School selection, which has a decisive and important place in the future of the child, is of great importance for families.
While parents are searching for the right school for their children in these days of school selection, experts give important tips on what to pay attention to when choosing a school.
Psychiatrist Assist. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Emel Sarı Gökten from Üsküdar University NPISTANBUL Hospital said that one of the important turning points in a child's life is the school period.
MENTAL WELL-BEING DOES NOT ONLY DEPEND ON THE FAMILY!
Stating that parents strive to find the best and the right school for their children in the current period, Assist. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Emel Sarı Gökten said, "Determining the school their child will go to is perhaps one of the issues that parents think about the most and are afraid of making mistakes. While putting their children, whom they raise with care and see as the most valuable asset, into an environment where they will be happy, beautifully shaped and prepared for life, parents experience a significant anxiety. Parents are quite right to experience this anxiety. This is because in the first years of their lives, children who have only been under the influence of their parents and family environment gradually begin to enter certain social environments and come into contact with people outside the family. Therefore, mental well-being is no longer dependent only on the family's approach."
Stating that school life, friendships at school, relationships with teachers and academic success are extremely important for the mental development and well-being of children and adults, Assist. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Emel Sarı Gökten said, "In psychiatric interviews, we sometimes see that even in adulthood, people continue to be affected by the difficulties and negative memories they had as children about their teachers or school environment. Of course, we may not be able to prevent all kinds of events or traumas that may occur in the future, but we can still be careful when choosing a school for our child to determine an environment where he/she will be happy."
Assist. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Emel Sarı Gökten listed these points as follows:
It should be an environment that the child will love: When choosing a school in the pre-school education period, attention should be paid to a school environment that the child will love, create a positive school perception, play games and make their first friendships, rather than academic expectations. A peaceful school environment that will be carried to a different dimension with the addition of an adult such as a teacher to the good relationship the child has established with his/her parents should be sought. Another point that parents should pay attention to during this period is that the school should be a safe place for their children.
The pre-school period is very important: A child who has reached the average age of 3 should start preparing for school gradually. Studies have shown that children who have received pre-school education have better mental skills, academic achievement and adaptation than those who have not. For this reason, it is a good idea for parents to research schools for their children at this age.
Investigate the educational conditions: Primary school is the beginning of the transition to academic life. In addition to being an environment that children will love and where they will feel safe and happy, the school must also meet the minimum educational requirements. The emphasis on academic achievement and development can vary from school to school and even from teacher to teacher.
Take your child's characteristics into account: The family's expectations for academic achievement, the child's structural and developmental characteristics, intelligence, ability to sit still, listening skills, and willingness to obey rules should be evaluated and a list of schools that the child can attend should be drawn up. It may be appropriate for a child with a high learning speed, who can get used to rules and order quickly, to be educated in a school that prioritizes academic success.
Seek advice from pre-school teachers: However, forcing a child who learns more difficultly than his/her peers, has difficulty listening and learns better with repetition to attend a school with high academic expectations may have negative effects on the child. When thinking about our child's learning speed and our expectations about school, we should definitely get support and advice from our teachers who have taught our child before school. Because teachers can evaluate many issues that parents cannot objectively evaluate for emotional reasons more clearly. Sometimes we encounter children who have a very high learning capacity but who have difficulty in following the rules and controlling their behavior and need external control. For such children, school environments and teachers are needed where rules and discipline are applied consistently and clearly, while paying attention to building a warm relationship and reminding them of limits frequently.
Changing schools can be useful: Even if you have done all the necessary research and evaluation, there may still be difficulties or problems with the school and teacher you have decided on. No decision in life is 100 percent guaranteed. It may be necessary to be accepting and solution-oriented about difficulties and problems, to involve our child in an objective evaluation when necessary, and to change schools or classes if this is still not possible. Concerns that changing school or class will necessarily have a negative impact on the child's life are unfounded. The new environment may even be a new beginning for him/her and a very important step for his/her spiritual development.
Every child is special: We need to remember that each of our children is very special, with their own individual strengths and weaknesses and can be developed, and that each child can be won over if we as parents, teachers, school environment, doctors and social environment try to do our best.