Child psychology and changing school environment

 
Every parent has an aspiration to get his or her child admitted to the best school in the city so that the sake of the child's overall personality development. And such aspirations are quite normal in the present socio-economic scene in urban and semi-urban India.


In search of good education, parents are trying hard to seek admission for their wards in their chosen schools, if not this year, then next year or so on. In the race of chasing good schools, over present school child happens to see more than one school within his 10 years of age.


Under the changing environment of the new school and ever-rising aspirations of parents happiness and joy of the child get lost as he gets himself mentally ready to face the new school environment every 2 or 3 years and in between he loses all his connections and bonding he has created during his previous schooling such connections are with the place, nature out there or people around that school.

Most of the time such a child faces four major issues at the psychological level to adjust and fine-tune his mental level to cope with a new environment and meet with aspirations of his parents.

The First issue is to maintain the original state of joy and happiness which is influenced in the new environment by teasing, exasperating, and provoking kind of actions expected in a new school. Such actions may be at a mental level or physical level. It may start with cracking jokes to go anywhere with physical harm. Under such a situation, it is difficult for a child to sit and get adjusted to the changing environment.


The second challenge for a child in a new school is loneliness. Such an issue is grave if the child is not very active hardly participates in extracurricular activities and remains aloof to other students of the class.


The third issue is being rejected or outcast by a new school environment like a child coming from one state to another and behavior, language or culture different and hence outcast by others in the class. This is also a very major issue and very deep-rooted in the society.


The fourth issue emanates from the third issue and this is because of broader social division on the basis of religion, creed, social status race etc.


Every parent must understand that if his/her child is undergoing frequent changes in schooling at the very elementary or primary level then continuous parent counselling is a must for the child to cope with new challenges emerging after changes in schooling. If counselling is not working parents must contact teachers to further expand his or her area of counselling to school.


In order to understand the problems faced by the child parents must continuously observe any changes in behaviour, habits or routine of the child and act accordingly. Parents must understand that in the time of childhood crisis love, caring and companionship of parent is what matters and they can heal any mental limitation and child overcome any problem.