School and family are very important institutions that complement each other in the education of individuals. When the child is faced with the task of entering a different environment outside of the family and home environment and starting school, adaptation problems may occur. While most children adapt to school, some have difficulty adapting. A child who is dependent, cannot establish relationships, refuses to play with his friends, and has a poor relationship with his mother may be expected to have problems when starting school. The main problem commonly seen in children who have difficulty adapting to school is fear of school. Children will first need time to feel safe and comfortable during this process. The causes of school phobia may originate from school or home. The classroom at school may be very crowded, and the child may not receive the attention he expects from the teacher. The child's classroom teacher may be very authoritarian and the child may not be able to adapt to the teacher's strict discipline. The activities done or made to be done in the classroom may be difficult for the child, or the child may be afraid of not being able to succeed in a certain activity (painting, music, foreign language, etc.). The thought that he/she will not be taken care of in a crowded classroom environment, the worry of getting lost or forgotten at school, the lesson being long or wanting to play games, having difficulty understanding and applying the rules, the fear of not being able to meet his/her own needs (food, toilet, etc.), the thought that he/she will be made fun of, being left without friends. His anxiety can alienate him from school and create a school phobia.
Sometimes, the source of school phobia may not be the teacher or the school environment. In this case, the cause of the problem should be sought at home and in the family. There may be many reasons why a child does not want to leave home. These may include the presence of a younger sibling at home, the fear of losing the mother, the illness of the mother or father, the divorce of the parents shortly before school starts or the death of a family member, the mother's fear of loneliness or not being ready to be separated from her child. Fear of school is actually the result of the child's anxiety about being separated from his mother. The family must first identify the thoughts that cause anxiety in the child and ensure that the child is relieved by providing realistic explanations for the anxiety caused by these thoughts.
The mother is as happy as the child in the separation process. It must be r. As long as the mother makes her child feel her worries and does not distance herself from the child, it will be difficult for the child to adapt to school. Both the family and the school have many duties in eliminating school phobia. Mother and father should treat their child calmly, coolly and understandingly. Mother and father should know that the child should not stay away from school and every effort should be made to get him used to school.
To mention the situations seen in children who have a fear of school and have difficulty in adapting: headaches and stomachaches, which are mostly observed in school mornings and disappear on holidays, Nausea and stomach cramps that sometimes turn into vomiting, crying, sweating, shaking, fear, extreme anger, complaints about feeling unwell without a clear physiological reason, increased desire to stay at home, refusal to go to school, crying, reluctance to leave parents, going to school Symptoms of distress such as being reluctant to come, not wanting to do the behaviors one is used to doing, showing baby-like behavior, irregularities in eating and sleeping habits, and lying may be observed.
During the adaptation process, periods of crankiness and restlessness that last for a few weeks may be experienced. Dependency on the mother may increase. Frightful dreams may be seen at night. These behaviors are quite natural reactions. You should not worry that these behaviors will disappear as the child begins to adapt. If the problem persists for a long time, it would be useful to consult a psychologist and get expert support. Each child's adaptation time to school is different. For this reason, one should never compare them with other children. This process may vary depending on the child's personality structure and the family's upbringing.
It cannot be said that there is an education model suitable for all children in eliminating school phobia. For this reason, it is essential that the family and the school cooperate. While the family works for the child to gain independence and mature, on the other hand, the teacher should create opportunities for the child to prove himself at school and show himself in the field in which he is successful. In order for the child to socialize and strengthen his/her friendship relationships, he/she should be allowed to meet and play with a few classmates outside of school. In the child, whose sense of trust is reinforced with the cooperation of the family, teacher and specialist, school phobia decreases over time. is observed to disappear. The important thing in eliminating school phobia is to diagnose the problem early and choose an education model appropriate to the cause of the problem.
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