My Turn: Preparing for new academic year

All too soon, a new academic year is here again. Parents and guardians are running around the clock to get their wards ready for school. School fees, new uniforms, new shoes, text books, and all the necessary  requirement must be ready.

The management of  some schools, apart from putting their premises in good shape, organise special ‘welcome back to school’ activities for their children.   In recent years  too, the Ministry of Education  and   district  administrations have also been organising My first day in school activities to welcome class one pupils to formal education . This is to make the transition less stressful and a memorable  occasion  for the youngsters. 

Teachers   also  revise their curricula in order to get their weekly forecasts and lesson plans ready. The smart ones go  a step further to get their teaching and learning aids ready, long before school reopens.

 Schoolchildren are excited about going to a new class and also meeting new friends. They also look forward to meeting a new class teacher or teachers. Those of them who are already familiar with the teachers in their school have no mixed feelings because they are used to how  such teachers handle children. 

However, a new entrant to a school  or class  will be anxious and uncertain about what to expect. This is because they are not sure of how they would be received  by a teacher  or mates they meet on their first day in school. Nevertheless, they will be in school soon and they have to brace themselves for  the unexpected.

 Apart from the physical preparations made by parents, school and teachers, there is also the need to consider the psychological aspects as well. 

While parents whose wards performed creditably well in their last promotion exam  should encourage them to keep up the good work, those whose children’s performance was not impressive rather than discouraging them with derogatory comments, should also encourage them to step up their academic performance, 

It is the responsibility of all workers in educational institutions to seize the opportunity  on the first day of school, to build a strong relationship with their  charges. 

Teachers especially, must put all their personal issues aside and warmly receive their pupils and students back after vacation. This  is because the overall  performance of a  child in school depends partly on a teacher’s total psychological preparedness and attitude towards the child.

Indeed , we all have our individual differences and peculiar circumstances but these notwithstanding, every schoolchild deserves warmth, appreciation and respect.

Teachers would make or mar a child’s expectations  at school even on  the  first day. Let us all remember that First Impressions, they say, always last forever.

Writer's Email: beliefn@yahoo.com