Last Friday an excited group of children found a baby blue tongue lizard under a bag rack. We needed to relocate the terrified lizard away from the exuberant young students, so I attempted to pick it up. This small but fierce reptile viewed my attempted rescue and relocation as an attack. It opened its mouth widely and presented a deep blue tongue in defense. Each time I positioned my hand to grip the lizard behind its head, it repositioned to attack my hand, hissing loudly.
Sometimes our children also react out of fear. A new school, new class, new teacher, new routines can all result in fear and anxiety. While parents and teachers understand that many of our children’s fears are unfounded, it is important that we don’t dismiss concerns. By asking open-ended questions we can gain a better understanding of the specifics of your child’s concerns. Questions such as "Tell me more about that" or "Talk me through your day" allows a child to clarify their feelings and provides you with useful context.
It can be easy for children and teenagers to catastrophize about their day, so ask some questions to help your child recognise the positives and negatives. Questions might include "What went well today?", "What was the best thing at school today?", "What didn’t go well?", "What went wrong today?", "What could make your day better?". By including positive perspectives, we help children create a realistic frame.
It's helpful to take things slowly when your child seems unhappy or anxious about school. Often situations resolve themselves and children develop social skills, resilience, and confidence as a result. If the situation does not improve over time, we want to work collaboratively with you to support your child to feel safe and happy. Unless there are serious wellbeing concerns, avoidance may not be the solution. Changing classes, engineering social groups, or avoiding challenging activities can sometimes disempower our children and create ongoing patterns of anxiety.
So when you see a metaphoric bright blue tongue, listen, ask questions for context and connect with school staff so that we can work together to help your children feel connected, safe and happy.
Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you. Deuteronomy 31:8 NLV
Mrs Debra Cooper
Principal
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