I am a single Mum with 2 kiddies. My girl is 7 and in yr one my son 5 and due to start primary school next year.
So I am seriously considering changing schools for my daughter for a few reasons. One reason is the lack of reward for her effort. So she had a rough start at school in her first yr last y with detentions (in her FIRST year of school) for ridiculous reasons. This year she has put in soooo much effort after our parent teacher interviews. Her teacher said to her if she works really hard and puts in a lot of effort, she will be rewarded (all my daughter wants is an award at assembly and she bloody deserves one). I feel like it is a personality clash between her and her teacher.
Second reason is my son doesn't cope well at preschool with behavious (which we are all working one- preschool, psychologist- for resilience building/anger management, etc). The school is aware that he will have difficulty with transition and following rules. My concern is he is going to constantly get in trouble as there is no "diagnosed issue".
Third reason is my daughter has a bit of trouble with kids at school. She is not a victim of bullying as she gives as good as she gets (something we're working on- not that she is a horrible person because she is far from it).
So I am thinking of a school change taking all these things into consideration. My concern in doing this is a new school/environment, different way of teaching, new kids etc. She will start in yr 2 (whereas my son will start his schooling there).
I guess I am asking for experiences in school changes (any experience) for 7-8 yr olds who love their friends but could achieve so much more at a better school. (She does know quite a few children at the new school).
1 Replies
I am in a similar situation with my son who is currently in grade 2 and I also have a daughter who will start prep next year.
We have made the decision to switch school now before my daughter starts. My son is both nervous and excited at the change.
I am positive he will do better in the new school. He was also getting into a lot of trouble in prep, getting sent to the principals office several times for not completing work, not focusing and being disruptive.
I don't like the way they have handled him at all, and I believ he is treated like "just another student" as opposed to an individual who might learn in a different way to other children.
We have had him tested for ODD And the results were negative. But I am still investigating other possibilities like ADD with a slight APD. (Audio processing disorder) all of which are not his fault and he shouldn't be treated like he is a bad child who is always wrong and needs dicipline.
Make sure you really investigate other possible
Schools thoroughly before making the final decision. The change might be hard at first, but so worth it in the long run.
Good luck with your decision.