Buzz
Below are some small yet essential insights from a preschool teacher to help parents prepare thoroughly and feel more confident when entrusting their beloved children to complete strangers for nurturing and education.
1. Proximity Matters
The reality is that most young children starting school are prone to illness, including those who are healthy and have strong immune systems. This is hardly avoidable because going to school means entering an environment with new habits and potentially less favorable care conditions compared to home. Thus, parents shouldn't fret excessively if their child shows signs of illness during the initial school period. The key is to minimize any risks to their health. Choosing a school close to home is one of the crucial factors in reducing such risks. Opting for a nearby school means less early rising for the child, fewer exposures to dust, sun, rain, cold, etc. If a good school nearby is not available, parents should choose one that aligns with their work commute to minimize disruptions to family routines while ensuring a convenient drop-off and pick-up schedule for their child.
For parents, a teaching environment with excellent pedagogy and facilities may seem like the perfect choice for their child. However, whether the child is 18 months old (or possibly even younger, around 12 months) starting school or older, what matters most is the care, attention, and love from those around them. Having a good teacher who understands the child's personality and accompanies them throughout their learning journey is more important than enrolling them in a modern environment with exorbitant fees but fluctuating teaching staff. Instead of solely focusing on the school's accreditation or surveillance cameras in the classroom, parents should observe and pay attention to how teachers interact with and care for the children to decide whether it's the right school for their child. Parental instincts will often guide them towards those who will treat their child well.
3. New is Strange, Later is Familiar
Before deciding to send a child to school, parents need to prepare the child psychologically very carefully. Start by getting the child familiar with crowds, practicing observation, and playing with peers of the same age. Especially, let the child visit the school they will attend... The emotions and attitudes of the child when visiting and exploring the school can completely change a mother's decision because the child's perception of new teachers, friends is most important. It's possible that in the beginning, the child may cry and demand their mother, but being with people who the child has a positive impression of and who care about the child, the child will quickly adapt and stabilize psychologically. Besides, parents also need to pay attention to and understand the school's schedule for eating, sleeping, and playing to gradually guide the child according to that timetable. This is also a way to help the child adapt and avoid being 'shocked' when going to school and to protect the child's health well. And parents should also remember to share the child's habits and personalities to help the teacher 'integrate' with the child faster and also help the child integrate with their peers better.
4. Prepare a Good “Kit” for the Child
The child's kit is simply a backpack and this is also very important to show the care and nurturing of parents. When visiting the school, mothers should observe the width of the locker to choose a backpack for the child that is suitable. Many mothers buy oversized backpacks which can be inconvenient for the child to store or retrieve items. Perhaps this is just a small detail but if parents pay a little attention, it will make the child more comfortable when coming to class, storing or retrieving items.
Besides, parents should also note that they should not write directly on the child's backpack because it will be very difficult to change the information if the child changes schools or moves to a new school. It is essential to have the phone number of the father or mother or of a relative living close to the child's school, but it should not be written too much or too messy.
5. Helping the Child Become a Strong “Warrior”
If the school and teacher are perfect, but the child is weak, timid, and difficult to socialize... then surely the child will suffer many disadvantages because a class with many students means the teacher cannot devote much time to care and pamper a particular student. Therefore, the more the child is aware of going to school, the more independent they become, the faster they will adapt and love the class, love their friends, love the teachers earlier.
Don't forget to spend time talking to your child about school, spend time helping your child get acquainted with school step by step, teach your child self-serving habits, and especially always remind your child of hygiene habits, handwashing, keeping hands clean, ... Although these things depend on the personality and characteristics of each child, if parents prepare their child as carefully as possible, the smoother it will be for the child to go to school and the fewer tears they will shed. Because a mother is always the one who loves and understands the child the most, knows what the child really needs and what makes the child happy, helps the child be healthier.
