Starting secondary school is a huge step for teenagers. They are moving from being ‘top of the heap’ in primary school to being the new girls/boys in secondary school. Top that off with the normal angst of teenage years and it can be a very stressful time for them. Usually however, it is a very exciting time for the students as they get to meet new friends, learn new subjects and meet many new teachers.
In my own experience of my children moving to secondary school, I found that they were very tired for the first few weeks. The days are longer and they have a lot more responsibility in getting used to having many teachers and classes to attend and trying to organise themselves with timetables and booklists. You can help your child when starting secondary school by ensuring that they have the correct uniform, books and supplies needed. You can also be available to listen about their new school and their highs and lows of the days. Being able to talk things through will be invaluable for your child and will also help you to get to know their friends and teachers.
Searching for information and advice for children starting secondary, I felt that the best source would be from teenagers who had just finished first year themselves. Let’s face it, they know what it was like and have come through the first year of this adjustment. They know the system, socially, educationally and pressure wise, so their insight is priceless!
Lisa – aged 13, Girls Only Secondary School
I asked Lisa what she found most difficult in the first few weeks. “It was a bit hard to get organised – I had to get used to loads of new teachers. Also, I had to get used to moving around to different rooms depending on my subjects. It takes a bit of time to get the hang of getting the right books from your locker for the next few classes.” Lisa gave me the following tips for first years:
• Stick a copy of your timetable to the inside of your locker door.
• Keep all your books in your locker and just take out the ones you need for each class
• Keep all your copies in your bag
• Be a little bit early for the first 2 weeks so you get time to find your way around
On a final note, Lisa said that she was tired because of the longer day but she just went to bed a bit earlier and it was okay. She also commented that she loved how she got to meet so many new people and she has made many new friends. “Don’t feel under pressure to stay with the friends you had from primary. I made loads of new friends and only stayed close to one of my friends from primary.” She continued “I am still friendly with my old friends from primary, we just don’t hang around together anymore. I think it is best to be nice to everyone, you’ll get to know a lot more people and will get less hassle”.
Ben - aged 13 Co-Educational Secondary School
“I like secondary and was happy enough from the start. It took me about 2 weeks to get used to the timetable, but after that it was easy”. Ben also commented that he was very tired for the first few weeks and had to get to bed early. “You should not be afraid to ask for help from your teachers or the other kids. I found that I needed help on finding my way around the school so it was great being able to ask someone to help”. He also says to students to just take 1 day at a time and make sure that you have yourself organised from the night before.
With regards to friends, Ben kept a lot of his friends from primary and made some new ones. His tips are:
• Don’t be afraid to ask for help
• Try not to be shy and you will make loads of new friends
• Join some sports or activity in the school – this is a great way to get to know more friends and teachers.
On a final note I asked Ben what was the best and worst thing about secondary. “The school tour was the best! We went to Italy and it was great. The worst thing has to be homework on Friday – we never got that in primary and I hate having homework for over the weekend!”
Interesting comments and certainly some sound advice from these young people! If you have any more tips, please post them on our forum so we can share with all of our parents!
Best wishes from the team at Help Me 2 Parent