I was the same. I hated school. I found exams stressful and I disliked the bitchy carry on at school so i left and got a job. It was the best thing for me.

So many subtle signs that we may be missing , definitely need to be mindful of things

School can be so harsh and the hardest part is that it can be great one day and crap the next. My kids always feel like talking about school after we’ve had afternoon tea and a wind down at home. it’s great when they can share what’s happened at school so we can talk it through.

I just tell my kids to be themselves and I never judge them or punish them for school academics so long as I see the effort they put in to try their best.
I’ve never had issues with my children not having friends but that breaks my heart that it could be possible. I would love my children to always include someone if they thought they were alone.
Our school has a buddy seat so kids can sit there if nobody is playing with them to encourage others to include them.

Not having friends definitely hard time for them.

it was the little things that they worried about most, like remembering where the toilets and lockers were.

I remember when my son went to year 2 he hadn’t lost any tooth yet and that was for him reason to feel anxious to start the new school year.
As our kids grow older (teenagers) it comes with more responsibility’s and choices, which also can be cause of fears.

Great article. School can be intimidating for many reasons.

I would drop my boys off at school then pick up my mail from the post office before heading home. When I got home I’d find my youngest was back at home. This happened a lot before his class got a new teacher. I took the teacher aside and explained the situation. He immediately solved the problem by talking to my son and asking him to be his go to person if he needed help. From that day onwards my son was first to school and last to leave. No more issues

Yes, fear of failure, not having friends, test and grade anxiety, sporting ability, facing situations on their own are all points that can increase our anxiety levels. I would also add bully experiences, conflicts/disagreements with friends and internal issues as impacting.

There is so much help available for children with anxiety issues. I hope families can access what they need.

My son used to get anxious in the lead-up to a new school year. He is on the spectrum with Aspergers and it was the change and the unknown. So we worked on many things – familiarising him with his teachers, his class mates, would organise a personalised meeting with my hubby, son and I with all of his teachers to work through his challenges. This worked for us.

In Grade 2 this year and he hasnt seemed anxious so far, but i believe as he continues through schooling this will definately change!

I’m waiting to see how my daughter handles grade 2 this year. Her 2 besties are in the same class together and she is in a different class without any of her close friends. Hopefully they will still play together at lunchtime or she will find some nice friends in her new class. My daughter isn’t showing much anxiety yet…Hopefully she will remember what we spoke about – great teacher and a couple of friends from her prep class are in her new class, so she isn’t totally alone.

Not having friends and big expectations from other will be the biggest fear

My kids don’t get anxious about school in general, just specific situations occasionally. That’s actually pretty easy to help with.

Having a few friends also going to the same school helps immensely – and telling your children that you just want them to do their best also helps. When they come home from a test and are upset, if you ask did they do their best and they say yes – that’s all anyone can ask for – and once they realise you are happy they are doing their best, they will settle down quite quickly.

This was the first year where my daughter did actually cope with returning to school the previous years have been nightmares

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  • • Ellen replied
    • 24 Jan 2021 , 4:59 am

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  Aw bless her wee heart, I’m glad she coped well this year !

A whole new environment, a whole new bunch of fears. But that’s what makes us stronger if we are able to face them and have the right support

I always told my boys that what I expected from them was to do their best at whatever they did. I never expected them to top their class or become a scientist or anything famous. They always knew that if they worked to the best of their ability then to me they were huge successes. I’m pleased to say that my Grandchildren were brought up the same way.