School children are returning to School across the country. Many are happy to do so, especially after the disruptions of 2020. It’s wonderful to catch up with friends and teachers… and to start a new beginning.

Despite this there are a number of children who will be dragging their feet in the school gates. These are the children who find school life challenging for one reason or another.

Perhaps they

  • just don’t find it easy to make friends
  • they’re different – too skinny, too fat, too tall, too clumsy
  • don’t uinderstand the lessons – they learn differently
  • have some form of disability which prevents them joining in activities
  • come from a family backgorund which does not support their efforts at school
  • can’t sit still

School can be especially difficult for these children so spare them a thought. Let’s see what we can do (whether parent, teacher of student) to make these outsiders feel a little happeir about returning to school. Despite setbacks, most of these children grow up and make friends and fit comfortably into the society.

Another group returning to School, but not travelling there each day is the home schooled group. This is becoming and increasingly large group in Australia, and throughout the world. There is a variety of reasons why children are home schooled:

They may be home schooled because:

  • they are having difficulties learning at school
  • their parents want to home school thier children for reiligious or cultural reasons
  • the journey to school is to long
  • they feel out of place at school
  • some parents believe it is best for parents to educate their own children
  • they have suffered from a significant injury and recuperating at home.

Last year online learning platforms were developed, tested and refined. Although the circumstances around the development of these platforms were unfortunate, they have resulted in the ability of schools and parents to accommodate more flexible learning options. If we keep at least some degree of this felexilbity it will help more students succeed at academic challenges and feel good about themselves.

As parents, educators and those involved with young people this is surely what we strive for… facilitating the achievement of young people so they can feel proud of themselves. And this should extend to all forms of School acitivities – sporting, cultural and academic. Every child can achieve at some level – not gratuitously but really achieve so that they are justifiably proud.

This is how we can help our children in 2021!

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