How Do You Know That Your Children Liked Their School?

Children have a love-hate relationship with the school. There are days when they love going to school, and there are mornings when they wake up and decide that school is no fun and would do better staying home. Children rave and rant about school in equal measure. Therefore, when parents are curious about whether their children genuinely like their school, they are sometimes flabbergasted owing to the mixed signals that the children give.

There are some surefire ways to know if your child hates school- their reluctance to go to school, tears and tantrums before school, and bad performance during exams. However, though these help us understand that the child is having trouble at school, these are not the only ways to determine if your children like school.

Here are a few ways in which to find out if your child likes school-

Conversation

The easiest way to get your child to open up about their feelings is by having a conversation. While it is easy to ask the common question, ‘How was school today,’ the answer could be monosyllabic, ‘Hmmm’ or ‘It was okay.’ It would be great if you could have a routine to discuss school.

Many parents say that the best time to talk about school is when the child has just gotten back from school and is having a snack or meal, depending on the time of day. Many of us would have memories of sitting in the kitchen, munching on some snack while regaling our mothers or grandmothers about what happened at school. Nowadays, if parents are at work when children return from school, it would be a great idea to use the time before dinner to talk about school. For younger children, you could also use bath time to have a conversation about what your child has been doing at school.

Instead of asking them, ‘How was school,’ ask about topics that you have already discussed with your child- about their friends at school, teachers they like or dislike, subjects or topics they are learning at school, and such. Reluctance to talk about bad news at school is a given, but you can get the child to open up by listening and not launching into a lecture or peppering the conversation with questions of your own while the child is sharing news. The key to finding out if the children love school is to help them talk to you without being judgmental and help them open up about what they like and dislike at school.

Visit the school

Whether it is for the simple chore of dropping your children off at school or for a longer meeting with teachers, it is a great idea to visit your child’s school. One of the main reasons behind recommending a visit to the school is that it is the place where your child spends a lot of their time during the day.

When you drop your child off at school, you see their enthusiasm to come to school. Children who love school are enthusiastic about the school trip and love to describe their days at school and what they are looking forward to. The exuberance with which they leave the vehicle and run towards the gate or school building is a great indication of how much they love school.

Visiting the school for a parent-teacher meeting also helps you stay in touch with the child’s teachers and stay up to date with how the child is doing at school. Children feel special when they show you around the school, and you can gauge their liking for the school by describing their favourite spots and taking them around the school.

You could also learn more about your child’s academic performance- which subjects they like, if they are performing well at school, and understand the problems they face when interacting with the teachers.

You could also discuss problems that your child has discussed with you. The meeting is also an excellent opportunity for the teacher to address any behavioural issues she notices with your child. This could also be the perfect time to get tips from the teachers about communicating with your children or helping them with their studies. Hence, a visit to the school could help us work together to make the school a happier place for your children.

Watch out for warning signs:

A child who loves school is a happy child. There are many signs that a child gives you when they are happy about school. They love planning their meals and discussing what they have decided to bring to school with their friends. They are also prompt about packing their bag the previous day. If there are any events at school, they are always looking forward to and incessantly talking about them.

In the same way, there are warning signs that you should watch out for. Other than the fuss that most mornings entail about going to school on time, some signals are indications of your children having a difficult time at school. The first one is a physical illness. There are so many instances of children having stomach aches or diarrhoea, especially before an examination. However, if your child continuously complains about stomach aches or has stomach troubles, it could be a sign that the child is stressed about school.

Another sign is that the child is withdrawn or quiet when you ask about their day. Avoiding eye contact while talking about their teachers or lessons also shows that there is something that the child is not telling you. It could also be the other extreme, where the child is aggressive, angry, or anxious about school.

The development of unusual behaviours is another sign that your child is not enjoying school. Picking up swear words and constantly using them to vent their frustration is probably a sign that something is not right at school. Other stress signals are nail-biting, thumb-sucking, and bed-wetting in younger children. Sometimes, these could be set off by a stressful environment at school. If you notice any of these signs in your children, set up a meeting with the teachers or management to discuss your child, as we would love to arrive at the root cause of the issue and work with you to remedy the same.

In addition to all of these, you will know that your child loves National Model School because they

• talk about school incessantly and miss school when they have holidays

• are actively involved in school projects and events

• ask questions in class and are willing to talk about what they have learnt at school

• perform well in school, and actively work towards improving their grades or knowledge

• feel safe about coming to school and are not afraid of the environment

Deciding the best school for your child is a herculean task in itself. You have to consider many things- the curriculum, teaching methodology, vision, and so on. You also check if the school’s teaching style matches your child’s learning style.

The other factors that help you to decide if the school is the best fit for you are based on its location and availability of transport. Keeping all this in mind, you should not have to worry if the school is a happy place for your child.

At National Model School, we want the best for your child. We strive toward making the school a happy and nurturing place for every child. If you notice that your child is not enthusiastic about coming to school, and does not perform well in class assessments, then we would be honoured if you could approach us and work together with us to remedy the situation so that whatever is adversely affecting the child can be taken care of.