The first few days back to school can be challenging, and transitioning from summer to school is often difficult for students. But when the sun starts shining again on campus, many students are eager to get into the swing. The difficulties may not be so apparent initially, but they can cause students mental health issues.
The five most common struggles every student faces returning to school
Here are five everyday struggles every student faces returning to school after a long break:
- Getting Ready for School and Dealing With Stress While Studying
One of the most common struggles students face after a break is adjusting to their new schedule. After a long summer break, students may need more time to prepare for the rigours of a full academic year.
Students may need to learn about everybody in their new class, and they may also need help making friends with classmates they didn’t know before school started again. Also, students might feel anxious talking to new people and feel everyone is staring at or judging them for some reason.
- Dealing With Homework
For many students, keeping up with the coursework and assignments they must complete can take a lot of work. Some students struggle to balance their social lives and deal with family issues, other responsibilities, and schoolwork.
- Getting Along With Friends and Peers
Students may need to learn about everybody in their new class, and they may also need help making friends with classmates they didn’t know before school started again. Also, students might feel anxious talking to new people and feel everyone is staring at or judging them for some reason.
- Navigating the campus
Students must also learn how to navigate the campus and find their way around again. Many students have never been on campus before, so they may not know where to go or who to ask for anxiety.
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What is the reason for this struggle in returning to school?
- The primary reason why children struggle to return to school is because of a sudden change in their environment.
- Another reason is the past bad experiences they may have had at school, and it affects children’s mental health.
For example, children are afraid of getting bullied or teased. Or they found it difficult to adjust to the changing routine in the new environment. They don’t want to go back and have no one to talk to, making them feel excluded.
- Some of the more obvious reasons for this are:
- Change in routine: Returning to school after the summer break can be quite an upheaval for children and their families. It introduces them to a new environment with a completely different routine, making them anxious and stressed.
- Uncertainty about expectation: When going to school, children try to figure out how to do their work, fit into their new schools and find friends again. This uncertainty further aids their struggle to fit into a new environment.
- Lack of freedom: Students might feel restricted in the school environment after spending long summer holidays mainly doing fun activities.
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How does returning to school affect mental health?
Returning to school after the summer break can bring a lot of excitement, but it can also be stressful for many children. There are a lot of unknown facts, and we don’t know what will happen in the classroom, which stresses them and affects their mental health.
- Some children face bullying and teasing, so returning to school makes them feel scared or anxious. These children have the symptoms of anxiety, sadness, anger withdrawal, crying, aloofness, and low academic performance.
- Furthermore, having spent most of the summer with their friends, some children may want to go back home or stay with grandparents or other family members (especially if they don’t live nearby).
- These children will find it hard to cope with being separated from friends and family members. Thus, transitioning back into the classroom is even more challenging for students with mental health issues.
How to overcome the struggle to return to school?
- With so many distractions and temptations during the summer, it can be easy to lose sight of your goals when you first begin your school year.
- You must remember why you wanted to return to school in the first place.
- Whether it was because of a desire for more academic rigour or simply a need for personal growth, being back at it is essential for your continued success.
- You must know what’s coming up once classes resume.
- Make sure every day includes study time, exercise, and fun activities with your friends or family members who can support your efforts.
- It would be best if you also planned with your professors and teachers so children know what assignments are due and when they’re due so they can ensure they’re on time without any problems arising later on down the road.
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Conclusion
When children return to school after summer vacation, they are excited to start their new academic year. On the other hand, their teachers may be worried about how the transition will affect their students’ mental health.
Mental health issues can affect children of all ages and at any stage. For example, many young people experience anxiety during the first few weeks after high school. It is not unusual and can be a perfectly normal reaction to starting a new school year.
Schools can help children cope with stress by providing support from teachers and other staff members who understand what they’re going through. They should also ensure that students know what resources are available for them if they need help dealing with issues such as stress or anxiety.
| [1] | R. Needleman, “Going back to school,” New Labor For., vol. 13, no. 2, pp. 100–110, 2004. |
| [2] | “Should you go back to school? 7 things to consider,” Coursera, 30-Mar-2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.coursera.org/articles/going-back-to-school-7-things-to-consider. [Accessed: 20-Jan-2023]. |
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