Welcome back to school, dear students. It’s time to say goodbye to the summer holiday. It’s over and school time is back again. Generally, the first day of school is like celebrating Eid; wearing new clothes, sharing the feelings of delight, greeting friends, classmates and teachers. There’s no doubt students are happy to be back after a three-month-long holiday.
On the contrary, some students will be a bit nervous on the first day. Possibly, these are common feelings among first grade students or those moving to another school.
Having new teachers, new friends and may be a new school could be a “scary thing” for them. All these concerns, however, will remain only for a few days, till they get used to the school environment and the ones around them.
That’s not an abnormal feeling as getting nervous is common among people especially in a new learning or work environment.
School days is the time for children to load up their backpack, dress themselves in new uniforms and head back to their schools. It’s truly encouraging to see students resuming their studies. Classrooms are full, textbooks are glossy and “smell fresh”, and pencil tips are sharp.
Going to school is just another challenge children experience in their lifespan and hope it instills them with the love of learning from the beginning. In fact, it’s one of the rewarding experiences that start from the early days of childhood until they get to high school or university.
We all know that sometimes it can be a hard change for children going from a very long, relaxing summer holiday to being a full-time student. Although learning is tough and the daily school’s routine is boring sometimes, there is nothing like receiving good education and having fun at school.
It builds a foundation that lasts for the rest of their lives. Aristotle was undoubtedly right when he pointed out the roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.
On the other hand, as schools reopen after a long holiday, it brings more stress, headache and hard times for parents. They might be caught up in their children’s back-to-school preparations, including outfits, stationery and others.
However, all these provide one of life’s necessities that complement parents’ role in bringing up children and building their future.
A major task for parents in the first few weeks of a new academic year is monitoring the students’ psychological status. The first school days could be exciting and then turn into encouragement for students to excel in studies.
To them, it’s time to reunite with old friends, start new classes and get back to learning. This will work as a source of motivation and excitement.
For others, the new school year sets off a bad case of back-to-school anxiety as they experience a kind of sadness due to end of summer break.
A previous negative school experience could be another source of panic for such students. Such feelings have the potential to turn into fright or depression.
Consequently, I believe parents might not get a clear picture as they feel the child hates going back to school.
Instead, they should stand by their child to help him/her start the school year afresh, enthusiastic and serious.
In celebration of back to school time, I wish each and every student and teacher a happy and successful year ahead.
Abdulaziz Al Jahdhami
aljahdhami22@gmail.com
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