids about dealing with adversity and getting on with people in later life...
January 29, 2013 at 10:56 AM
Sally said…
Ahh Jenny, another post for me. Great one.
I have decided this year that I am going to be proactive and not be overcome with stress for the first few weeks of term as teachers, classes, music lessons etc are all being worked out. My radical action plan: wake up early, read my bible, pray and do my back exercises.
January 29, 2013 at 8:51 PM
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