People often have a rosy picture of what school is like for children. However, it’s not always that simple. The school life for a child can be complex and filled with issues that cause them stress or immense difficulty. It’s important for parents to be aware of these issues and learn to recognize when there is a problem. In doing so, they will be ready to take the right steps to help their children and ensure that they are able to get them back on the right path. After all, school is a crucial stage in any child’s continued development. Here are some of the issues that you need to watch out for.
Bullying
Bullying is far more common than most people realise or would like to believe. Indeed, some studies suggest that 70% of individuals feel as though they have been bullied by the time they are 18. That is a shocking statistic and it’s fair to say that bullying can cause lasting damage too. A lot of people often assume that bullying is just growing pains and something that thickens the skin. However, research shows that the impact can be quite similar to PTSD. Children who are severely bullied often have issues later in life too.
There’s no set way to deal with bullying, particularly for parents. There’s definitely a lot of trial and error involved here. You might think that the best way is to approach the teachers or even the head of the school. Some parents even try and reach out to the parents of the child who is bullying their son or daughter. The main thing is that you are aware of the issue and this doesn’t continue underneath the surface. At the very least, you need to ensure that your child has someone they can talk to about the problems that they are facing in school.
Distractions
School can be filled with a vast variety of different distractions. It’s possible that some kids will struggle to learn because they have boy or girl issues. Some others might be led down the wrong path by their peers. If you feel as though your child is easily distracted, then you might want to consider an alternate school structure. Military boarding schools could be a more suitable option for them. With a school system like this, the distractions are eliminated so that children can focus more effectively. It’s ideal for kids who you think do need a more solid structure in place than what a typical school can provide.
There are numerous signs that kids are getting distracted at school. For instance, it’s possible that they are performing poorly in their work at school while thriving with the coursework that they complete at home. It’s also possible that they are struggling with distractions in their home and social life. Again, this could be a sign that military school is going to be the right answer. Of course, there are lots of alternate school options to consider including home education.
Alternate Learning
One of the issues with school is that there is an underlying assumption that all kids learn in the same way. It’s important to be aware that this is not the case at all. As individuals, we all learn in different ways. So some kids might not be suited for learning by the teacher talking to the class. They may find it far more beneficial to simply read the book and gain the information in that way. Alternatively, it’s possible a child will respond more to audio learning. You’re going to need to explore these possibilities if your child does seem to be struggling in school. It’s entirely possible that they just need to approach learning in a different way.
You can work with the teacher to incorporate this form of learning into their school life. Failing that, you might want to think about instead exploring these learning techniques outside of school hours. For instance, you can think about recording audio files with the information they need so that they can play through their phone. This could help them perform better in tests and exams.
Poor Teaching
Of course, if your child is struggling to learn in school then you do have to take into consideration that it could be a problem with the teaching standards. Usually, this won’t be the case as teachers are vetted carefully to ensure that they can provide the right quality of teaching. However, sometimes a poor teacher does slip through the system. If you are worried about this, then you might want to speak to some of the other parents and find out whether their child is struggling too. It’s possible that they are and if that’s the case, it likely is an issue with the teaching. You will then need to decide on the right action to take but usually speaking to the head of the school is the best place to start.
Sensory Issues
Alternatively, you might find that your child is having issues at school due to a sensory problem. This could be an issue with their hearing or their sight. That’s why it’s important to get kids checked out regularly for issues like this. Remember, younger children won’t be able to tell you what the problem is. They just won’t be able to see the writing on the board or hear the teacher. It’s also important to note that hearing and eyesight can change regularly through development. That’s why you should make sure that you are getting your children’s eyes and hearing tested about once a year. Hearing issues are far less common because they can still impact young children. As well as this, tinnitus is far more common than it used to be in younger children and teenagers. This is likely due to the increased use of personal music players that allow music to be played at excessive volumes.
High Intelligence
We often assume that if a child is struggling in a class or subject, it’s because they have a lower level of intelligence or that they have difficulty in this particular subject. However, this isn’t the case, a lot of the time things can be deceptive. It’s possible that the child is far more intelligent than the teacher or the parent understands. You see this a lot in younger children where they are simply bored in class because the educational standards and the teaching is simply too easy for them. This is when they begin to act out and may ignore the teachings completely. It’s why you should think about testing your child’s intelligence if they do seem to be struggling to stay on task in school. The truth might just surprise you.
If your child is operating on a higher level, then it might be worth letting them skip a year. It could also be beneficial for them to complete extra studies outside of school to fuel what could be quite a significant thirst for knowledge. With the right support here, these children can be capable of incredible things.
We hope this helps you understand some of the challenges that your child can face in school and the steps that you can take to help them. Remember, the most important thing is that you do not leave them to deal with these issues by themselves. If you do this, then it’s possible for the problems to become overwhelming and this is where things can get far worse. Talk to your child regularly and make sure you have a strong grasp of what their school life is like and the challenges that they might be facing.
Leave a Reply